Quick Lemon Arugula Pasta Salad (Printable Version)

Zesty lemon arugula pasta with fresh vegetables, ready in 20 minutes.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 9 oz short pasta (penne, fusilli, or farfalle)

→ Greens & Vegetables

02 - 3 cups fresh arugula
03 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
04 - 1 small cucumber, diced
05 - 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced

→ Dressing

06 - Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
07 - 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
08 - 1 garlic clove, minced
09 - 1 tsp honey or agave syrup
10 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Toppings

11 - 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)
12 - 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds (optional)

# Method:

01 - Boil pasta in salted water until al dente per package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water to halt cooking process.
02 - Whisk together lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, honey, salt, and pepper in a large serving bowl until emulsified.
03 - Add cooked pasta, arugula, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion to the bowl. Toss gently until evenly coated with dressing.
04 - Sprinkle with crumbled feta and toasted pine nuts if desired. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 2 hours before serving.

# Expert Tricks:

01 -
  • It comes together in twenty minutes flat with mostly pantry ingredients
  • The lemon and arugula combination wakes up your entire palate
02 -
  • Rinsing the pasta under cold water is essential to prevent it from becoming gummy and to stop it from absorbing all the dressing too quickly
  • The salad holds up for about twentyfour hours in the refrigerator but the arugula will continue to soften, so add it closer to serving time if you are prepping ahead
03 -
  • Use a microplane or fine grater for the lemon zest to avoid the bitter white pith
  • Let the red onion soak in ice water for ten minutes if you find it too sharp, then drain before adding to the salad

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