Easy Entertaining : A crowd-pleasing (and fast) salad…or app!

Recipes

Nov 12

I’m not a recipe creator or food blogger, but I do love feeding people and entertaining! So, I wouldn’t necessarily call this a “recipe”. It's more like a "stash these goodies in your kitchen, and you're ready to dazzle even last-minute guests without breaking a sweat" game plan. Ha! Seriously, though, I've thrown this together multiple times lately, and even my friends who usually make the "I'm too picky" declaration have enthusiastically gone in for seconds.

The best part? It's a breeze to make but gives off those "I slaved in the kitchen for hours" vibes. I call that a win! Plus, if you're lucky enough to have a Trader Joe's in your backyard (figuratively speaking), you can grab all the ingredients there. If not, I'll give you some subs that'll be just as fabulous, albeit with a couple more steps. Enjoy!

**Arugula, Burrata, and Proscuitto Salad**

Ingredients:
Trader Joe’s “Lemony Arugula Basil” salad kit
TJ’s burrata (8 oz)
TJ’s proscuitto (4 oz)
TJ’s balsamic glaze
Sea salt and black pepper
Tip: Take your burrata out of the fridge 30 minutes before prepping the salad - this will ensure its center is at its peak creaminess!
Instructions:
Spread out the arugula and carrots from the salad kit onto a large serving plate. Sprinkle with the included parmesan cheese and chopped almonds; drizzle on the lemon vinaigrette to taste.
Tear up the prosciutto and toss it into the salad. Then, once the burrata has come to room temp, tear it into smaller pieces and place little “drops” around the salad. Drizzle with some balsamic glaze and sprinkle on sea salt and pepper to taste.
Note: Fresh peaches or figs would be a yummy (and fancy) addition to this when in season!

**Crostini**

If you want to serve the salad as an appetizer, or as your main meal, add some super easy yet super delicious crostini!
Ingredients:
Large baguette
Olive oil (2 tbsp)
Sea salt
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Cut the baguette on the bias (diagonally) into 1/2-inch slices. Brush both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.
Bake for about 10 minutes, until golden and crisp, flipping halfway through.
If you’re serving the salad as an appetizer, you can layer the salad mix, burrata, prosciutto, and balsamic glaze on top of the crostini just before serving. If you’re serving it as a main meal, serve with the crostini on the side to dip into the burrata or scoop the salad up with. Mmmmm.

In case you are not near a Trader Joe’s (or gasp…they ran out of the Lemony Arugula Basil salad kit!) you can recreate the salad mix with the following ingredients:

Baby arugula (about 5 oz.)
Shaved carrots (rainbow ones look best, but these are more for looks than taste if you don’t want to take the time to shave them, or don’t have them on hand)
Shaved parmesan cheese (about 1/4 cup)
Crushed plain roasted almonds (about 2 tbsp)
Some type of bottled basil lemon vinaigrette (Gotham Greens and Newmans Own are two options)

You should also be able to find prosciutto, burrata, and balsamic glaze (make sure it’s glaze…not balsamic vinegar!) at most grocery stores!