Goat Cheese Pasta Salad
This Goat Cheese Pasta Salad stays creamy instead of drying out in the fridge, thanks to a simple pasta water technique. Fresh arugula, lemon, sundried tomatoes and pistachios make it feel a bit elevated, while still being easy enough for cookouts, lunches and summer dinners.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces dried fusilli or other short pasta
- 1 log goat cheese (4 ounces)
- 1 small garlic clove very finely grated (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic paste)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice from about 1 lemon - be sure to zest it first
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus additional for cooking water
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup lightly packed baby arugula
- ⅓ cup oil-packed sundried tomatoes drained and thinly sliced
- ¼ cup shelled pistachios roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil
Instructions
- Bring medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package instructions for al dente (see Step 3 before draining).
- Meanwhile, place 3/4 of log of goat cheese in large bowl and use fork to crumble it. Add garlic, oil, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, lemon zest, honey, salt and pepper and whisk until well combined.
- Just before draining pasta, transfer 1/4 cup pasta cooking water to bowl with dressing and whisk until creamy and emulsified. It will seem a little thin at this point - this is OK. Transfer about half of the dressing to a small bowl and refrigerate.
- Drain pasta and immediately add to bowl with remaining dressing; toss until well combined. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 3 days, along with remaining 1/4 of log of goat cheese.
- Just before serving, add arugula, sundried tomatoes, pistachios, basil and reserved dressing to pasta and toss gently to combine. Crumble remaining goat cheese over salad and serve.
Calories: 480kcal, Carbohydrates: 49g, Protein: 15g, Fat: 25g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 14g, Cholesterol: 13mg, Sodium: 743mg, Potassium: 397mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 617IU, Vitamin C: 15mg, Calcium: 79mg, Iron: 2mg
This website provides estimated nutrition information as a courtesy only. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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