Rich, Peppery and Flavourful
We have had lots of rain since last night. The weather today is very cool, no sunshine. Yesterday night was one of those lazy nights when you don’t really want to turn on you stove but you want to eat anyway, so I bought myself a BBQ chicken and made some salad. I really liked the salad so I decided to post it so that I can find it again, sometime. I am one of those people who looses recipes unless I put them somewhere permanent like a blog… and I’m pretty forgetful too, so unless I write it down immediately, I probably wont remember what ingredients I added, the next day.
I love eating Arugula (Eruca sativa), also known as: salad rocket, garden rocket, roquette, rucola, rugula, colewort, (why does it have so many aliases?). Besides being a salad and a vegetable, arugula is also perfect for garnishing and yet it always reminds me of dandelion, I don’t know why. The flowers, young seed pods and mature seeds are all edible. There is also a rich, peppery arugula-flavored liqueur called Rucolino, which acts as a digestive (never tasted it). Sorry for diverting. I had my salad with some garlic bread and chicken. It was very nice and filling. Now for the simple recipe…
Ingredients for Salad Dressing
- 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-2 clove garlics crushed
- Salt and pepper to taste
Assemble dressing ingredients
To make dressing: combine all dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
Ingredients for Salad
- 250g pasta
- 150g (1 cup, 5oz) cherry tomatoes
- 100g (3½oz) reduced-fat feta cheese, cubed
- ⅔ cup pitted kalamata olives
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 1-2 cups baby spinach or arugula (salad rocket)
- 1 cup English cucumber halved lengthways and thinly sliced
Please assemble all pasta ingredients before you start. Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water, following packet directions, until al dente. Drain. Refresh under cold water. Set aside to cool and drain.
Place pasta in large bowl. Add tomatoes, feta, olives, parsley, arugula, cucumber, and toss to combine.
Drizzle dressing over the tossed salad. Refrigerate.
We enjoyed eating this salad
I served it with some BBQ chicken and some garlic bread
Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Arugula and Feta
Ingredients for Salad
- 250g dried pasta (I used rotini)
- 150g (1 cup, 5oz) cherry tomatoes
- 100g (3½oz) reduced-fat feta cheese, cubed
- ⅔ cup pitted kalamata olives
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 1-2 cups baby spinach or arugula (salad rocket)
- 1 cup English cucumber halved lengthways and thinly sliced
Ingredients for Salad Dressing
- 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-2 clove garlics crushed
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water, following packet directions, until al dente. Drain. Refresh under cold water. Set aside to cool.
- To make dressing: combine all dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
- Place pasta in large bowl. Add tomatoes, feta, olives, parsley, arugula, cucumber, and toss to combine. Drizzle dressing over salad. Refrigerate.
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My Favourite Pastime 
A perfect meal! All we need is a bit of sunshine to go with your lovely dish. 🙂
Hi Shanna,
A great salad. I love arugula. Thanks for stopping by!
Liz
Oh, me too! Arugula is the best! – Shanna
I agree….best!
It looks delicious.
Hi Aditix,
Thank you. Have a fabulous weekend!
Liz
Pasta salad….never tried, but definitely I willl becouse of this recipe
Hi Adapukka,
I love pasta salad. Always eat pasta salads as a complete meal at lunch time. Enjoy, if you try it. Have a wonderful weekend.
Liz
I make a similar pasta salad each Summer like this & try to use white balsamico vinegar in here,.’.that is also very tasty! MMMMMMM! X
Hi Sophie,
I love pasta salads. They are always a pleasure to eat. I shall try the white balsamico vinegar, next time. Have a fantastic weekend!
Liz
😃😃
beautiful, fresh, simple. yum!
Thanks so much, I love it too!
Liz
This looks so good, simple but delicious. Will definitely be trying this. Thanks for sharing! x
Hi Chef,
Thanks so much for your compliments. Enjoy the salad and have a wonderful week!
Liz
Reblogged this on Life, Love & Lima Beans and commented:
Yum!
This looks delicious! Would love some of this right now.
Hi Jean,
You can serve yourself a platter, ha ha. Thanks for complimenting. Have a wonderful week!
Liz
Reblogged this on Angeline Heart's and commented:
must try this
This is a delicious salad that you’ve created, Liz. I love that you chose a simple dressing. The salad’s ingredients are so flavorful, in their own right. To include a strong dressing would muddle rather than improve things. And you did include some great ingredients. I could easily serve this for my lunch and leave the table very satisfied. Thanks for sharing!
Hi again John,
Thank you so much for stopping by, twice. I love simple salads with simple dressings because I’m on the lazy side and It makes my life easy…Thanks so much for complimenting John. I’m glad to hear you can serve this for your lunch. I ate mine for dinner and it was extremely satisfying. Have a wonderful week, and hugs to Max. Best wishes,
Liz
I’m there …..
Me too…
Looks yummy! The dressing as well …love arugula
Hi Brenda,
Thanks so much for your compliments. Have a great week!
Best
Liz
I didn’t know what arugula was until you told me it was rocket. This looks fresh and delicious. Thanks for the recipe. Have a great weekend.
Hi Lignum,
It has many names depending on which part of the world you live. It was indeed delicious. Thanks and have a great weekend!
Liz
Yu-um! That looks super refreshing and healthy too!
Thanks. Have a great weekend!
I love Feta and Arugula! Great idea on pairing them together, it looks delicious!
Hi,
Me too…it tasted delish Have a wonderful weekend!
Liz
Liz, you have the touch! Everything you post, starts me salivating!! I want to make this on the weekend! Mmmm!
Hi Chef Julianna,
Thanks so much for your compliments. I truly appreciate. Enjoy it when you make it and thanks for visiting me. Have a lovely weekend!
Liz
Looks yummy! I am not an olive girl but hubs is. He always eats mine. With my blog now I usually write things down as I go so it helps me keep track of recipes too. I also have a notebook full of ideas for things to create that pop into my head. As a matter of fact I had an idea after having the last two meatballs and sauce from your curry recipe I made last weekend. Will need to work on that idea someday and post….strange ideas pop into my head when scavenging through leftovers!
Hi Mama D,
I love olives. I learnt how to eat them in an international meeting where they served olives for snack instead of sweets. I ate so much olives in one week, I just grew accustomed till today.
It’s always advisable to write things down otherwise the good ideas or recipes get lost because the human memory is so short. I am sporadic in my writing down, sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. It’s very frustrating. I have had so many great ideas since I started blogging but because I never write them down, they are all gone by now. I shall try to learn from you. Strange ideas pop into my head when I’m browsing the internet, aimlessly, but I never write them down..sigh! Thanks so much for stopping by. It’s so cold and misty here. I hope tomorrow there will be a bit of sunshine. Have a lovely evening!
Liz
I think we sent the rain on to you over there…..we enjoyed it and decided to share! 😉 Pasta salads are good just about any time of year, aren’t they? Lots of variety and a well rounded meal. Forgive me but I would leave the olives out….I have yet to acquire a taste for them, but I might exchange some pickled onions instead. Love feta cheese and when I saw that in your recipe my eyes perked up! Today it is dull and fog rolled in over the islands and ocean to clothe us in her misty blanket. It is definitely cooler but the trees are holding onto their leaves for all they are worth. Probably a little more coolness and some wind will convince them to shed their summer finery. Oops, daydreaming! I know what I am doing with the left over bought roast chicken next time! What great ideas you have! Thanks for sharing and hope your weekend ahead is relaxing and enjoyable.
Hi Sandy,
Yes you did send lots of rain here. It rained the whole night and part of the morning, today and now it’s so foggy and cold. I am so glad I’m sitting indoors. I’m even tempted to turn on the fire…I always try to refrain from doing that. It’s a bad habit and once you get used to it, you start feeling cold even when it’s warm.
So many people don’t like olives. I learnt how to eat them during my many travels round the world. I love them green, black, stuffed, just name it and I’ll eat it straightaway. My kids don’t like them much but they can put up.
You can give the recipe your own twist until it suits your palate. I love and hate autumn at the same time. Love the beauty of the leaves, hate the raking and collecting of leaves. All in all it’s one of the best times of the year. Thanks for being here, Sandy, you are my source of inspiration. Have a lovely weekend.
Liz
Reblogged this on 58 Day Dreams and commented:
Yum, Yum!
This salad looks so appetizing I will have to make right away. Thanks for sharing this recipe. I’m always looking for good salad recipes. I also love arugula.
Hi Jo,
Thanks so much for complimenting and I hope you enjoy the salad, too. I am looking for good salad recipes, too. If you have any good ones please let me know. My target is to post at least 50 of my best salads. Have a lovely weekend and thanks for the support you give me here and on Facebook too!
My kind of salad! Love arugula – I’m not a lettuce lass 😉
Hi Erica,
I eat them all but love arugula most. Thanks!
Liz
Yum! Looks so fresh and delicious! I got confused when I saw other blogs mention “rocket salad”–now I know it’s arugula! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi Ada,
Yes the salad does have so many names it can be so confusing. I love it. It’s pretty and tasty. Have a wonderful weekend!
Liz
Liz, you and I shared the same problem: forgetfulness!
There are so many delicious dishes (accidentally made) that I want to remake but I cannot remember most of the ingredients! 😀
It might be raining outside, but you got a plate of “sunny” salad, so colorful and delicious looking!
Hi Hari,
I hear you completely. I have made so many wonderful foods over the years but because I never wrote down what I did, I lost all those wonderful recipes. Since I started the blog, I’m happier because it means I’ll never lose my treasured recipes, AGAIN, ever!
We all remember how well those accidental dishes tasted but never remember all the ingredients, LOL. Thank you Hari, I have nothing to complain about because the last few days have been full of sun. Have a good night. I am sure it’s almost midnight over there!
Liz
Absolutely mouth watering! One I’ll be book marking for sure! 🙂
Hi Dimple,
I love salads. I think it”s because I’m mighty lazy. I love things I can prepare quickly and move on to the next task. Thanks for complimenting.
Have a lovely weekend!
Liz
You too x