Arugula has little peppery taste making to a good addition to your soups and salads to a different spicy taste in the veggies mix. you can add it in number of cooked dishes like stews, curries, sauces also beside eating it raw with sprinkle of spices and herbs. when you don’t have arugula you can make use of substitute for arugula in your recipes to get the taste without compromising nutrition you get from leafy greens.
Arugula is packed with vitamin k, vitamin A and other nutrients also making it one of the essential green vegetable which you can consume on regular basis with some other greens of your choice to get a different taste with it. it helps to strengthen our immune system.
Arugula substitutes and alternatives
spinach
spinach is popular alternative to use instead of arugula because it has bland taste with almost no bitterness in leafy which you can taste in arugula leaves to some extent. it is packed with useful nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin K, calcium, iron and other nutritious elements in it to make our body stronger and fit.
when talking about physical appearance you can notice that spinach on one hand has long round leaves whereas arugula has pointed ridges on its side leaves.
it can merge with all kinds of dishes and would give good flavor to your, you can also make spinach dip to get started with your spinach eating regime with other vegetables and different food recipes.
Purslane
purslane comes with similar taste matching to arugula so if you are a fan of eating arugula often then you will enjoy eating purslane also in your salad bowls and other dishes. it taste resembled with mustard.
the leaves of purslane are succulent and juicy which makes at a little different from arugula whos leaves seems to be dry and thin. you can use purslane in your salad mix or other dishes including soups, vegetable dips, stews etc.
You can consume purslane daily to get vitamin A, vitamin c along with magnesium in your diet from this wonderful leafy vegetable.
watercress
Watercress has spicy and little bitter taste in it which makes it a good substitute for arugula in absence of arugula. the physical properties of watercress also matches with arugula. to add water water cress in dishes which require cooking, i would recommend that you add in last as it would prevent watercress from being mushy in the stew and other dishes to give you full flavor of watercress in the dish.
You can add watercress in salad bowls with your favorite cheese choice to make them look vibrant with a flavor of pepper in the bowl and crunchy texture of watercress. smoothies can be yet another interesting choice to add watercress in it to get some distinct pepper flavor in it along with other greens like kale, spinach and fruit option like kiwi, green apple etc. of your choice.
Not to forget that soups with butternut squash, potatoes, cheeses, leeks and other similar veggies can also appeal to your taste buds, sandwiches with watercress dressing mixed salad along with cabbage, tomatoes, green bell peppers with cream cheese and mayo taste delicious too, pesto sauces in which you would like little pepper like taste can take watercress addition in it without any second thoughts, dips made with watercress and mayo, olive oil and rosemary, bbq sauce etc.
fried fritters made up of watercress and added to coleslaw, soups, salads for crunchiness are quite popular in china and nearby regions, or great omelet made with pearl onions, salt peppers, rosemary, oregano, watercress and herbs of your choice for delicious egglicious are yummy too.
radicchio
if you want something of different color other than green to replace the arugula with in your dishes then radicchio works great. you can get good flavor of spice and bitterness from it making it a good arugula substitute to use in dishes. you can add radicchio to salad bowls, vegetable stir fry, side serving with grilled platter, burger and sandwich and hot dog dressing etc.
if you want to reduce the bitterness of radicchio before cooking then you can cut them and then soak them in ice water for 30-5o minutes then drain it and toss in your recipes in pan or salad bowl etc. for cooking and eating for great tasting radicchio dish. it taste best when grilled, roasted or stir fried with other veggies then used in food dishes of your choices.
Dandelion Green
They are packed with lot of nutritional value as you get iron, vitamins, calcium and other useful nutrients from dandelion greens and their leaves are also similar to arugula. you can add them in your soups, stews, salad bowls and enjoy as side with meats and grilled chicken platter.
If you want tender and sweet taste from this leafy vegetable with little bitterness that generally comes with leafy greens i would recommend that you choose young leaf’s of dandelion greens than old, mature and big ones. they are good for digestion and helps in maintaining proper blood sugar in your body.
Endive
Endives shares taste profile with arugula and is somewhat bitter like it which makes it a good substitute option for arugula. its also crispy and tangy little bit and looks like small Chinese cabbages. adding it to salads, sandwiches or serving as side with lunch or dinner with some herbs and spices sprinkle on it would works best to get arugula like taste and nutrition from endive.
Kale
Kale also comes with good flavor which is little different from arugula but works great in many dishes. the taste profile resembles to cabbage to some extent and it also have many nutrients and essential components for better working of our body.
You can add kale to your soup, salad, stews, porridge bowl, make kale chips to out of them for having something different to eat yet healthy and filled with nutrients. you can make kale salad with olive oil, spices and herbs of your choice with some other veggies including cucumber etc. of your choice for eating in evening. kale smoothies are yet another popular choice of kale recipe which people like to drink regularly you can find some amazing recipes of smoothies here.
some people also like to make kale soups and stews are they are quite nutritious and comforting while your have fever or otherwise also for better body health. you can make kale, spinach and tofu curry recipe and enjoy with butter as it makes a great lunch meal when eaten with rice. you can also make kale chips and kale pesto if you ran out of options to eat kale in your food for its health benefits.
Kale has lot of health benefits for our body like it helps with strengthening of the immune system and reduction of cholesterol. it comes good quantity of iron and calcium content which makes our bones stronger and prevents anemia. it is also good for our eyes as it contains vitamin A in it.
Nasturtium Leaves
it is also a good and healthy alternative to arugula plant although it looks different from it with big leaves. it is little bit peppery taste to it with the absence of arugula like bitterness making it a great addition to your stir fry, soups, wontons and vegetable salad. nasturtium leaves are also called Indian cress so don’t get confused if you see this name written in super market in grocery isle as its your favorite nasturtium only with a different name.
Radish sprouts
radish sprouts are small with no bitterness in their taste which can be used as a alternative for arugula if you want to try something new and different. you will enjoy eating to so try it once in your salad bowl to see if you like the taste of them. if you like arugula but not its bitter taste then radish sprouts are for you to eat and enjoy your daily green veggies dose without any bitterness.
Cabbage
cabbage comes with neutral or bland taste profile which is different from bitter and spicy flavors of arugula so if you want a simple alternative for arugula which is easy to get anywhere and is cheap with normal flavor then cabbage is the way to go for you.
you can eat it raw in salads with salt, pepper and other spices or add it in your soups, coleslaw, sandwiches, hot dog etc. to get good and balanced taste. some people also make mix vegetable fry with cabbage, potatoes, peas etc. to enjoy with some kitchen made breads.
Frequently asked Questions
why is arugula expensive?
It is expensive when compared to other leafy green vegetables like it because it is not grown full year so the supply is limited making it expensive. besides that its sensitive to temperature so good and cold storage is required for long time preservation which makes the price go up. Also its farming require some special skillset making it expensive when taking in considerations its counterparts like cabbage, spinach etc. so if budget is issue then you can try substitute for arugula as shared above.
Can i use parsley in place of arugula?
yes it can be used as it has great taste and no bitterness like arugula. it has little bit pepper like flavor to it due to which it can be used in all kinds of dishes of your choice like salad bowl.
Conclusion
Hope you like my collection of arugula substitutes to add in your diet when you don’t have arugula with you but you need to eat something green or your recipe requires it for making it flavorful. It is also called rocket grass by some people in British English. let me know in comments below which one you like the best as a replacement for arugula in your favorite recipes and eating raw in salad bowls.
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