I’ve been dreaming about this pasta salad ever since publishing it on the blog last year. It’s perfect for the summer and pairs great with this honey mustard grilled chicken, my maple glazed salmon, or even a really good steak. And if you’re vegetarian, I suggest adding a can of chickpeas to make it a main meal. So good, so simple, and SO beautiful.
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One of my favorite pasta salads comes from Cookie and Kate’s Love Real Food cookbook. It’s made with creamy goat cheese, arugula, olives and tomatoes and dressed together with olive oil and lemon juice. Very simple, but one of my go-to pasta salads to jazz up a bit.
Since both peaches and cherry tomatoes are in season right now, I thought it would be the perfect recipe to share because not only is it extremely easy to make, but also outrageously delicious thanks to all the various veggies, fruits and flavors tossed together.
PEACH PARTY. You down?
What’s in this arugula pasta salad?
This fresh peach arugula pasta salad is a variation of Kathryn’s original pasta salad recipe, except I used delicious salty, crumbled feta instead of goat cheese and added juicy sweet peaches, red onion and sweet summer corn. I love how easy it is to throw together during the weeknight or as a side dish to accompany salmon or chicken.
Here are all the ingredients you’ll need to make this peach pasta salad:
- Fusilli pasta: or your favorite pasta, gluten free if desired.
- Fresh peaches: I like to make sure they’re still a tiny bit firm so that they hold together well in the salad.
- Cherry tomatoes: I love using mini heirloom tomatoes in the summer.
- Corn: you can use fresh corn off of the cob, thawed from frozen, or canned. It would also be delicious grilled beforehand!
- Red onion: for a little zip in every bite.
- Arugula: the perfect green element in this peach pasta salad.
- Feta cheese: I love the saltiness of feta but feel free to use goat cheese or even shaved parmesan.
- Olive oil & lemon juice: you’ll just need a bit of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice for the dressing in this salad.
- Optional but a delicious add-in: recently I added salami and sliced avocado to this and it was FANTASTIC. Salty and creamy textures to pair with juicy peaches and flavorful feta. YUM.
Customize this peach pasta salad
What I love about pasta salads like this is that they are easily customizable with produce that you have on-hand or in your garden, so feel free to get creative with the combinations. Here are some more suggestions:
- Add your favorite protein from grilled chicken, shrimp or chickpeas.
- Make it vegan by simply omitting the cheese.
- Add extra freshness with basil or use a homemade lemon basil vinaigrette.
- Grill the corn and/or the peaches for a slightly smoky, even more savory flavor.
- Add avocado for a delicious, creamy texture and boost of healthy fats.
How to store this arugula pasta salad
This healthy arugula pasta salad will stay fresh covered in the fridge for about 3-4 days. It’s delicious made ahead of time, too, so feel free to prep it the night before a picnic or bbq, or prep it for your weekday lunches.
What to serve with this arugula pasta salad:
- Firecracker Salmon with Peach Avocado Salsa
- The lemon basil marinated chicken from The Best Chicken Marinades would be perfect! Check out how to grill your chicken to perfection here.
- Incredible Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken Sandwiches
- Seriously Good Sweet Potato Cheddar BBQ Chicken Burgers
More peach recipes you’ll love
Honey Lime Basil Peach Fruit Salad
Gluten Free Peach Crisp with Salted Coconut Milk Caramel
Firecracker Salmon with Peach Avocado Salsa
Summer Peach Spinach Salad with Avocado, Toasted Almonds + Goat Cheese
Peach, Goat Cheese & Basil Wonton Bites
I hope you enjoy this peach arugula pasta salad while you still can. If you make it, be sure to tag #ambitiouskitchen on Instagram. You can also leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how you liked it. xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Peach, Tomato & Corn Arugula Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces fusilli or bowtie pasta (regular, whole grain or gluten free will work)
- 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
- Lot of freshly ground salt and pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
- 4 ounces crumbled feta or sub goat cheese (about ¾ cup)
- 2 large ripe peaches, sliced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved (I love using heirloom cherry tomatoes for color variety!)
- 1 cup raw corn off the cob (or you can use thawed frozen corn or canned)
- ½ medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 5 ounces baby arugula (about 6 packed cups of arugula)
- Optional:
- Quartered salami and avocado (makes leftovers last longer and adds texture to the salad!) -- add as much as you'd like!
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a little salt. Once water boils, add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 7-9 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving a few tablespoons of water for later. Place pasta in large bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes until well combined. Pour the dressing over warm pasta and add a little reserved pasta water to help keep the pasta moist and non-sticky. Immediately add feta and gently give the pasta a toss.
- Next add in the peach slices, cherry tomatoes, corn, red onion and arugula. Toss to combine. Taste and add more olive oil, lemon juice, salt and/or pepper, if necessary. Great warm or cold. Serves 6.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
Just made this salad, it was delicious. I had a ripe mango looking for a home so I put it in the salad. Following your suggestion I paired the salad with your Firecracker salmon and peach salsa. Added some mango to the salsa which was a huge hit with my family. Thank you for the recipes.
Love that! Sounds like the perfect dinner. So happy you’re finding recipes here that you love!
It was so good! Do you think I could substitute the arugula with something else though? I’m making it again for someone who doesn’t does care for arugula. Any suggestions?
Spinach would be great!
This is a delicious salad and so easy to throw together! I followed the instructions exactly and it turned out great.
Glad you loved it! One of my new favorites for summer.
I always try a recipe exactly as directed the first time and tweak it if needed the next time to meet my liking.
But for this one, would not change a thing. Delicious!
Amazing! So happy to hear that. This one’s the perfect lunch!
This recipe is great, but if you are planning on having leftovers don’t
add all of the peaches! They get soggy in the dressing and should be added fresh before you eat it
Great tip! Glad you liked this one!
A+!! So flavorful and perfect for a hot summer day. Thank you for the recipe!
Absolutely! Glad you loved it!
Just made this last night as a side dish to grilled burgers and grilled salmon…ABSOLUTELY delicious! Followed the recipe to a T (except my container of baby arugula was only 4oz, not 5…a sad realization once I got home) and I would not change a thing. Perfect summer salad!
Love that!! So great for summer!
I have been loving the Ambitious Kitchen salad combos to get me out of the salad rut. This is another creative recipe. I really like this combo except for the peach, it just didn’t go with the other flavors for me personally. I would definitely make again just leave out the peach next time
Sorry to hear that you weren’t a fan of the peach! Feel free to omit or try this pasta salad 🙂
The arugula pasta salad with peaches was exceptional!!! We used peaches that were firm and it played out well because we made it ahead so they were not mushy.
Perfect! And great idea with the firm peaches 🙂
What a fabulous recipe! So easy and tasty! I’ll definitely be making this one again!
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
I had the biggest craving for a dish with fresh peaches and grilled corn, this was it. Paired it with your firecracker salmon, so delicious!
The perfect dinner! 🙂
We all really enjoyed this recipe! Thank you!
I’m so glad!!
This salad is amazing! A perfect combination of summer flavors!
Absolutely! Glad you love it 🙂
Easy and delicious. Great combination of flavors. Everyone loved it.
So happy to hear that!
I am making this right now and am a little nervous about using raw corn. Wouldn’t it be better to cook?
Raw corn is fine to use but feel free to cook it (even grill it) first if you want!
Perfect quick dinner in the heatwave! We topped the salad with seared scallops and it was beyond amazing.
Absolutely! That sounds delicious 🙂
So delicious and quick and easy to make!!! We used goat cheese, which melted due to the warm pasta creating a creamy dressing. Absolutely will be making again while everything is in season here. Thank you so much!
Perfect! Sounds delicious 🙂 glad you loved it!
The flavour combo is outstanding! I have made this salad twice already and am addicted to it.
So glad you love it!
Made this for a group tonight, and it was a hit! I followed the recipe with the exception of the peaches. Couldn’t find ripe ones on short notice. Will be making again for lunches for the week soon. Thank you!
Perfect! I’m glad everyone enjoyed!
Yummy summer pasta salad!
One of my favorites!
Insanely Delicious! A perfect flavourful, colourful, tasty dinner recipe for hot summers. I am very excited to try it. Thanks a lot for sharing such a lovely recipe.
Absolutely! Glad you loved it!
So simple and refreshing!!
I made this recipe maybe 4-5 times this summer and never got sick of it, it was THAT good! I will definitely be making it again once it’s peach season here in Texas. If eating the leftovers, I’d recommend adding some more olive oil and lemon juice to freshen it up.
I have made this recipe a couple times and I LOVE it!! The times that I have made it I could not find peaches, so I used mango instead. I thought it tasted great! I love goat cheese, so I substituted that as well and loved that the goat cheese melted into the pasta! Yummy!
Perfect! That sounds amazing 🙂
The arugula is tasty and becomes more tastier when we add it in the salad. This salad recipe is great to serve guests in lunch or dinner.
So happy that you’re a fan of this one, Jason!
I made this for a light dinner and used faro instead of pasta. It was delicious, filling, and refreshing! Perfect for a light summer dinner or side salad.
LOVE the idea of using farro in here! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
I made this salad with the maple salmon and it did not disappoint. It was so good with layers of flavor!!! My husband went back 4 or 5 times for extras. We’re going to add this to our summer recipe rotation.
Oh yay!! I bet those two went so well together. Thrilled that you guys loved it so much 🙂
This is so delicious! Next time I’ll plan on adding in avocado to make leftovers last longer as suggested.
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it, Emily 🙂 And great call on the avocado.
Loved this pasta salad for a refreshing summer dinner! I didn’t have arugula on hand so I added basil instead and it was an extra fresh and flavorful bite to this unexpected and delicious dish!
I bet basil would be incredible in here! So happy you loved it 🙂
Absolutely delicious and so so easy! My new go-to weeknight meal.
Yay!! I’m SO thrilled you loved this one, Shweta 🙂
Not only is this the most colorful and beautiful salad I’ve ever made or eaten but it is absolutely delicious too! The mixture of the pasta with the vegetables and dressing is so good! The peaches add just the perfect amount of sweetness. I subbed arugula for spinach and topped it with AK’s lemon basil marinaded grilled chicken. Will definitely be making again! A great one to impress a crowd too!
Isn’t it gorgeous?! So happy you loved it. Great idea to use spinach and top with that chicken! 🙂
This recipe is so good, I’ve made double batches two weekends in a row. First time I made it with feta, second time with goat. Delicious both times!
Nice!! So happy you’re loving it, Jess 🙂
This recipe was so easy to make and delicious!
This was delicious and so easy! Summer on a plate. I loved using leftovers for lunch and adding rotisserie chicken!
Can’t wait to try this! Looks so delicious. Always looking for new lunch salad ideas.
Absolutely LOVE the flavour combo’s in this salad!
Cooked chopped bacon would be a welcome addition.
So yummy! The perfect way to use all the summer produce! Next time I’ll probably add a little more corn and less red onion, but that’s personal preference 🙂
Yes, so perfect for summer 🙂 I’m so glad you loved it, Gwen!
This is the most delicious salad ever; however, it does not keep for 3-4 days. The next morning my arugala was limp. But fresh this salad is the best!
Flavorful, fresh and tasty made it as explained just perfect
I LOVE this salad. Sometimes I omit the pasta and add chicken for a regular green salad. I always use picked red onion instead of raw because pickled onions are delish!
Another hit!! My fam loved this recipe—super yummy with real ingredients that provide alllll the flavor. We topped ours with extra feta when serving (bc we’re cheese freaks!).
YES to the extra feta 🙌 Happy you all loved it!
Made this yesterday for work and it was a huge hit. I don’t make any modifications to the salad recipe itself, but I did make the lemon basil vinaigrette recipe on this site instead. I also soaked the red onion in cold water for 10 min to make the onion more tolerable for me and it helped a lot. I also tossed the peaches in lemon juice to show oxidation. Will definitely be making this again!
Summery good! Used banza chickpea pasta and grilled peaches before adding them. Also added fresh dill as I had it in fridge. Omitted cheese as sensitive to dairy but stirred in some cashew cream for a creamy vibe. Really loved this!
Oooh that all sounds FANTASTIC! Love the grilled peaches + cashew cream ideas!
This was so delicious. I added the avacado and salami which was a solid choice. I didn’t have arugula so just added some varied lettuce from my produce share. After reading the reviews I added the peaches and lettuce right before serving. For the dressing I made a dijon vinaigrette which was a nice and simple.
Oooh that all sounds so fantastic! Happy you enjoyed it!
This was really good! I added some fresh dill as I had that on hand, used Banza pasta, grilled the peaches and as I am dairy free used a cashew cream instead of cheese. Will definitely make this one again, very summery and great! My husband put grilled corn in his (I can’t eat corn) and that was great he said!
This recipe was DELICIOUS! It will be a staple in our home. We added grilled chicken to the top.
The whole family loved this salad. My girls(7&9) had three helpings!
Woohooo! So glad you all loved it!
What fruit do you think I could sub for the peach since it is out of season?
you could try mangos!
I couldn’t even finish my first serving of this before coming back to say how much I LOVED this pasta salad. It packs so much flavor with such simple ingredients, and is perfectly light yet satisfying. I made this for lunches throughout the week, but I’m not confident it will be around much longer than a day or two! Thank you for this one!
Love this recipe!
I’m so glad!
Perfect
Made this weekend pretty close to the recipe and I loved it. I opted for goat cheese, and mixed it in right after adding the dressing to the pasta, so that the goat cheese melted, making a creamier dressing. I used about 1.5oz goat cheese. Then I mixed in the rest of the ingredients, holding the peaches as I knew I would be storing for later (per others comments). I also upped the lemon juice slightly. I loved it! We served lukewarm (by the time all the cool veggies got mixed in) and topped with sliced peaches. Also, I used Trader Joes frozen fire roasted corn that I let thaw while I prepped everything else. Can’t wait for the leftovers!
Amazing! Great idea to use creamy goat cheese 🙂 Glad you enjoyed!
I made and brought this to my friend’s house to have as a side for dinner and it was a hit! It was delicious and she asked me for the recipe the next day. I had tons of leftovers so I made some salads with steak and grilled chicken and it was soooo good. Will definitely make again.
So happy to hear that!!
I’ve made this recipe a few times now when having guests over and they always compliment this dish. Quick to put together and packed with lots of great summer flavors!
So happy to hear that!
can this salad be made a day in advance? Thanks.
Yes! I might suggest adding the peaches last so that they don’t break down as much.
Just made this for me and my parents for dinner and oh my god – so good. I used whole wheat rotini, added avocado, and served with grilled shrimp. My dad (who isn’t one to love a salad) cleaned his plate and RAVED about the flavours all complementing one another. Monique, this was SO GOOD. This is a must-make summer salad that will most certainly please any crowd!
So happy to hear that!! Perfect summer meal 🙂