I've been meaning to post this delicious WW recipe for Pasta Salad with Blue Cheese, Walnuts, and Arugula, which made the cover of a recent Weight Watchers Weekly, for a while now.
Weight Watchers Pasta Arugula Salad
As soon as I saw it I had a feeling I would love it.
Filled with many of my favorite ingredients (pasta, arugula, blue cheese, grape tomatoes and walnuts), this is everything I want in a salad—easy to make, pretty to look at, and delicious to eat.
And I was right. Fresh and delicious, I have a feeling this Pasta Salad with Blue Cheese, Walnuts and Arugula will become a lunch and dinner staple for me this spring and summer.
It is such a great reminder of how tasty and satisfying salads you make yourself at home can be when you get creative and show them a little love. This recipe is definitely a keeper in my book.
I made a couple of minor changes, substituting chopped scallions for the chives and using spiral pasta (fusilli) instead of bowties (farfalle). I also used reduced fat crumbled blue cheese. A little chopped cooked chicken or turkey would be a nice addition too.
How Many Calories and WW Points in this Pasta Salad?
According to my calculations, each serving has about 272 calories and:
7 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
7 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
7 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
7 *PointsPlus (Old plan)
To see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!
Recipe Notes
- Be sure to reserve at least 1 tablespoon of the pasta cooking water for the dressing, before draining the pasta.
- To make the dressing: In a cup or small bowl (affiliate link) stir together the vinegar, oil, reserved tablespoon of pasta cooking water, and salt and pepper.
- To toast the walnuts: Place the walnuts in a small, heavy-bottomed skillet set over medium-high heat. Toast the nuts, shaking the skillet frequently, about 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant Remove nuts from the skillet and set aside.
- If you are using mature arugula leaves, chop and add them to the pasta for 1 to 2 minutes at the end of the cooking time to blanch them. Drain the pasta and arugula, and proceed with the recipe.
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If you enjoy this pasta salad recipe with blue cheese, walnuts & arugula, be sure to check out my other Weight Watchers Friendly recipes including Orzo Vegetable Salad, Pasta Salad with Ham + Peas, Trisha Yearwood Orzo Pasta Salad Made WW Friendly, Healthy Satay Chicken Pasta Salad and Classic Macaroni Salad Made Lighter
If you've made this Pasta Salad with blue cheese and walnuts, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Pasta Salad with Blue Cheese, Walnuts and Arugula
Ingredients
- 6 ounces uncooked pasta, such as bow-ties, penne, or fusilli
- 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts, coarsely chopped
- 2 cups baby arugula leaves, stems removed
- 2 scallions, finely chopped
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (affiliate link)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons reduced fat blue cheese, crumbled
Instructions
- Cook the pasta, according to package directions, until tender. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the pasta cooking water for the dressing below, before draining the pasta.
- While you are waiting for the water to boil and cook the pasta, toast the nuts: Place the walnuts in a small, heavy-bottomed skillet set over medium-high heat. Toast the nuts, shaking the skillet frequently, about 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant Remove nuts from the skillet and set aside.
- Drain the pasta well and place it in a large serving bowl. Immediately add the arugula and toss well. Cover the bowl with a lid or tight fitting plastic wrap and set aside until the arugula is limp, about 5 minutes. Stir in the scallions and tomatoes.
- To make the dressing, in a cup or small bowl (affiliate link) stir together the vinegar, oil, reserved tablespoon of pasta cooking water, and salt and pepper.
- Pour dressing over the pasta salad and toss well; sprinkle with blue cheese and toasted chopped walnuts.
Equipment
Recipe Notes
Recipe Source: Slightly Adapted from Weight Watchers
*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.
More Weight Watchers Friendly Pasta Salad Recipes
- How to Make Healthier Pasta Salads (Simple Nourished Living)
- Loaded Pasta Salad (Dashing Dish)
- Tuna Pasta Salad (LaaLoosh)
- Tomato, Basil and Smoked Mozzarella Salad (Weight Watchers)
Martha is the founder and main content writer for Simple-Nourished-Living.
A longtime lifetime WW at goal, she is committed to balancing her love of food and desire to stay slim while savoring life and helping others do the same.
She is the author of the Smart Start 28-Day Weight Loss Challenge.
A huge fan of the slow cooker and confessed cookbook addict, when she's not experimenting in the kitchen, you're likely to find Martha on her yoga mat.
This post contains affiliate links to products I like. When you buy something through one of my Amazon links or other (affiliate links), I receive a small commission that helps support this site. Thank you for your purchase!
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