Lemon Arugula Pasta Salad Recipe
This Lemon Arugula Pasta Salad is my go-to for bright, peppery flavor with a creamy, tangy finish. After testing a dozen variations, I found that massaging the arugula in the dressing first—rather than tossing it at the end—prevents wilting and keeps every bite crisp. It’s a fast, no-cook assembly that delivers restaurant-quality results in just 20 minutes.
PrintLemon Arugula Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Scale
- 3.5 oz arugula
- 8 oz pasta, such as farfalle or orzo, cooked and rinsed
- 1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup finely grated parmesan or pecorino cheese
- 1 lemon (juice and zest)
- 8 Tb olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 Tb capers plus 1 tsp of their brine
- 1 Tb white balsamic vinegar
- 6 basil leaves, cut chiffonade-style (optional)
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
Instructions
- Cook pasta per package instructions, slightly softer than al dente. When the pasta is finished, drain and rinse it well.
- Make the dressing in a large mixing bowl by whisking together lemon juice and zest, white balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, walnuts, capers, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Then stir in the parmesan cheese.
- Add the rinsed pasta and toss to combine.
- Add the arugula and basil, if using, and toss to combine.
🍳
Get our 10 best recipes — free
Join the Receipster newsletter and we’ll send you Dorothy’s 10 most-loved recipes as a free PDF.
Free PDF + new recipes every week. Unsubscribe anytime.

2 Comments
Comments are closed.