A quick, flavorful pasta recipe with tomatoes, arugula, jalapeños, basil and lime. It's perfect for hectic weeknights or when you crave a light pasta lunch.
Fresh and quick
This jalapeño arugula dish is one of my favorite everyday recipes.
It's so easy to put together, with ingredients readily available, and a great option when I need a quick lunch or don't want to prepare a laborious dish at night.
I grew up eating much Italian food, so easy pasta dishes are abundant in my house.
This is a twist on the traditional tomato basil combo. The spicy kick from the pepper and the squeeze of fresh lime makes it flavorful and unique.
It can be turned into a pasta salad using raw ingredients, except for the cooked and cooled pasta, and stirring it with avocado ranch dressing.
Cherry tomato sauce
These small tomatoes are perfect for this sauce because they retain their shape but get juicy and slightly shriveled when you cook them.
As humble as it may sound, a few squeezes of lime can add a new dimension to a simple bowl of pasta.
The spicy kick of fresh jalapeños, sauteed in olive oil with the onions, and the fresh peppery arugula round up a recipe that is easy to make and a crowd pleaser.
Type of pasta to use
There is no wrong answer about the type of pasta you can use. They all work, even fresh homemade pasta.
- Short dry pasta: like penne or fusilli, by far our favorites when the sauce is not creamy.
- Long pasta: such as spaghetti or pappardelle. It tends to separate too much from the tomato chunks, and many times we end up eating the ingredients separately. But flavorwise it's just as good the other option.
Variations and substitutions
- Tomatoes: use other types, like heirloom or a mix of yellow, red and purple cherry tomatoes.
- Ratio: use more jalapeños or add a dash of hot sauce for a spicier jalapeno pasta.
- Cheese: sprinkle grated parmesan before serving, or use crumbled goat or feta cheese
- Lemon: sub it for the lime.
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Tomato and Jalapeno Pasta
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked penne pasta, or other of your choosing
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 fresh jalapeño, finely chopped, with seeds if you want it spicier
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 large shallot, finely chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste, freshly ground
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoons white wine, or dry sherry
- ½ cup chopped fresh arugula
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon lime zest, to finish
Instructions
- Have all ingredients for the sauce ready.
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- While it’s cooking, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add 1 fresh jalapeño, 1 garlic clove 1 large shallot, minced. Cook for a minute or two until softened.
- Add 1 cup cherry tomatoes, 3 sprigs fresh thyme, ½ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste. Cook for a few minutes until it begins to brown and tomatoes char a bit and release some juice.
- Add 2 tablespoons lime juice and let evaporate. Add 1 tablespoons white wine and let evaporate again.
- If the pasta is cooked, drain in and add it to the skillet. Mix the pasta with the tomatoes for a few seconds and remove from the stove. If it’s not cooked yet, remove the skillet from the heat until you can add the pasta.
- Add ½ cup chopped fresh arugula, ¼ cup fresh basil and ¼ teaspoon lime zest.
- Check seasonings and adjust.
- Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, a grating of lime zest if you want, and some extra chopped fresh basil.
Notes
Nutrition
Adapted from La Tartine Gourmande by Beatrice Peltre
Cat says
I recently signed up for a farm share of fresh produce every week. This week I got jalapeños, tomatoes, arugula and basil so I made this recipe. I loved it! The flavors really sing. My only addition was red pepper flakes.
Paula Montenegro says
I love the idea of an extra kick with the pepper flakes Cat. Happy to hear you liked it so much! Have a great week.