COOK: Arugula & Olive Creamy Pasta Salad

• Arugula & Olive Pasta Salad Ingredients
• Kitchen Equipment Needed
• How to Make Arugula Olive Pasta Salad
• Storage & Serving Ideas
• Creamy Arugula Olive Pasta Salad

Summer is officially here, and that means it’s time for all the cold salads! This creamy arugula pasta salad is accented with piquant kalamata olives and plenty of hard boiled eggs to make it a satisfying side salad or light entree.

This arugula pasta salad is great to bring to your next picnic or whip up a batch for a BBQ or outdoor dinner party, and you can customize it to suit your guests’ tastes. I added some diced smoked ham, but you could always leave that out if you want a vegetarian dish, or substitute diced rotisserie or canned chicken if you don’t eat pork.

I used a full pound of dried pasta to make a big batch of pasta salad, but you could cut all of the quantities in half if you aren’t cooking for a crowd or don’t like leftovers. We’re usually just cooking for the two of us, but I like to make big batches of cold salads before hot weather so we don’t have to heat up the kitchen!

I serve this and similar pasta salads as a light lunch, as a side dish to grilled meats or fish, or on top of a bed of mixed greens for a dinner salad.

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Arugula & Olive Pasta Salad Ingredients

Pasta:

You can use a variety of short pasta shapes for this pasta salad. I used fusilli, but other good options are farfalle, fusilli, gemelli, penne, rotini, cavatappi, radiatori, or rotelle. Use your favorite shape, or even a combination of two or three if they have the same cooking times (or if you are willing to cook them separately).

Always cook pasta for pasta salads al dente (firm, meaning “to the tooth”). This will prevent soggy pasta when it absorbs the dressing and any moisture from the other ingredients!

Eggs:

I like to add a lot of eggs to my side salads. I used nine in this batch. It’s good healthy protein and makes it an ideal vegetarian side dish or light meal. It’s also a good way to use up the many eggs we have in spring and summer (if you have chickens, you know what I mean). You can reduce the number of eggs if you prefer.

Arugula:

Wash and pick over your arugula, removing any coarse stemmy bits or debris. You can leave baby arugula whole. I like to roughly chop large leaves so that they meld better with the pasta shapes and wilt into the dressing, but you could also leave them whole if you prefer.

A lot of people think arugula is “fancy”, but if you’ve ever grown it in your garden, you know it grows like, well, a weed. I haven’t planted any in years but we still get a bountiful harvest of volunteer arugula plants each summer. Let a few go to seed if you have room, and you’ll be blessed with a bounty of basically free gourmet greens in your garden too!

Celery:

Wash and trim your celery, then dice or thinly slice it. I include the finer leaves from the heart and both white and green parts of the stalk. The coarser outer leaves and any tough stalks I usually save for stock. You can remove the strings before chopping, but I don’t bother unless they’re particularly fibrous.

Creamy Dressing:

You can use your favorite creamy dressing here as long as the flavors are complementary, or mix up a quick batch of homemade dressing, which is my preference. I usually use either a garlic parmesan dressing, a buttermilk and herb ranch, a creamy house dressing, or green goddess.

Even semi-homemade dressing with a good quality ranch dressing dry mix is better than most store-bought dressings. I like to use about one third each of mayo, sour cream or yogurt, and whole milk with a few tablespoons of ranch powder and some freshly cracked black pepper if I’m making a quick dressing.

Put all the ingredients in a mason jar, put the lid on, and shake it up! So easy. If you have any fresh herbs on hand, a pinch of minced chives, dill, or parsley will really “dress up” your quick salad dressing.

Olives:

I like to use a sharp, salty kalamata olive in this pasta salad, which contrasts nicely with the peppery arugula and creamy dressing. If you don’t prefer these (or don’t have any) you could substitute black or green olives, or oil-cured black olives. Whichever you choose, make sure they are pitted, and chop them roughly if they are not already sliced.

Diced Ham:

This is optional, so feel free to omit if you’re cooking for vegetarians, but it’s a nice flavor boost and a bit of protein. Other cured meats can work here, like sliced or diced salami, pepperoni, or soppressata.

You can also substitute diced cooked rotisserie or canned chicken or turkey.

Seasoning:

Most of the seasoning here is already in the dressing, which is why it’s important to either make your own or to use a good quality pre-made dressing.

We’re adding a splash of vinegar (preferably white wine or sherry vinegar, or natural apple cider vinegar) and some salt and freshly ground black pepper to finish it off.

Kitchen Equipment Needed

Pasta pot & strainer:

You’ll need a pot large enough to boil your pasta with room to move so that it doesn’t stick… A six to eight quart pot is ideal. If you have a pot with a strainer insert, that’s especially handy but not necessary.

Steamer (optional):

If you’d like to steam your eggs instead of boiling them, a steamer basket that fits over your pasta pot is handy and will streamline dishes. Or cook your eggs in boiling water or an Instant pot… whatever your preferred method for perfect hard cooked eggs.

Mixing Bowl:

You’ll need a large mixing bowl or two to toss the pasta salad ingredients together.

How to Make Arugula Olive Pasta Salad

one: prep ingredients

• Wash and chop all vegetables. If you have baby arugula, you can leave it whole, or you can chop it slightly. More mature arugula should be picked over to remove any coarse stems and roughly chopped into bite sized pieces.
• If you are making homemade creamy salad dressing or dressing from a seasoning packet, mix that now and refrigerate to allow the flavors to come together.

two: cook eggs & pasta

• Cook pasta in rapidly boiling salted water according to package directions.
• Boil or steam the eggs. I like to steam the washed eggs over the boiling pasta pot, as they cook in 9-11 minutes, which is the same as most pasta shapes suitable for this recipe.

three: drain pasta & peel eggs

• Drain and shock the pasta with cold water to stop the cooking, and drain again.
• Peel the eggs, rinsing them to remove any bits of shell, and roughly chop them.

four: mix pasta salad

• Fold together all ingredients, tossing well until everything is well combined and evenly coated in the dressing.
• I like to add the eggs towards the end so that they stay together, but you can add them with the rest of the ingredients if you prefer.

Storage & Serving Ideas

This creamy arugula pasta salad is best made at least an hour or two in advance so that it has time to chill and for the flavors to come together. You can easily make it in advance for your party or picnic, or to meal-prep for easy cold lunches or dinner sides. Keep cold, and refrigerate leftovers for up to four days.

If you are serving this or other creamy salads at an outdoor party and the temperatures are going to be high, make up smaller containers and only put out a little bit at a time, or nestle the serving bowls in a larger bowl filled with ice to help keep them cool. Discard any leftovers that sat out for more than 2 hours.