Endive, Arugula, and Orange Salad
Updated Oct 29, 2025
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A little burst of citrus in a salad is beautiful on many levels. Take your arugula to another level by combining it with sweet, sour oranges and some bitter endives. The result is a sophisticated salad that will class up any dinner party table.
When you pair crisp Belgian endive with peppery arugula, sweet orange segments, and a tangy vinaigrette, you get a salad that’s refreshing, balanced, and unexpectedly elegant – without any fuss. This Endive, Arugula & Orange Salad is just as perfect next to roast chicken as it is for elevating a Thanksgiving spread. It’s quick to toss together, and looks vibrant enough for a special occasion (ooh, pair it with Butternut Squash Risotto), but fast enough to pull together on a weeknight.
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Ingredients
- Oranges – If you have the opportunity to find blood oranges or any other cool-weather variety of oranges, preferably with a deep, rich inside hue, they will make this salad so, so, so pretty. But you know, regular oranges make it pretty, too. Or mix two varieties if you’re really showing off.
- Rice vinegar – Use your rice vinegar to give the dressing some bite.
- Olive oil – It would hardly be a salad dressing without olive oil, would it?
- Shallots – Mince shallots finely to add to this dressing — it gives it a bit of a crunch.
- Dijon mustard – Mustard works well to round out the salad dressing.
- Baby arugula – Buy baby arugula for this salad, which has a slightly more consistent and milder peppery flavor.
- Endive – Endive is somewhat bitter. If you are concerned about the lettuce mix getting a little too powerful for your group, subbing in some slivered romaine is a great way to add salad crunch and volume while taming the intensity of the stronger lettuces.
- Black olives – Optional if you want a little bit more salt and brine in your salad!
Make it your own…
If you only can find mature arugula, chop them coarsely, and give the leaves a taste – if they are super peppery you may want to use a bit less, and either increase the amount of endive, or add a bit of slivered romaine lettuce to make up the difference, and balance out the strong flavor of the arugula leaves.
I’m thinking some crumbled blue cheese on the top next time. Those of you who don’t have nut allergies (as I do) might also like some crushed hazelnuts, almonds, or walnuts sprinkled over. Or rough (torn instead of cubed) homemade croutons.
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You may be wondering, hey, what are those other green beauties in the photo above? Well, there are a Creamy Brussels Sprouts Slaw and a Kale and Romaine Salad.
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Fresh Endive Arugula Salad with Sweet Citrus
Ingredients
- 2 oranges (any kind)
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons minced shallots
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- 6 cups baby arugula (or chopped arugula leaves)
- 2 heads endive (sliced into 1/2-inch ribbons crosswise)
- ½ cup halved oil-cured black olives (optional)
Instructions
- Peel the oranges and use a small, sharp knife to remove the white pith from the entire outside of the orange. Cut the orange crosswise into 1/4-inch slices, then cut each of the slices into 4 quarters. Remove any seeds, taking care to leave the pieces intact and in a nice shape.
- In a small container or bowl, combine the vinegar, olive oil, shallots, mustard, salt, and pepper.
- In a large serving bowl, combine the arugula and endive, along with the olives, if using. Add the dressing and toss to combine. Add the orange pieces and gently toss again to combine.
Notes
- If you only can find mature arugula, chop it coarsely, and give the leaves a taste. If they are super peppery, you may want to use a bit less and either increase the amount of endive or add a bit of slivered romaine lettuce to make up the difference and balance out the strong flavor of the arugula leaves.
- Endive is somewhat bitter. If you are concerned about the lettuce mix getting a little too powerful for your group, subbing in some slivered romaine is a great way to add salad crunch and volume while taming the intensity of the stronger lettuces.
