This bright and refreshing arugula salad with Lemon Basil Dressing is the perfect simple green salad. The arugula is fresh and peppery, and the dressing is bright and full of basil and parmesan flavor!
Add basil, lemon juice, Parmesan cheese, and a pinch of salt and pepper to a food processor. Pulse until the basil is mostly minced.
Pour in the olive oil, blending just until the dressing is smooth.
Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
Combine the dressing with fresh arugula and divide among 4 serving bowls. Top with more shaved Parmesan and cracked black pepper, if desired. Eat!
Notes
Blanched Basil: optionally, you can blanch your basil. This keeps the dressing looking bright green in case you make extra and want to store it. Blanched basil is also easier to blend in a standard blender. Otherwise, not necessary!Cheese Substitutions: you can also use Pecorino Romano or Grana Padano. If possible, I do recommend buying a block and shaving it yourself, or getting it from a cheese counter.Dairy-Free Version: add 1 additional Tablespoon of olive oil, and 1 Tablespoon of hemp seeds to make this dairy free. You could also try a little nutritional yeast, but I haven't tried that myself.