Meet the fridge-friendly lunch that is reframing how I see my midday meal! I am not a big lunch girl and generally have thought of it as “second breakfast.” As I am trying to add more greens into my lunch routine, the second breakfast mentality doesn’t exactly lend itself to that. So, I came up with this recipe to help meet that need—and it needed to be ready in a flash! This dish checks all the boxes. The only thing to cook is the pasta and you can do the minimal chopping it calls for while the pasta cooks! After the pasta is done, this dish comes together in under 5 minutes! What I love about this dish is that it can be modified to suit whatever you have on-hand or modified to your tastes. Need it to be gluten-free? Use a gluten-free pasta! Want to add olives or capers? Go for it, honey! Want a different type of cheese? Get mad with mascarpone or the ricotta! Watch these flavors come together in no time flat and voila your lunch is ready!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of pasta, cooked and drained

• 1 cup San Marzano tomatoes, quartered

• `1 cup mozzarella (pearl size)

• 2 cups arugula, chopped

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

• 1/4 cup torn basil leaves (I prefer torn rather than chopped basil because the heat of your hand helps release the oils in the basil—making it more fragrant in the dish!)

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 tablespoon of dried oregano

• Optional: shaved or grated pecorino, parm, or grana padano over the top

Method:

1. Rinse cooked pasta with cold water to help remove the starches—this will help keep the pasta from sticking together.

2. In a large bowl combine, pasta, tomatoes, mozzarella, arugula, and basil, toss to combine.

3. Add in olive oil and balsamic and toss again to thoroughly coat the pasta mix.

4. Once coated add in the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oregano. (The oil mixture is going to grab our seasonings and help them stick!)

5. Optional: Add shaved or grated cheese of your choosing. Taste for seasonings and alter to suit.

6. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

7. Congratulations! Your lunch is made for the week! (Also makes a wonderful side dish for dinner!)