With spicy arugula, canned chickpeas, sun dried tomatoes, shaved Parmesan and balsamic vinegar, this pasta salad is fresh and delicious and made with no mayo.
Arugula Pasta Salad with Chickpeas
This summer pasta salad is perfect for those warm nights when you want something more substantial than just salad greens but don’t want to cook a ton. It’s a great, budget-friendly, vegetarian meal, which gets protein and fiber from canned chickpeas. For even more protein, you can use chickpea pasta instead of wheat. This cold pasta salad works for lunch or dinner, and the portions are very satisfying. More easy pasta salad recipes with no mayo you will love are this Mayo-less Tuna Pasta Salad and Summer Pasta Salad with Baby Greens.
No Mayo Pasta Salad
I don’t mind mayo in my pasta salad, but not all pasta salads need mayo. I love to make pasta salads that are salads with pasta added in, and I typically skip the mayo and use oil and vinegar instead. So, they’re heavy on greens but lighter on carbs. If you bring this dish to a backyard barbecue or picnic, chances are it will sit out in the sun for a while, but no need to worry with a vinaigrette-dressed pasta salad recipe!
When making pasta salad, do you rinse the pasta?
Yes, you should rinse your pasta when using it in a cold salad. Rinsing it under cool water will help stop the cooking process and prevent it from clumping together.
Helpful Tips
Here are a few tips to make this simple salad fantastic!
- Since theingredients are simple, the dish relies on quality ingredients. Use extra virgin olive oil and a really good aged balsamic vinegar. And most importantly, use a premium imported cheese, such as Parmigiano Reggiano or Locatelli Pecorino Romano, which will give you the best-tasting salad.
- This arugula pasta salad recipe calls for six ounces of penne or rotini. It’s best to weigh the pasta with a kitchen scale to determine the exact amount you will need since pasta comes in different shapes and sizes.
How to Meal Prep
Pasta salads are excellent for meal prep. You can make it the day before serving, and leftovers will keep in the fridge for three to four days. I would wait to add the arugula until a little before eating if you’re serving it to a crowd.
More Pasta Salad Recipes You’ll Love:
- Greek Pasta Salad
- Orzo Pasta Salad with Grilled Veggies
- Warm Pasta Salad with Corn and Zucchini
- Lobster Roll Pasta Salad
- Italian Shrimp Tortellini Pasta Salad
Arugula Pasta Salad with Chickpeas and Sun Dried Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 3 cups baby arugula
- 6 oz uncooked penne or rotini pasta, or chickpea or gluten-free pasta
- 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- kosher salt, to taste
- 1 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 4 tbsp Parmesan or Pecorino cheese, freshly shaved
- fresh black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Boil pasta in a large pot of salted water according to package directions for al dente.
- Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking.
- Toss the pasta with baby arugula, sun dried tomatoes, chick peas, oil, vinegar, half of the cheese, salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste.
- Divide between 4 plates and top with remaining shaved Parmesan cheese.
Loved this recipe – so simple but really delicious.
I make arugula spinach pesto and with the leftover arugula I make this pasta salad. I have used the marinaded julienned cut sun dried tomatoes with this to cut down on time and ingredients but I’ve made it as instructed too. Either way it is great!
Very delicious! Could’ve easily eaten a few more bowls of it!
Could you add grilled chicken breast to up the protein? Or tuna? If so, would you add it with the arugula instead of during meal prep?
Sure!!
Would LOVE to have the weight for the shaved Parmesan … volume measurements can be so “iffy”. Thanks!
I like to blend the dressing ingredients to soften the chewiness of the dried tomatoes. Superb recipe! Weeknight easy and great for tomorrow’s lunch.
Many days I need to eat a cold lunch, so I adore the variety of salad recipes you offer, Gina! This was another great one loaded with flavor. I used spinach I had, and sundried tomatoes in oil. I then cut back on the oil I added to the salad. I think next time I will add in some tomatoes I have from the garden as well.
Great recipe as is. This time around I smashed and then very finely minced 1/2 clove of garlic. Great made this way too.
Wow! This is an amazing salad great flavors, substantial but also light!
This pasta salad was so, so good! I brought it to a Memorial Day picnic today and got a lot of compliments. I doubled the recipe, added cherry tomatoes and artichoke hearts, and fresh lemon juice to the dressing. I was going to leave out the parmesan shavings and glad I didn’t. I think it adds a nice bit of saltiness to the salad. I wouldn’t skip it. Highly recommend this recipe!
One of my favorite recipes!!! I make this all the time and it’s a crowd pleaser!
That’s good to know. Does it last for a few days ?
One of my weekday lunch favorites, I’m actually making a “batch” today. I make the main part – pasta, beans, tomatoes, etc. – and store that in a container in the fridge. Then I serve on arugula for lunches that week. I’ve made some modifications that stretch the recipe for five days: I use a whole can of chick peas, 7.5 ounces pasta, a heaping 1/4 cup of sundried tomatoes, and 5 tablespoons vinegar/2+ tablespoons olive oil. Personal modifications: in the morning, I chop the sundried tomatoes so they distribute better in the mix, soak them in vinegar to “plump” them up, add red pepper flakes to the mix for spice. Then I’ll add the beans while the pasta cooks, and add the oil with the pasta to mix everything together. I don’t add salt, I salt the pasta water and for my taste the parmesan on top adds enough.
How long will the salad hold? Over night to eat later?
SUPURB, and everything my family loves! Thank you.
We love this recipe in my household and a great way to add vegetables in our diet. Reading some of the other reviews and the variations are great, definitely going to try some.
Awesome! I added some cherry tomotoes, olives, feta, and pickled onion. Delicious!
This has been my work lunch so many times this month. OMG! So good! I store the pasta mixture separately and spoon it over the greens in the morning. Add a little extra drizzle of dressing.
I typically use regular penne, but the second time I made it, I used chickpea pasta – extra protein and fiber!
My favorite skinnytaste recipe! I could eat this everyday and be happy
I loved this recipe! I do gluten free so made mine with lentil pasta and was delicious and high in protein from the lentil pasta. Definitely making again!
For anyone on WW Purple…. I put this into the recipe builder and it’s 3 points per 2-cup serving 🙂
Thank you!
Did you use whole grain pasta?
This is made at least twice a month in my house, if not more. It is very easy and extremely tasty!!
Thank you once again, Gina!. I’ve been trying to follow the meal plans for the past two weeks without wavering in an effort to loose some pounds. So many times I am surprised by recipes that I thought I wouldn’t care for and end up really enjoying,.
This recipe was one of them! Only change was throwing in a few grape tomatoes.
Keep the meal plans coming!
Great website. Question about receipe , I don’t like arugula lettuce. What can I use in place of arugula lettuce?
Any lettuce is fine
I made it with baby spinach. Delicious!
I love garbanzo beans and I loved this salad! Thanks!
I made this for dinner last night and it was soooooo good, thank you. I grilled up half of a red bell pepper to toss in instead of the sundried tomatoes, and it was awesome. I am eating the leftovers for lunch right now! I rarely comment on recipes but this was worth commenting on. So simple but so good! even my husband loved it!
Wow this was great. I added baby plum tomatoes instead of sundried and used 1 tbsp oil instead of 2. I made it for lunch but I think it would be great for dinner too. It has fat but good fat! I can't get enough of your recipes!
I just made this and loved it as a simple-to-make lunch for the week. Next time, I would probably use less pasta and more arugula.
Did you dress the salad at the beginning of the week or did you set it aside to dress it each day for lunch?
Hi, I made this last night. AMAZING. I actually left out the chickpeas since the fiance doesn't like them, but…I added in baked (seasoned with just salt and pepper)salmon that I let get completely chilled before I cut it up and placed it in the salad mix. This was TO DIE FOR. The Fiance ate 4 plate fulls! Love your recipes 🙂
Mincing up half a shallot or so would be a nice taste in the salad dressing.
Another recipe of flavors that compliment each other so well. Love the arugula, beans and sundries tomato combo. The shaved Parmesan tops it off so well!
Sooo excited to try this!! Thank you:)
I had this for dinner tonight and it was fantastic! I have tried and loved many recipes on your site. Thank you for making dieting more bearable! 🙂
I can't recall if I have commented on this recipe before. I just made it for the fourth time to take along to a BBQ. It is a really great, simple yet filling salad with flavours that go together really nicely. Thanks.
2 oz uncooked is about 1 cup cooked
also how many cups of the pasta would 6oz be would you say
this sounds like a good mix
Thanks so much for this great recipe! It is the perfect lunch to bring to the office. It is delicious and filling.
This is DELISH! Made it without the pasta as a starter course for a dinner party last night. It got raves and it is filling so there were leftovers which everyone was happy about! Thanks Gina!
Love this salad – just had it for lunch today for maybe the 5th time already. Great combo of flavors and very filling.
Thanks a lot for that great reciepe! I loved the salad and I'll definitely eat it again!
This salad is amazing. I added cooked chicken pieces that I seasoned with salt and pepper before tossing with the rest of the salad, only because my husband doesn't think he's eating a real dinner if the salad doesn't have meat in it. Anyway, it's fantastic and so perfect for an easy, fast, weeknight dinner! Thank you Gina!!
I just made this for dinner but with spinach. Fabulous! Can't wait for leftovers tomorrow.
I have eaten this salad 4 times in the last week – deLICious!!!!!
Gina, I love your blog! It has really helped me stick to the Weight Watchers plan. However, just a heads up…when I enter this recipe in the recipe builder, I get 9 point plus per serving.
O yum! I'm so happy I found your blog on Pinterest!! I'm making this for dinner tonight! I love this flavor combo, I might throw in some chicken too 🙂
Made this tonight for a light dinner, it was very tasty. Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks for the sharing the arugula salad recipe. The shaved parmesan seems like a great addition.
New. Favorite. Salad.
Does this store well? I'm making this for just me – can I save portions fully assembled, or would you recommend storing just the cooked pasta and assembling everything each time?
Made this today and it was great! I think i might change it up a little bit and next time instead of the sundried tomatoes I am going to add craisins to add a little sweetness. I also cut back to 1 TBS of the oil and thought it was still great.
Gina, this was so yummy! Thanks for all of your great recipes.
This truly looks amazing! I can not wait to try it. Thanks for all the good recipes.
I made this last night for dinner. Leftovers for lunch today! It was AWESOME!
This is delicious! Thanks so much!
For low carbers…. Dreamfields is AMAZING,. It's in the pasta aisle…. Low carb and delicious.
That looks and sounds really good! I was wondering, what do you use to calculate the fat, calories, sodium etc.in your recipes? There are so many things around and I wanted to check some of my home made stuff, but not sure which one would be accurate? Thanks :o).
Chris
This looks amazing! I love pasta and this looks like a great way to eat a big portion, guilt free! I always buy Kirkland Signature (Costco) Parmigiano Reggiano – it's a great value.
Your salad looks gorgeous as does all your foods!! I need to make this one!!
Pinning this one! Love it!
Eating it now, Gina, and it's great! Thanks for a nice, healthy lunch recipe! I have extra, so I'm storing it without the dressing and having it for Friday's meatless lunch.
That looks so delish! Thanks!
I recently became obsessed with Arugula. I will have to try and make this soon. Sounds yummy. It's amazing as I have lost weight how the tastebuds change.
I love this salad! For my husband I add chicken, otherwise he doesn't think it's a main dish.
Yummy, thanks for a nice light lunch idea…
I sure will be making this , this Sunday for my church ladies get together. Can't wait!.
I made this last night and it was delish!
Was I supposed to weigh the pasta before boiling it or after?
There seems to be a lot of pasta!
before. in general, 2oz of pasta will make one cup cooked. HTH
🙂
This looks so delicious – you take wonderful photos! Makes my mouth water just looking at it. Can't wait to make this recipe. THANK YOU!
I am not a fan of sun dried tomatoes, any suggestions on a replacement?
Cherry tomatoes would work.
I used roasted red peppers as a substitute. Delish!
This is such a pretty salad! Lovely idea 🙂
I love Salads and like this recipe. It's looking tasty. I can't wait so I would like to make this salad on lunch. Thanks for sharing such dietful recipe.
This look amazing! It's on the menu for next week! Thank you for all of these wonderful recipes!
would you suggest cold/room temp pasta or still slightly warm?
this is exactly what i need in my diet. healthy. send free text messages at http://www.textme4free.com/
Sounds de-lish! But I think I'll add grilled chicken to up the protein & delete the pasta to lower the carbs!
That looks so beautiful 🙂 I love rocket (or arugula like non Aussies call it)
I can't wait to try this!
Made this for dinner tonight. A good mix of flavours and so simple.
Thanks
That looks amazing!
This looks lovely – such vibrant colours. I have some home-made sun dried tomatoes (well, oven dried) that I've been hoarding for years and not knowing what to do with. I think this is the answer!
This looks great! Can you tell me more details about the sun dried tomatoes? The ones I see in the store are either dried or in jars with oil. Did you use the dried ones and soak them first?
Good question. I was wondering that same thing about the sun dried tomoatoes. – Kelly
Great question, I used the ready to eat, not packed in oil. They are soft, I find them in the salad section of my super market but if the dried ones are only available, then soak them first.
If you're near a trader joe's they sell them. they're under $2!
I would also like to have this clarified in the recipe
Love the colors on that bright and healthy salad..Great Job
What a beautiful dish! I LOVE arugula and parm together and the pasta makes it hearty enough to eat as a light meal. Awesomeness. 🙂
YUM! def making this!
wow….this looks amazing! Thanks for the tips on what to use; it is really helpful that you do that.
Love your site…i could look through it for hours! :0)
This looks fresh and delicious! How much is 6oz pasta in terms of a dry measuring cup? I never know how to measure that.
You really need to weigh it, it depends on the shape.
I don't have a food scale, it is on my ever growing list of food gadgets… I bought the exact type in the recipe.
2 oz for the ronzoni=2/3 of a cup, that what it says on the box =]
This looks so fresh and delicious. I will definitely be making this.
you really should be getting paid for this. man.
thank you!
I love baby arugula!
Big hugs!
Inés
SimplyClassyMe.blogspot.com
YUM! I have some arugula in the fridge and this has me salivating for a big salad for lunch. This looks great!
Alison, it's a wonderful combination!
Mine too Gina!!
Baby arugula is my favorite green by far. Love it's bite and peppery-ness 🙂
This sounds delicious!! I love arugula but have never combined it with garbanzo beans or sun-dried tomatoes. Very excited for this combination. I love your recipes!