Arugula Pasta Salad with Tomatoes
An easy arugula pasta salad that makes a perfect side or a main course! This pasta salad is tossed with a light dressing and is perfect for the summer picnics! Serve it by itself or add in leftover chicken. Jazz it up with pine nuts and feta cheese for even more flavor!
Servings: 6 -8 servings
Ingredients
Dressing:
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
- 2 cloves garlic pressed in a garlic press
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Salad:
- 1 lb. whole wheat farfalle pasta rotini or fusilli works too
- 1/4 cup basil chopped
- 3 handfuls of arugula
- 1/2 pint grape tomato halves
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup pine nuts optional
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil, salt the water liberally before adding uncooked pasta. Cook the pasta until al dente, about 11 minutes (check packaging for exact timings). While the pasta is boiling, prepare the dressing.
- Combine the red wine vinegar, honey, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper in a bowl. Add in the olive oil as you whisk the ingredients together. (see note).
- To assemble: Combine the basil, arugula, tomatoes, and parmesan cheese into a bowl with the pasta. Add dressing right before serving as the arugula will start to wilt almost immediately.
Notes
- The dressing will separate after a few minutes. Simply whisk to bring back together. Alternately, you can add all the dressing ingredients to a jar and just shake to combine.
- This salad is totally customizable. It's meant to be a guideline to use up almost anything that's in the refrigerator. Feel free to toss in leftover diced or rotisserie chicken, sautéed veggies, feta cheese, sliced almonds, or anything else!
