This light, bright, creamy pasta salad is a perfect light lunch or dinner salad. Pair it with some grilled chicken or steak to amp up the protein. Pasta, arugula, crunchy snap peas, sweet strawberries, and tender jarred artichokes get tossed in a creamy goat cheese dressing. Top with plenty of nuts and herbs!
P.S. Make the goat cheese dressing ahead, it gets nice and thick in the fridge and clings to the pasta better. Just give it a stir before adding.
Ingredient highlight
Artichokes! Are a great source of potassium, magnesium, iron, vitamin C, folic acid, and protein. They contain a specific type of fiber called inulin, which is a prebiotic that is important for maintaining a healthy gut.
Servings 4 People
Prep Time 10 minutes 
Cook Time 10 minutes 
Total Time 20 minutes Ingredients
- 8 oz whole grain penne
- 3 cups loosely packed arugula or thinly sliced kale
- 1 ½ cups quartered artichokes (about 14 oz)
- 1 cup sliced snap peas
- 1 cup sliced strawberries
- ½ cup mixed fresh herbs (dill, basil or mint)
- ½ cup chopped toasted walnuts or almonds
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta or grated parmesan (optional)
For the dressing:*
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup water
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 (4 oz) log goat cheese (about 1 cup crumbled)
- 1 tbsp honey
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- *Dressing is best made ahead, as it thickens nicely in the fridge. Just give it a good stir.
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Add all dressing ingredients to your blender and blend until smooth. Taste and add more vinegar or salt, if needed. You want it to be nice and punchy and salty! The dressing will be on the thin side and will thicken up a lot in the fridge.
- Add the arugula, artichokes, snap peas, strawberries, and about ⅓ cup of dressing to the bowl and toss to coat.
- Serve drizzled generously with more dressing, freshly grated black pepper, fresh herbs, toasted nuts, and cheese (if using).
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Cook the pasta
- Make the goat cheese dressing
- Prep the snap peas and strawberries
- Toasts ½ cup nuts
Substitutions
- To make gluten-free: use gluten-free pasta (Jovial Foods is my favorite). You could also use any gluten-free grain like quinoa or wild rice. Another option is to skip the pasta all together and just eat it as a lighter salad.
- To make vegan: sub with maple dijon vinaigrette from this recipe instead of the goat cheese dressing. Or try substituting ½ cup soaked cashews. You may need to add more water to thin it out.
- Use chopped kale, spinach or other green in place of the arugula or leave it out and add more fresh veggies.
- Add grilled chicken or steak or some chickpeas or white beans for a heartier meal.
- Substitute jarred roasted bell peppers for the artichokes
- Use any combination of raw veggies and greens. Use it as a template: pasta + greens + veggies + dressing + toppings.
Storage
- Store leftover salad in an airtight container in the fridge
- Pasta salad: up to 3 days
- Dressing: up to 4 days
Leftovers + repurposing
- Be sure to top leftover salad with more dressing. The pasta absorbs the dressing as it sits, so it will be a bit dry as leftovers.
- Dressing will thicken in the fridge and likely separate. Just give it a good stir until smooth and drizzle it all over the salad.
- Top with plenty of nuts, herbs, and cheese (if using).
- Serve with grilled chicken or steak to up the protein
