Arugula Chimichurri
If you’re looking for a simple, nutritious, flavorful sauce you’ve come to the right place. Arugula chimichurri combines a handful of simple ingredients to make a beautiful green sauce that is herb-y, a little spicy, zippy, peppery, and full of flavor. It pairs perfectly with nearly any protein or vegetable and is a great way to incorporate healthy fats and fresh greens into your meal!
What is chimichurri?
Chimichurri is a vibrant and herbaceous Latin American sauce made with parsley, garlic, vinegar, oil, and various spices, commonly used as a flavorful condiment for grilled meats.
My slightly unconventional version uses arugula and pickled jalapeños. The arugula gives it a peppery bite and the jalapeños provide subtle spice and tang.
What do I need to make arugula chimichurri?
Arugula: fresh arugula provides great flavor, a boost of nutrients (particularly antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin!) and contributes to the beautiful green color.
Parsley: traditional Argentinian chimichurri utilizes parsley as the primary herb for chimichurri. Parsley is wildly nutrient dense and since we generally consume parsley as a garnish, this sauce is a fabulous way to consume a larger portion!
Garlic: use fresh whole garlic cloves if you can! Fresh garlic provides both flavor and a subtle bite.
Pickled jalapeños: you can find pickled jalapeños in the condiment aisle of the grocery store. I actually used the hot and sweet jalapeños from Trader Joe’s.
Red wine vinegar: red wine vinegar gives chimichurri its signature tang and vinaigrette-like feel.
Salt and pepper: we have wildly flavorful ingredients in this sauce and salt and pepper lift those flavors to new heights!
Extra virgin olive oil: a great quality extra virgin olive oil can really make a chimichurri, I love this one.
Equipment you will need:
How to make arugula chimichurri:
In the bowl of a food processor add the arugula, parsley, garlic, jalapeños, jalapeño juice, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper.
Process the mixture in short, on-second pulses 5-10 times until everything is coarsely chopped.
With the motor running on low, stream in the olive oil via the feed tube until the mixture is smooth, about 10-15 seconds.
Taste and season with a pinch more salt and pepper, if needed.
Store in an airtight container or mason jar up to one week.
What can I use chimichurri on?
Soooo many things! Let’s talk about my favorite ways.
- In these epic chimichurri bowls with fried feta
- Mixed with mayo to make an amazing chimichurri aioli
- On grilled flank steak
- As a flavorful drizzle on smashed potatoes
- As a salad dressing for greens with leftover steak or chicken
- Marinade for chicken, shrimp, salmon, steak or lamb
- Dipping sauce or spread on lamb chops
- Tossed with grilled or roasted vegetables
- Wrapped up in a taco with protein of choice, grilled red onion, avocado, lime zest and juice
- Mixed into rice or quinoa as a flavor-booster
- Dolloped on eggs or toast
Seriously, I could put this stuff on almost anything.
FAQs
Store in an airtight container or mason jar in the fridge up to a week. Another idea is to fill an ice cube tray with about two tablespoons of chimichurri per section. Freeze and then pop the chimichurri cubes out and keep in a container or Ziploc bag in the freezer. Every time you need a quick marinade or burst of flavor, use 1-3 of the cubes!
The heat comes from the pickled jalapeños. To make it more spicy, add more jalapeños or a pinch of red pepper flakes. To make it less spicy omit the jalapeños or use less.
Absolutely. I recommend cilantro, spring onions and oregano.
Lemon juice and lime juice would work well- I’d probably opt for one tablespoon instead of two.
If you love this arugula chimichurri recipe you’ll love these other flavorful sauces:
Alright, what are we waiting for!? Chimichurri let’s go!
If you make this recipe please don’t forget to leave a comment and star rating- I really appreciate it! Also you can follow along with me @itsaflavorfullife on Instagram!
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Arugula Chimichurri
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: N/A
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 3/4 cup 1x
- Category: Condiment
- Method: Blend
- Cuisine: Latin American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This arugula chimichurri is a herbaceous, flavorful condiment that you’ll want on everything! It is so versatile and so delicious, I hope you love it as much as I do.
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh arugula
- 1 cup fresh parsley
- 2 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons pickled jalapeños + 1 tablespoon pickled jalapeño juice
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
In the bowl of a food processor add the arugula, parsley, garlic, jalapeños, jalapeño juice, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Process the mixture in short, on-second pulses 5-10 times until everything is coarsely chopped.
With the motor running on low, stream in the olive oil via the feed tube until the mixture is smooth, about 10-15 seconds.
Taste and season with a pinch more salt and pepper, if needed.
Use on chimichurri bowls, roasted vegetables, flank steak, lamb chops, grilled chicken or tacos.
Store in an airtight container or mason jar up to one week.
Notes
Refer to above blog post for ingredient substitutions, more ideas for what to use chimichurri on and answers to frequently asked questions.
Nutrition information is an estimate and may vary slightly.
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tablespoon
- Calories: 84
- Sugar: 0.2 g
- Sodium: 55.7 mg
- Fat: 9.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 0.7 g
- Fiber: 0.3 g
- Protein: 0.3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
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Although I love arugula, my husband does not. Any recommendations for a substitute?
Double the parsley and omit the arugula 🙂
Hi there! What if I used fresh jalapeños instead?
You can do that! They will be more potent/spicy and less tangy, so just note that and adjust the amount accordingly!
So good! We had it with potatoes and eggs for breakfast!
I have tried this recipe twice and I just really don’t like it and neither did the people I served it to. Maybe if you’re REALLY into arugula? I would personally recommend just sticking with classic chimichurri. I will say, I have really liked all the other recipes I’ve made from It’s a Flavorful Life and Erika’s insta page is one of my favs, but I have to be real and honest!