This simple, yet flavorful Arugula Pasta Salad is about to knock your socks off! Full of bright, lemony flavor and made in just 20 minutes.
If you love easy pasta recipes, try my Red Lentil Pasta Salad, Lemon Chicken Pasta, Pesto Pasta with Veggies or my Vegetable Minestrone Soup.
Recipe Quick Look: Arugula Pasta Salad
- Ready in: 20 minutes
- Great for: packable lunches, simple dinners, picnics
- Main Ingredients: pasta and arugula
- Serves: 6 people
- Difficulty: easy!
- Bonus: easy meal prep recipe!
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Another hit! Love that this recipe doesn't require buying a lot of different ingredients. Had everything on hand (except pine nuts which I did have for the 3rd time I made it!) - Marti
Why I Love This Recipe
I love the simplicity and ease of this recipe. It's not a laundry list of ingredients, and it tastes absolutely delish!
- Time-savings: This pasta salad takes 20 minutes to throw together and is so dang good. Get ready to find your new favorite summer recipe!
- The Dressing: I love the flavors of citrus and Dijon. You'll find this dressing adds the perfect amount of flavor that isn't overpowering to the arugula or parmesan. If you're big Dijon fan for dressings, try my harvest salad or broccoli and brussel sprouts salad for similar flavors.
- Meal Prep: Meal prep this for lunches or dinners and add a quick protein to it like chicken, salmon or tofu, and you've got work week meals ready for you!
If you need other quick meals for workweek lunches, try my pulled chicken sandwiches or ground turkey sweet potato skillet for new lunch ideas.
Ingredients
If we're including salt and pepper this recipe is just 10 ingredients! You probably already have the staples in your kitchen and pantry, so it's a win, win.
- Pasta
- Lemon juice
- Olive oil
- Dijon
- Garlic
- Salt
- Pepper
- Arugula
- Parmesan cheese
- pine nuts
Fun tip! Try the dressing for the pasta salad for your average salad. Dressings are so easy to make, and this is a great one that is simple, yet flavorful.
I like to keep a prepped vinaigrette already made out on my counter so I can use it whenever I need it. I have these adorable hand painted sunflower containers for this purpose.
Twists and Variations
At first, I wanted to add a bunch of extras like sun-dried tomatoes, olives, basil, etc. But I realized that would take away from the simplicity of this recipe and honestly, the flavor is so good on its own.
However, you can make it your own and add a ton of extras to it if ya want! Here are some ideas:
- Protein: add chicken, salmon or tofu to build it into a more satiating meal
- Extra Flavor: sun-dried tomatoes and olives all add good flavor and richness, thanks to the oils
- Greens: make it into a salad by adding in a layer of greens!
Instructions
Start by cooking half a box of 1lb of pasta. You can use whatever noodles you want, but I love bowtie pasta.
While the pasta cooks, mix up the ingredients for the dressing in a big serving bowl.
Once the pasta is done cooking, allow it to cool before mixing it together with the dressing, arugula, cheese and pine nuts.
This salad is best enjoyed the day it's prepared. You can absolutely enjoy it a few days post-prep; however, the oils will solidify in the fridge. If you plan to serve leftovers to guests, highly recommend taking the salad out of the fridge an hour or so before serving to allow the oils to become liquid again.
Recipe Tips and FAQs
Try cooking the pasta al dente, so it's cooked through but still has a little bite to it. I usually do the lower end of the range for cooking and taste test a noodle before draining the water out. Run the pasta under cold water to prevent the noodles from continuing to cook.
I love chicken in this recipe, but you could go for whatever sounds good to you. Adding beans, like chickpeas, would be a quick, easy option
More Summer Recipes
If you tried this Arugula Pasta Salad or any other recipe on my blog please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know your thoughts in the comments or share your creation with me on Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest!
Arugula Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces pasta
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice (juice from one lemon)
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2.5 ounces arugula
- ⅔ cup shaved parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup pine nuts
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions.
- While the pasta cooks, mix the olive oil, lemon juice, dijon mustard, garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
- Once the pasta is done cooking, allow it to cool before adding it to the large bowl with dressing. Add the arugula, parmesan cheese and pine nuts. Enjoy!
Notes
- For additional protein, you could add chicken or salmon. If you want to keep the recipe vegetarian, tofu is a great option!
- You can absolutely enjoy it a few days post-prep; however, the oils will solidify in the fridge. If you plan to serve leftovers to guests, highly recommend taking the salad out of the fridge an hour or so before serving to allow the oils to become liquid again.
Nutrition
(Nutrition values are calculated by third-party software and an estimate that can vary based on product brands and cooking methods.)
Marti says
Another hit! Love that this recipe doesn't require buying a lot of different ingredients. Had everything on hand (except pine nuts which I did have for the 3rd time I made it!)
Monica Nedeff says
Aww love you enjoyed it so much you made it 3 times!