Simple and Healthy Fig, Prosciutto, & Goat Cheese Salad Recipe
Fruit and meat make a pretty good team, especially in salads, since a huge helping of lettuce becomes immensely more attractive when interspersed with bursts of sweet and savory goodness. Most major restaurants take a stab at it, but they often end up being an 800-calorie debacle. Why eat a restaurant salad if it's going to cost you the calorie intake of more than a full sized meal? Enter our healthy fig and prosciutto salad recipe. In this version there are a quarter of the calories! We pair strips of salty, intense prosciutto with juicy, ripe figs. Add the tang of fresh goat cheese and the subtle, earthy crunch of toasted pine nuts and this makes for one inspired salad. Let salad be healthy, again!
Nutrition: 230 calories, 12 g fat (3.5 g saturated), 690 mg sodium
Serves 4
You'll Need
12 cups baby arugula
8 figs (preferably Mission)
6 slices prosciutto, cut into thin strips
1⁄4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1⁄2 cup crumbled fresh goat cheese
Salt and black pepper to taste
Balsamic Vinaigrette
How to Make It
- Combine the arugula, figs, prosciutto, pine nuts, and goat cheese in a large salad bowl, along with a few pinches of salt and plenty of black pepper.
- Pour in just enough vinaigrette to cling lightly to the lettuce and toss gently.
- Divide among 4 plates.
Eat This Tip
Mason Jar Vinaigrettes
Considering how easy it is to make vinaigrette at home, there's no reason to buy bottled dressing at all, especially since most bottles are awash in salt, high-fructose corn syrup, heavy creams, and are generally priced through the roof because of whatever celebrity might be on the label. By making your own, you can save on calories and dollars. A bowl and a whisk work just fine, but a clean mason jar is even better, plus it's almost as aesthetically pleasing than Paul Newman's face. Add your base flavorings—Dijon, minced garlic, shallot, herbs—then a vinegar and oil of choice (no more than 2 parts oil to 1 part vinegar). Season with salt and pepper and shake like crazy for 20 seconds. Done. Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to a week.
This recipe (and hundreds more!) came from one of our Cook This, Not That! books. For more easy cooking ideas, you can also buy the book!
