Tomato, Arugula and Goat Cheese Pasta
on Aug 21, 2019, Updated Jul 09, 2024
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This Tomato, Arugula and Goat Cheese Pasta can be ready in just 15 minutes! Only a handful of ingredients are needed to make this creamy, fresh and flavorful pasta dinner.
How about a little mid-week, quick and easy pasta dinner? I’ve got you covered with this Tomato, Arugula and Goat Cheese Pasta! To be honest, I almost felt silly writing amounts of ingredients to use for this pasta dish. For the most part I didn’t really measure and you don’t really need to either. However, if you’re a person that needs measurements, don’t worry, I’ve included them in the recipe.
My husband and I are on two different teams when it comes to pasta. I enjoy it in small amounts and sparingly, my husband would gladly eat it every night and the more he can have, the better. When I do make him pasta I try to load it with as many vegetables as I can, rather than just serving pasta with cheese.
Often times I’ll add zucchini, asparagus, (we love this Grilled Chicken and Asparagus Pesto Pasta) spinach or broccoli to pasta. In this case, I added his favorite green, arugula. Arugula has a peppery, slightly bitter taste to it which people tend to either love or hate. On it’s own I find the flavor a little aggressive, but when it’s combined with other ingredients I enjoy it. The goat cheese, lemon and sweet tomatoes all cut the sharp flavor of the arugula in this pasta, enough so that most people will like it.
Can I Substitute the Arugula with Something Else?
Yes, the arugula can be substituted. I recommend using baby spinach or baby kale instead. Stick to the baby greens because they are more tender and will wilt slightly from the warmth of the cooked pasta, which is what you want.
This pasta dish is by far the simplest pasta recipe that I have on the blog. I would even have confidence that my husband, who never cooks could make this on his own. Like I mentioned above, it can be made in just 15 minutes! Heck, you might even be able to do it in less than 15 minutes. That’s including cooking and prep time.
While your pasta is cooking, combine the arugula, cherry tomatoes, lemon zest and juice, red pepper flakes, crumbled goat cheese and grated garlic in a large serving bowl. Since this sauce isn’t cooked, rather warmed by the hot pasta, I suggest grating the garlic. I’m not a huge fan of raw garlic and I find that if you grate it on a rasp it integrates into the dish better. You won’t have the issue of biting into a potent chunk of raw garlic.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain it, but reserve a little of the pasta water. Add the pasta to the serving bowl and toss everything together until the goat cheese has melted into a creamy sauce. If it looks dry add in a tablespoon or so of the pasta water. The consistency of the sauce for this recipe should be creamy, but not soupy like marinara sauce.
What Kind of Protein Can I Add to the Pasta?
If you’re looking to add protein to this Tomato, Arugula and Goat Cheese Pasta, I suggest going with grilled or sautéed chicken, or for a vegetarian protein, a can of chickpeas. This recipe works great as a meatless main dish or side dish.
More Vegetarian Pasta Recipes
One Pot Creamy Lemon Goat Cheese Pasta with Chickpeas and Asparagus
Creamy Southwest Vegetarian Pasta Salad
Thai Noodle Salad with Cashew Carrot Ginger Sauce
Tomato, Arugula and Goat Cheese Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked pasta gluten-free if needed
- 5 ounces baby arugula
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 clove of garlic grated
- Zest and juice of a lemon
- 4 ounces goat cheese crumbled
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup unsalted toasted chopped walnuts optional
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions.
- In a large serving bowl combine the arugula, tomatoes, lemon zest and juice, garlic, crumbled goat cheese and red pepper flakes.
- Drain the pasta reserving a little of the pasta water. Pour the hot pasta into the serving bowl and toss everything together until the goat cheese melts and is creamy. If the pasta seems dry add a tablespoon or two of the pasta water. Season with salt and pepper and top with the walnuts before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Turned out really well! I grated the garlic and microwaved it for 20 seconds so that it wasn’t as potent as straight raw garlic. The sweet tomatoes go amazingly with the strong pepper flavor of the arugula. My arugula was a little spicier than usual, so I wish I used a little less than the recipe called for. But that’s only because mine was more intense than usual. I also needed more pasta water than the recipe called for. Overall, it’s a really easy and quick recipe that I would definitely make again! Makes a perfect light lunch on a warm day!