Did I tell you guys that my husband has gone vegetarian? Sorry– “pescatarian.” He still eats fish. But since last July, not a single piece of meat has graced his mouth. I’m not a huge meat eater, but it’s still been an adjustment to come up with dinners and especially side dishes for parties that he will eat.

I love pesto and I love arugula, and I saw some ideas for pesto pasta salads and combined like 3 recipes to come up with this one. It is SO good. Creamy pesto, a touch of garlic, arugula, cherry tomatoes, green onions, and feta.

Feta, amiright? I wasn’t sure either. But it works!

I actually had a can of artichoke hearts to throw in, but I forgot this time. That’s okay though, because I’ll definitely be making this again, maybe as soon as next week for the 4th of July.

Most heavily inspired by Inspired by Charm

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound pasta – I used radiatori.
• 3 cups arugula – divided
• 1 cup pinenuts – 
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 grated parmesan
• 3 cloves fresh garlic
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest – zest of one lemon
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup crumbled Feta
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced
• 1 bunch of green onions, sliced

INSTRUCTIONS

• Begin by placing the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water. Cook the pasta according to package directions – until al dente. Rinse under cold water.
• Next, prepare the pine nut and arugula pesto. In a food processor, add 2 cups arugula, 1 cup pine nuts, olive oil, basil, parmesan, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Pulse until smooth.
• In a large bowl, gently toss the cooked pasta with the pesto (you might not need all of the pesto– add this to taste) Add the remaining arugula, tomatoes, and green onions and toss with the feta cheese. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Any remaining pesto will keep in an airtight container in the fridge.
• Note: Recommended to serve this pasta salad on the day you make it. However, it’s still delicious the following day. If it seems a little dry at that point, toss it with a splash of olive oil.