Microgreens and Fennel Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette

The Perfect Microgreens Salad

I absolutely love this super simple salad of arugula, shaved fennel, and microgreens topped with a crisp shallot vinaigrette. It’s a beautiful way to get a large dose of fiber alongside the vitamins and minerals wrapped in the plant matrix. This microgreens salad is also so quick to make and so versatile in flavor that its a perfect side dish to nearly any protein at anytime of year. We love to serve this with something from the BBQ, or a roasted chicken, or baked fish.

So What Are Microgreens?

Microgreens are young seedlings of vegetables and herbs that are newly sprouted and have only one set of leaves — aka, they’re basically “baby” plants. Some research has indicated that microgreens contain more phytonutrients — compounds beneficial to human life, such as antioxidants — than their full-grown vegetable counterparts. These little greens are small in size, but they typically contain meaningfully high levels of vitamins, minerals, and potent phytonutrients like polyphenols and glucosinolates.

Microgreens not only have these powerful phytochemicals, but they also house vitamin K, which helps promotes healthy blood pressure, plus fiber (prebiotics) to fuel the human microbiome. This package of fiber, vitamins, and phytonutrients means that microgreens are a true nutrition powerhouse with anti-inflammatory and deeply nourishing benefits to the human body.

This makes microgreens a delicious group of crisp, bright, and super nutritious plants that we can use as garnishes but also as the main ingredient! That’s one of the reasons I love to create salads like this one — it highlights a superfood that we can use to serve our health and tastebuds at the same time. That’s always the goal in my kitchen!

This Microgreens and Fennel Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette is a super nutritious, quick and easy recipe. In the photos above, we had this salad with my favorite Grapefruit Roasted Chicken. It was a perfect combo! This recipe also gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, keto-friendly, and Whole 30-friendly. I hope you love it, too!