Lemon Arugula Pasta Salad
This is a delicious, zippy-dressed Lemon Arugula Pasta Salad with an Easy Lemon Dijon Dressing that will have you wanting more. It’s one of our personal favorites and one of our most popular recipes. I love the vibrant, lemony, salty flavors together. This is a fully crave-able pasta salad! I guarantee your family will love it! It’s light, bright, and just works well together. You have the peppery Arugula dancing along with lemon and Feta with a touch of thyme. This salad is so versatile. You can make ahead for meal prep and picnics. This one ticks all the boxes!
If you shop at Nordstrom and grab snacks at their Ebar, and this salad seems familiar, it’s because this is what has inspired my version of Lemon Arugula Pasta Salad. I grab it often when I’m in the mall for a quick bite. I wouldn’t say it’s exactly because I have no idea what is in their salad other than I know it has the same basic ingredients. Their version has grape tomatoes and the chicken is poached. I don’t use tomatoes so it keeps longer and I use grilled chicken. However, any type of chicken will work; baked, roasted, poached, or grilled. I make this and other salads for meal prep during the week for my husband and myself as a healthier option. I make this Lemon Arugula Pasta Salad often. It’s truly one of our very favorites and of my friends as well.
How to make this delicious Lemon Arugula Pasta Salad
So here goes. Cook your pasta al dente, rinse, and let cool. I often add a little olive oil to prevent it from sticking.
Once the pasta is cooled, add the chopped chicken, feta, arugula, dried thyme, and Easy Lemon Dijon Dressing. (And if you love Lemons the way I do, check out this post on all things Lemon) Toss and done and done. Super easy, travels well, and is a great fridge staple for hungry husbands and kids.
Substitutions and tips for making Lemon Arugula Pasta Salad
Yes! Store-bought Italian Dressing, Balsamic Vinaigrette, Creamy Italian even Caesar dressing! (non-creamy type is best). But to get that Nordstrom salad flavor, my Easy Lemon Dijon Dressing is perfect.
You can use Baby Kale, Spinach, or baby lettuce. A tip for using all of these:
-Baby Kale will last the longest in the pasta salad. Very similar to Arugula, it’s pretty sturdy if you will.
-Spinach will also keep well.
-Baby lettuces or spring greens work beautifully, but add these types of greens when you serve the salad.
Of course! Chunks of Parmesan work wells, Romano cheese or any sharp cheese will do.
Yes. Two tips with gluten-free pasta. One, it absorbs a lot of liquid. I recommend tossing pasta in olive oil before dressing it. Also, if you are meal prepping, add the dressing before you eat it. This will prevent from full absorption of the dressing into the pasta and leave you with a dry pasta salad.
Second tip is to undercook the pasta by 1 – 2 minutes. This prevents too much breakage. Gluten-free pasta tends to break easily, especially the longer it sits in the fridge.
Yes! All shapes will work however the best shapes are those that can keep some dressing in the nooks and crannies. Rotini, Bowtie (Farfalle), and Shells are good pasta shapes for this and other pasta salads.
Inspired by this recipe? Make sure to mention us or tag us on Instagram or Pin this recipe for later.  All content and photographs ©Claudia’s Table and claudiastable.com
All content and photographs ©Claudia’s Table and claudiastable.com
Lemon Arugula Pasta Salad
March 8, 2019Ingredients
Salad
- 1/2 pound Farfalle/Bowtie pasta cooked to package directions
- 1 teaspoon olive oil extra virgin
- 4 ounces grilled chicken chopped (you can add more chicken if you wish)
- 2 cups Arugula loosely packed
- 1/2 cup feta crumbled
- 1/8 teaspoon thyme dried
Dressing
- 1/4 cup lemon juice fresh squeezed
- 1/4 cup olive oil extra virgin
- 1 tsp mustard Dijon
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 teaspoon sugar or honey see notes on use of honey or agave syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon salt kosher
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper fresh cracked
Instructions
- Cook pasta to package directions. Once drained, toss is olive oil and allow to cool.
- Place salad dressing ingredients in a small jar and shake or blend until fully combined.
- Add grilled chicken, arugula, feta, and thyme to the pasta, and toss until pasta is fully coated with dressing.
- Chill for about 20 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated online and should be used as a guide.
All content and photographs ©Claudia’s Table and claudiastable.com
If you love this pasta salad, try our Mediterranean Pasta Salad, our most popular salad on Pinterest.
Yummy. I loved this salad
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it!
I’ve made this a few times – kids and adults gobble it up. Making it today for my nephew’s family.
Hi Maggie,
I’m so happy to hear! Thanks so much for letting me know.
Best,
Ana