Before You Troll Gwyneth Paltrow for Her Arugula Meatball Hack, Consider This

Not 'Today,' Parm

Author image: Candace Davison, PureWow vice president of editorial content

•

Published Jun 5, 2026

Splash by Shutterstock

It was the recipe hack heard 'round the world: Gwyneth Paltrow suggests arugula as...a dairy substitute?!

On a recent appearance on Today, the Marty Supreme star shared her recipe for turkey meatballs. As she mixes ingredients, she casually mentions, "if you want to avoid dairy, one trick that I do, I dice up arugula and put it in."

Cue the memes, quips and trolls across social media and Reddit: "nightmare fuel," "dang, I could have been putting arugula in my coffee all this time," gifs of Danny DeVito shaking his head. Based on the short clips shared online, it can seem at first like she's referring to using arugula as a substitute for milk, but she's actually referring to using the peppery green as a way to add flavor and texture to the dish, instead of Parm (which her recipe traditionally calls for).

"It sounds weird, but it kind of adds, like, a nice texture to it," Paltrow explains when Today show host Savannah Guthrie questions the addition.

It sparked so much fanfare that Guthrie and fellow Today co-hosts Carson Daly, Al Roker, Craig Melvin, Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones, later sat down to try the meatballs with arugula.

"I actually think they're very good; maybe the arugula [is] even better," Guthrie said.

Melvin also noted that they were "pretty good," though it seemed like Daly wasn't as sold on the swap. "That doesn't taste like a substitute for dairy," he announced.

As a food editor and recipe developer, I can understand people's balking. You won't get the same briny, cheesy notes that you'd get from Parmesan, but it will create a more complex flavor and a lighter, more delicate texture (particularly if you don't mound and roll the meatballs too much). It's a vitamin-packed substitute and workaround for adding flavor without adding salt, too.

Paltrow's lifestyle brand, Goop, even got in on the joke, sharing people's comments in a carousel of images on Instagram with the caption, "in our defense, it's very versatile." The brand also shared a screenshot of a recipe from 2015 for Pesto Kelp Noodle Salad with Arugula, noting, "we never stopped."

Whether intentional or not, the viral comment did exactly what her Today appearance was intended to do: Promote Goop Kitchen, the takeout and delivery-only restaurant she recently launched. The chain has 13 locations in California and recently expanded to New York—and yes, turkey meatballs are on the menu.

But, for anyone living outside of those states, all hope is not lost. You can still try the meatballs (with Parm or arugula) by making them yourself. Paltrow shared the recipe via Goop Kitchen's Instagram account, which you can find below.

Candace Davison

VP of editorial content

Oversees home, food and commerce articles
Author of two cookbooks and has contributed recipes to three others
Named one of 2023's Outstanding Young Alumni at the University of South Florida, where she studied mass communications and business

read full bio