Farfalle with Marinated Feta, Arugula and Toasted Pine Nuts
User Reviews
5
-
Total Time
30 mins
-
Servings
2 (or 4, as a side dish)
-
Course
Main Course
-
Cuisine
American
Farfalle with Marinated Feta, Arugula and Toasted Pine Nuts
Description
The dish starts by marinating crumbled feta cheese in olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano, crushed red pepper, and garlic, which softens the cheese and infuses it with fragrant, tangy flavors. Meanwhile, farfalle pasta cooks until al dente and is combined while hot with fresh baby arugula in a large bowl. Drizzling garlic-infused olive oil over the mixture and covering allows the arugula to wilt slightly from the residual heat.
Toast pine nuts separately to bring out a deep, toasty aroma and enhance their crisp texture. Adding these nuts to the pasta dish introduces a contrasting crunch and subtle nuttiness. The assembled dish balances the peppery bite of arugula with creamy, marinated feta and buttery pine nuts, creating a vibrant pasta salad or main course that doesn't require heavy cooking beyond boiling and marinating.
Ingredients
- 6 ounces feta cheese crumbled
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon oregano dried
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 garlic minced, cloves
- 1/2 pound whole wheat farfalle pasta
- 8 ounces arugula baby
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons olive oil, vinegar, oregano and crushed red pepper. Stir in 1 minced garlic clove. Crumbled in about 4 ounces of the feta and place the bowl in the fridge. You can also do this ahead of time (like the night before, morning of, etc)! In a another bowl, whisk together the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil and the other garlic clove.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the farfalle according to the directions on the box. Place the baby arugula in a large bowl.
- While the pasta is cooking, place the pine nuts in a skillet and heat over low heat. Stir, toss and shake the pan constantly so the pine nuts don’t burn, cooking until golden, toasty and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
- Once the pasta is finished cooking, drain it and place it directly over the baby arugula. Drizzle the garlic olive oil over the pasta and cover the bowl with a piece of foil. Let sit for 5 minutes. This should wilt the arugula and you can always give it a good stir to help the process along.
- Toss the pasta with the marinated feta (I add the entire contents to the pasta) and pine nuts. Add the remaining 2 ounces of feta on top. Toss well and serve!
- Note: I find that this pasta has tons of flavor (the salty feta, the salted pasta water, the pine nuts) and doesn’t need additional salt and pepper, but feel free to add it if needed!
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
You'll Also Love
