Easy Creamy Arugula Pasta Salad with Tomatoes

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This easy creamy arugula pasta salad with tomatoes is light and healthy. All the veggies and pasta are mixed with a light mayo dressing and lots and lots of veggies. If you are looking for a light healthy pasta salad that is different than all the rest you will love this pasta salad loaded with veggies and fresh arugula.

A light easy pasta dish that is perfect for a side dish for a summer dinner. Creamy Arugula Pasta Salad is a new spin on a basic pasta salad for your next party. The pasta salad is so simple to make with basic ingredients. However, the wow factor is when you take the first bit and wonder why you never thought of adding arugula to pasta salad before.

Arugula is one of our family’s favorite greens. My husband coming from a gardening Italian family they grew arugula every year in the backyard garden. I never thought of adding arugula to a creamy dressing for pasta before but it is so delicious, I am looking for more ways to add arugula to our side dishes.

What to Eat With Arugula Pasta Salad

You will love Arugula pasta salad with all your summer cookout picnic meals. The pasta salad is light and creamy. Loaded with veggies you can get all your family to eat their veggies in a pasta salad they love. It is like a salad when you stir in the Arugula and serve as a side dish with burgers or chicken on the grill.

Getting together with friends for a fun evening of games and potluck? Add the arugula right before serving and your friends will be surprised how delicious eating their veggies can be.

Us a larger pasta so that it stands up to the dressing and the arugula. Campanelle, Cellentani, or Bow Tie are the shape I like to use the best. These shapes and weights of pasta stand up to the volume of vegetables when mixed. I would not suggest using a smaller pasta as you would lose the consistency.

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Ingredients for Arugula Pasta Salad

• Cilantro
• Parsley
• Green and Red Pepper
• Red onion
• Celery
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Arugula
• Pasta: Campenella, Cellentani or Bow Tie
• Chedder Cheese
• Mayo (regular or vegan)
• Olive Oil
• Apple Cider Viniger
• Garlic Powder
• Salt and Pepper if desired

Tips and Hints for Making Arugula Pasta Salad with Tomatoes

As with a lot of side dish cold pasta salads you can make the dish your own. You can add more or less of any of the vegetables. You can omit ones your family does not like. You can also add different veggies that your kids may like better.

• Use different shape pasta
• Use mild sweet onion instead of the red onion
• Use any color pepper
• Add cooked broccoli or asparagus
• Use all parsley or all cilantro
• Substitute the arugula for small spinach (but then it would not be arugula pasta salad 😉)

Easy Creamy Arugula Pasta Salad with Tomatoes

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If you are looking for a light healthy pasta salad that is different than all the rest you will love this pasta salad loaded with veggies and fresh arugula.

• Author: Crafting a Family
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 8 minutes
• Total Time: 38 minutes
• Yield: 8 servings 1x
• Category: side dish
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1– 12 oz box of pasta cooked al dent
• 1/2 cup of cilantro chopped
• 1/2 cup of parsley chopped
• 2 green pepper chopped into small cubes
• 1/4 of a red onion chopped
• 2 stocks of celery
• 1 red pepper chopped into small cubes
• 1 cup of cherry tomatoes halved
• 1 cup of cheddar cheese cubed (about 4 oz)
• 4 cups of arugula washed and dried (about 4 large handfuls)
• Salt and Pepper if desired

For the Dressing:

• 1/2 cup of mayo (or vegan mayo)
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder.

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Instructions

1. Cook the pasta to al dente per the directions on the box. Drain and cool.
2. Wash and chop the cilantro and the parsley very fine.
3. Chop into small bite-size peppers, onions, and celery. (I use the Valdivia Chopper to make a uniform size)
4. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and cube the cheddar cheese. 
5. Next, make the dressing, mix together the mayo, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and garlic powder. Whisk until smooth. 
6. In a large bowl, larger than your serving bowl, combine the cooked pasta, the chopped cilantro, parsley, peppers, onions, celery, cherry tomatoes, and cheddar cheese. Toss. 
7. Add the creamy dressing and toss to coat. Then add the arugula and toss again.  

Keywords: creamy arugula pasta salad with tomatoes

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