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Don’t underestimate the power of a simple salad; they don’t have to be complicated or difficult to be fancy and delicious.
Let the simple ingredients in this peach arugula pasta salad shine, where less is more and dinner is quick, full of flavor, and super satisfying.
Why I Like This Recipe
- Four main ingredients and a homemade vinaigrette are all it takes to put this flavorful pasta salad together in minutes.
- The simple ingredients in this pasta salad make it a full meal without much fuss.
- You can make most of it ahead of time and then assemble it when ready to eat.
- The arugula stands up to the tangy dressing, the sweet peaches, and the creamy pasta.
Ingredients
Baby Arugula – I like baby arugula because it’s a bit less intense in flavor than fully matured arugula and it is a nice tender green that still holds up to salad dressing.
Refrigerator Cheese Ravioli – I buy fresh packaged pasta varieties when they are on sale, especially when they are a BOGO (buy one get one). I store them in my freezer. That way I have pasta ready to cook whenever I want it.
Pine Nuts – I also buy nuts when they are on sale. I store them in small mason jars in the refrigerator to keep them fresh for months. For this recipe, I toasted the pine nuts in a stovetop skillet for about 4 minutes just until they started to brown.
Vinaigrette – For this recipe, I made a simple vinaigrette with extra virgin olive oil, orange muscat champagne vinegar that I bought at Trader Joe’s, and some honey.
Let’s Make Peach Arugula Pasta Salad
- Start by mixing together all of the vinaigrette ingredients.
- Next, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Once you’ve drained them, pat them dry with a paper towel, place them in a single layer on a plate to cool. You want the pasta to be room temperature. Or you can make it a day in advance and use it cold.
- Place the baby arugula into a small dish and toss it with 1/2 of the vinaigrette.
- Arrange the dressed arugula onto a large platter, place the cooked and cooled ravioli on top of the arugula, and drizzle it with the remaining vinaigrette.
- Slice the peach and arrange the slices in between the ravioli.
- Sprinkle the entire salad with toasted pine nuts.
Serve The Salad With Toasted Pita Bread
I like to serve this salad with small toasted pita bread. To make the pita bread, simply mix together 1 tablespoon of melted butter and 1 teaspoon of dry Italian seasoning. Brush the pitas with the butter mixture and bake them for 5 minutes in a 350° oven.
If you cannot find small pitas in your grocery store, use a large pita cut into small pieces.
Frequently Asked Questions
Arugula has an intense peppery mustardy flavor. I prefer the baby arugula, which is harvested young. It still has a pepper and mustard flavor but it doesn’t overpower the salad as it’s less intense.
Yes! I think that baby spinach would be a great substitute to arugula for this salad.
You can use any type of vinaigrette you’d like to make the dressing. I chose the orange muscat champagne vinegar because it brings out the bright freshness of the peaches. You could use rice wine vinegar or even red wine vinegar.
Krazy Kitchen Mom Tips
- Keeping Green Fresh – I like to have fresh greens in my refrigerator at all times but I often find they wilted before I’m ready to use them. Now, as soon as I get home from the grocery store, I open the container and place a paper towel inside. The paper towel absorbs excess moisture that makes the greens wilt more quickly. This is especially true for heavier greens like arugula or spinach.
- When cooking any type of pasta, make sure you heavily salt the cooking water. It’s the only time you can really add seasoning to the pasta.
- Get creative! One of my favorite things about salads is that you can be as creative as your mind will allow you. Instead of peaches in the recipe, try plums or pears. Substitute the mini ravioli for cheese tortellini or bow tie pasta. Add some shaved parmesan cheese or small pieces of goat cheese. Have fun with salads!
More Great Salad Recipes
- Grilled Chicken Caprese Salad
- Summer Panzanella Bread Salad
- Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese
- Greek Chicken Salad
- Melon Ball Prosciutto Salad
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Peach Arugula Pasta Salad
Ingredients
For the vinaigrette
- 3 tbsp orange muscat champagne vinegar (can substitute rice wine vinegar or red wine vinegar)
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp honey (can substitute with agave)
For the salad
- 1 9-oz. package mini cheese ravioli
- 4 cups baby arugula
- 1 fresh peach
- 4 tbsp toasted pine nuts
For the pita toast
- 4-5 small pita bread
- 1 tbsp melted butter
- 1 teaspoon dry Italian seasoning
Instructions
For the vinaigrette
- Place all of the ingredients into a small mason jar with a lid and shake until combined
For the pita toast
- Preheat the oven to 350°
- Melt the butter.
- Stir in the Italian seasoning
- Brush both sides of the pita bread with the seasoned melted butter
- Bake for 5 minutes.
For the salad
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Once you've drained them, pat them dry with a paper towel, place them in a single layer on a plate to cool. You want the pasta to be room temperature.
- Place the baby arugula into a small dish and toss it with 1/2 of the vinaigrette.
- Arrange the dressed arugula on to a large platter, place the cooked and cooled ravioli on top of the arugula, and drizzle it with the remaining vinaigrette.
- Slice the peach and arrange the slices in between the ravioli.
- Sprinkle the entire salad with toasted pine nuts.
Notes
- To toast the pine nuts, place them in a stovetop skillet for about 4 minutes on medium-high heat just until they started to brown.
- Keeping Green Fresh – I like to have fresh greens in my refrigerator at all times but I used to find they wilted before I was ready to use them. Now, as soon as I get home from the grocery store, I will open the container and place a paper towel inside. The paper towel absorbs excess moisture that makes the green wilt more quickly. This is especially true for heavier greens like arugula or spinach.
- When cooking any type of pasta, make sure you heavily salt the cooking water. It’s the only time you can really add seasoning to the pasta.
- Get creative! One of my favorite things about salads is that you can be as creative as your mind can allow you. Instead of peaches in the recipe, try plums or pears. Substitute the mini ravioli for cheese tortellini or bow tie pasta. Add some shaved parmesan cheese or small pieces of goat cheese. Have fun with salads!
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