A Lemon Rocket Pasta Salad full of freshness and green goodness. The large fusilli pasta is tossed in fresh lemon juice and just a little olive oil to create this bright, vibrant salad, perfect for a cold lunch on a hot day!
I love pasta. I just always will be one of those people who loves pasta. But I’m not such a fan of really creamy pastas. Recently at one of my favourite restaurants, I ordered a porcini mushroom ravioli, with a creamy sauce. It was AMAZING, for about 3 bites, then the fullness sunk in and I ended up not being able to finish about half of it, which just made me sad.
This pasta isn’t like that, as the sauce is made only from lemon juice and olive oil. Now before you freak out thinking that it might be like sucking on a lemon, I promise you it isn’t! The little olive oil is enough to take the edge off the sourness from the lemon. We also cook the lemon with the pasta for a while, allowing the pasta to absorb some of the flavour from the lemon, which further softens it. What you’re left with is a beautiful, zingy and fresh pasta salad that couldn’t be easier to make!
You might also like my One Pot Mushroom, Kale and Garlic Spaghetti, another super easy, quick pasta recipe that’s warming, hearty and healthy!
This pasta salad is perfect to enjoy warm just after cooking, or for enjoying cold for lunch the next day. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge to always have something tasty on hand!
As you know, I want to provide you with as many easy recipes as possible, to help make your cooking life easier. I’ve written a cookbook “The 5 Ingredient Dinner” which is totally FREE to download here! There are tons of great recipes in there, perfect for any night of the week!
Lemon Rocket Pasta Salad
Serves 6
A Lemon Rocket Pasta Salad full of freshness and green goodness. The large fusilli pasta is tossed in fresh lemon juice and just a little olive oil to create this bright, vibrant salad, perfect for a cold lunch on a hot day!
Ingredients
500g Fusilli Pasta,
Juice of 2 Lemons,
3-4 Tablespoons Olive Oil,
100g Fresh Rocket Leaves (Rocket is the same as Arugula),
1 Punnet of Mixed Cherry Tomatoes, halved,
Salt and Pepper for Seasoning.
Steps:
1. Cook the pasta according to the instructions until it is al dente, usually 8-10 minutes. Drain the pasta and put it back in the large pot you cooked it in.
2. Whisk the lemon juice with the olive oil, and season with the salt and pepper. Add the whole mixture to the pasta and heat over a low heat for 2 minutes until the pasta starts to absorb the lemon juice.
3. Add the rocket and stir throughout the pasta until it just starts to wilt. Transfer everything to a large serving dish and add the halved cherry tomatoes. Either enjoy straight away warm, or refrigerate for up to 5 days in an airtight container and enjoy cold as a pasta salad!
About Lauren Caris
Lauren is the author and chef of the vegan food blog, Lauren Caris Cooks. She is passionate about showing people just how awesome vegan food can be with simple, delicious recipes and vegan lifestyle tips.
This looks amazing Lauren!! I totally get you when you say you´re not in to creamy sauces. I like them, don´t get me wrong, but they do fill you up too quickly and always makes me feel over-full…
Totally right? That’s why I love this one so much!
Delish! And so pretty–perfect for summer gatherings! Happy #greatbloggerBBQ :)
Thanks Kelsey, happy #greatbloggerBBQ to you too!
This looks and sounds so delicious and fresh tasting! It reminds me of our time in Italy….there was rocket salad with every meal!
Ahhh I love Italy! They just have the best food on the planet. Hopefully we’ll be going back there again later this year!
Would it still be good if I replaced rocket with baby kale?
Hi! Yes definitely I think that would be delicious! You might want to cook the kale a little bit to soften it up first, but it’s totally up to you!
What would you suggest in lieu of the cherry tomatoes?
Hi Michelle!! I think any kind of vegetable you like, maybe red bell peppers? Something on the sweeter side would work best as it will help balance out the lemon!
HI! Can I replace the Olive Oil and Rocket Leaves with something else? I can’t stand these two in any of my foods.
Hi Naila, thanks for the comment! You can replace the rocket leaves with any other green leaves, maybe spinach? The olive oil might be a bit more tricky as it really helps counteract the the lemon, you could try substituting any other kind of oil you like, but I would steer clear of vegetable oil as it doesn’t really add any flavour. Hope you like it :)
Is Rocket arugula? I’ve never heard of rocket, but the picture looks like arugula.
Hi Jacqui, yes rocket is exactly the same, that’s what we call it in England :)
Oh gosh, looking at this at (nearly) midnight & feeling so hungry!
Hehe I reckon it’s good midnight snack material ;)
This sounds really good and so easy to make! Might be having this for lunch tomorrow as I happen to have all the ingredients right here! x
Ariadna || RAWR BOWS
Hope you like it Ariadna! It’s been a favourite lunch for me through the week :)
Ohh yum I love a good pasta salad too! I’m not a big fan of creamy dressing either – I do love them with some nice home made pesto!
Pesto is amazing!! One of my posts last week was actually homemade pesto – a dollop of that mixed into this would be perfect I think!