This past Saturday was Belle’s 1st birthday, and to celebrate, Adrienne and Justin had a bunch of friends and family over. I can’t believe Belle is already one year old!  I remember driving to the hospital after I got the text from Adrienne that she was being prepped for her C-section; I was so excited to see her!

Adrienne asked me to make a pasta salad to help feed all the people coming over to visit. I love pasta salads, so I was happy to oblige.  It went over pretty well, so I figured I should post the recipe here:

Ingredients List
Salad:
4 Tbsp chopped walnuts
12 oz uncooked farfalle pasta
4 Tbsp fresh minced chives
4 C baby arugula, stems removed
2 C grape tomatoes, cut in half
5 Tbsp crumbled gorgonzola

Dressing:
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp extra-virgin cold-pressed olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh black pepper

Toast the walnuts in a small skillet over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes, shaking the skillet often. Remove from skillet and put aside.

Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot, add a few pinches of salt if desired. Add pasta and cook until noodles are tender (about 12 minutes). Remove 4 tablespoons of the pasta water BEFORE draining pasta and set aside for dressing. Drain pasta and place in a large bowl. Immediately add arugula and stir well; cover for 5 minutes, or until arugula is limp. Add chives and tomatoes.

In a salad cruet or large cup, stir vinegar, oil and pasta water together. Add salt and pepper. Pour over the pasta salad and toss well. Sprinkle the cheese over pasta and mix.

This recipe yields about 12 servings, with each serving at about 3/4 cup.

I’ve also substituted pine nuts for the walnuts and basil for the arugula; it makes a good pesto flavor with the pasta. Feta might also be a good cheese with this, if you don’t like gorgonzola.