Pasta Salad with Blue (or Feta) Cheese, Walnuts and Arugula

By marck

Weight Watcher's recipe. 5 points per serving. Feta made a fine substitute for blue cheese, which I always buy and then it goes bad before I ever use even half of it.

Yield: 1-1/4 cups per serving.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp coarsely chopped walnuts
• 1/2 tsp table salt
• 6 oz uncooked farfalle pasta
• 2 C arugula, baby leaves, stems removed
• 2 Tbsp chives, fresh, minced
• 1 C grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp olive oil, extra-virgin
• 1/4 tsp table salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 3 Tbsp blue cheese, crumbled (we used feta cheese)

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

1. Place walnuts in a small, heavy-bottomed skillet. Toast nuts over medium-high heat until lightly browned, shaking skillet frequently, about 1 to 2 minutes; remove from skillet and set aside.

2. Bring 3 quarts of water and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to a boil in a large pot. Stir in pasta and cook until tender, about 11 to 13 minutes (my experience was that I needed to go on the high end of that); remove 1 tablespoon of pasta cooking water and save for step 4. Drain pasta and place in a large serving bowl; immediately add arugula and toss well.

(NOTE: If using mature arugula leaves, chop and add them to the pasta for 1 to 2 minutes at the end of cooking time to blanch them. Drain the pasta and arugula and then continue with recipe.)

3. Cover bowl with a lid or tight fitting plastic wrap; set aside until arugula is limp, about 5 minutes. Stir in chives and tomatoes.

4. Stir together vinegar, oil, reserved tablespoon of pasta cooking water, remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper in a cup. Pour dressing over pasta salad and toss well; sprinkle with blue (or feta) cheese.