Name: Arugula Pasta Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 6, 6 people
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 8 ounces pasta; 1/3 cup olive oil; 1/4 cup lemon juice (juice from one lemon); 2 teaspoons dijon mustard; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon pepper; 1 clove garlic minced; 2.5 ounces arugula; 2/3 cup shaved parmesan cheese; 1/4 cup pine nuts

Modified: May 27, 2026 · by Monica Nedeff · This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

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 .

arugula pasta salad 1 — A vibrant bowl of Arugula Pasta Salad topped with fresh arugula, shaved parmesan and toasted pine nuts.

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.

Recipe Quick Look: Arugula Pasta Salad
Why I Love This Recipe
Ingredients
Twists and Variations
Instructions
Recipe Tips and FAQs
More Summer Recipes
Arugula Pasta Salad

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.

arugula pasta salad 2 — All the simple pantry staples needed to make this quick pasta salad.

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.

arugula pasta salad 3 — Whisking together the lemony Dijon vinaigrette in a large serving bowl.

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.

arugula pasta salad 4 — The finished pasta salad tossed together and ready to serve.

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 Salads

Cucumber Onion Tomato Salad
Harvest Salad
Peach Salad
Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad

arugula pasta salad 9 — A crisp cucumber, onion and tomato salad brightened with lemon zest.

arugula pasta salad 10 — A seasonal harvest salad served with wooden utensils.

arugula pasta salad 11 — A sweet and savory peach salad with gouda cheese and fresh berries.

arugula pasta salad 12 — A cranberry and walnut chicken salad sandwich, a crowd-pleasing option.

Comments

Marti says June 23, 2025 at 1:15 pm 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!) Reply Monica Nedeff says June 27, 2025 at 12:10 am Aww love you enjoyed it so much you made it 3 times! Reply