Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Reduction

Balsamic reduction is a game changer. I know some people make their own balsamic reduction, but I tried once and totally burned it. It turned black, filled my kitchen with an acrid smell, and left me scrubbing a pot with my salty tears. Okay, so I didn’t cry. But I didn’t feel great about the whole thing. I forgot about balsamic reduction for a year. A few days ago, my friend invited me over for dinner. She thew together her go-to weeknight supper: a simple green salad with hard-boiled eggs, roasted carrots, goat cheese, and pumpkin seeds, and topped it with a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic reduction. From a bottle. And it. was. awesome. Note she didn’t need to cook anything – she had pre-baked carrots and hard boiled eggs already. Smart lady. Life Lesson #1,384: You don’t need to make something from scratch simply because you can. Just buy the damn balsamic reduction. (Snaps for you if you DIY though.) The next day, I picked up ingredients for her salad, including a bottle of balsamic reduction (also called balsamic glaze), and made a side salad to accompany my hash brown turkey bacon quiche. Today, I’m excited to share my new favorite weeknight salad, elevated to restaurant status by a lovely (store bought) balsamic reduction. Eyeball the amount of ingredients based on how many people you’re serving. Nothing about this salad requires precision, which is why it’s so perfect to throw together on a workday. If you make too much, all the better – you’ve got leftovers for tomorrow.

(This recipe was created for a fun recipe creation group I’m in called The Recipe Redux. I was asked to create a recipe using an ingredient that’s new to me. For more recipes from my Redux friends, check out the posts below:)

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