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Last Updated on: 31st May 2024, 08:45 am
This tasty parmesan bow tie pasta salad recipe is made with a flavorful homemade Italian salad dressing, fresh veggies, olives and Italian seasonings. It has a good pasta to veggies ratio and is the perfect side dish for summer cookouts.
Agood pasta saladcan’t be understated at parties because it’s filling, budget friendly and nearly everyone likes it from Uncle Bob to little Janie. Therefore, you can feed a crowd and not spend hours making it.
Because it doesn’t contain mayo, it can sit out a bit longer atroom temperaturemaking it ideal for picnics.
Disclosure: This post contains Amazonaffiliate linkswhich means, if you make a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission but, the price you pay is the same.
Additionally, pasta salad is agreat wayto use up some of your garden’sfresh vegetablesthat add color and crunch to the pasta salad.
I have lots ofItalian recipesand am a seasoned Italian-American cook. My parents (R.I.P.) were Italian immigrants from southern Italy (near Naples.) I grew up onItalian Sunday gravyandhomemade pastamy mom would cut by hand! She was a fabulous home cook. I miss those days.
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Parmesan Bow Tie Pasta Salad Recipe
Thistasty pasta saladis aninstant hiton ahot summer daybecause it’s flavorful, cold and fresh. You’ll want to eat a big bowl of it. Trust me.
ThisItalian bowtie pasta saladcan also double as alight lunchdish all on its own. See my ad ins below to add protein and make it even more hearty, if you wish.
How Long do you boil bowtie pasta for?
For all of my pasta recipes, I suggest cooking the pastaal dente, which is perfect and avoids overcooking so the pasta doesn’t get mushy! However, some people like it more tender. Follow this guide for cooking bowtie pasta.
SET A TIMER! Cook in salted, boiling water:
- al dente- for 10 minutes. Try a piece first before you drain it. You don’t want it to be too hard.
- firm- for 11 minutes.
- tender- 12 minutes.
Whattype of pastais typically called bowtie pasta?
“Farfalle” is the Italian word for butterflies. Bowtie pasta is called farfalle in Italian and some pasta brands refer to it in this way.
Bow Tie Pasta Salad Recipe Ingredients
*The full printable recipe is at the bottom of this post in therecipe card.
- bow-tie pasta(a.k.a. farfalle pasta)
- cherry tomatoes(orgrape tomatoes)
- bell peppers (I like red bell pepper because they’re sweeter.)
- English cucumber (or mini cucumbers)
- red onion – adds flavor, color and crunch
- slicedblack olives
- sliced Spanish olives with pimento
- fresh parsley (Do not used dried parsley.)
- grated parmesan cheese
Italian Salad DressingIngredients
*The full printable recipe withexact measurementsis at the bottom of this post in therecipe card.
- extra virgin olive oil– adds more flavor than plain olive oil
- red wine vinegar-provides a bit of tanginess
- Italian seasoning
- salt
- black pepper
- honey (optional) -adds a tiny bit of natural sweetness and cuts acidity a bit.
Use this delicious and versatileItalian salad dressingfor garden salads or other Italian pasta salads.
Bow tie Pasta Salad Instructions Summary
*The full printable recipe is at the bottom of this post in the recipe card.
Cook 8 oz bow-tie pasta al dente. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process and cool down the pasta. Drain pasta in a colander.
To a large mixing bowl, add your Italian salad dressing ingredients and stir. Then, add the chopped veggies, olives and fresh parsley. Then add the drained pasta and parmesan cheese. Stir to coat the pasta and chill until ready to serve.
Pasta Substitutions
Use a different type of pasta if you don’t have bowtie pasta on hand but, use medium-sized pasta rather than bigger pasta like rigatoni or small pasta like orzo or orecchiette.
- penne
- medium shells
- mezzi rigatoni
Add Ins
- salami chunks
- pepperoni chunks
- provolone cheese chunks
- grilled chicken
- fresh mozzarella cheese pearls
- sun-dried tomatoes
- marinated artichoke hearts
- banana pepper rings
- red pepper flakes
This parmesan bow tie pasta salad recipe is the perfect addition to your party table. It’s a great make-ahead dish for potlucks that can be made the day before because it still tastes great the next day. Pack leftovers for lunch. It will last a few days in your refrigerator.
You may also like:
Mediterranean Orzo Pasta Salad
Tomato Basil Tortellini Salad
Easy and Best Caprese Salad with Cherry Tomatoes Recipe
Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad
Greek Tortellini Pasta Salad
I took this recipe to Weekend Potluck.
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Easy Parmesan Bow Tie Italian Pasta Salad Recipe
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Italian
Keyword parmesan bow tie pasta salad recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes minutes
Total Time 30 minutes minutes
Servings 6
Calories 299cal
Author Joanne Schweitzer
Ingredients
- 8 oz bowtie pasta or farfalle
- 3/4 cup cherry tomatoes
- 3/4 cup English cucumber
- 3/4 cup red bell pepper
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup sliced black olives, drained
- 1/4 cup sliced Spanish olives (with pimento), drained a.k.a. Manzanilla olives
- 1/4 cup diced red onion (cut very small)
Italian Salad Dressing
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp honey (optional)
Instructions
First, cook bowtie pasta (8 oz) in two quarts of water and add two tbsp of table salt. Bring to a boil and then add pasta. Set timer for 10 minutes for al dente. Stir 2-3 times in the first few minutes of cooking to break up pasta so it doesn't stick. When, timer is up, test the pasta to ensure it's not too hard. If so, leave it in one minute longer. When it's to your liking, drain pasta in colander and run under cold water. Let drain.
Meanwhile, make the Italian salad dressing: to a large mixing bowl, add the extra virgin olive oil (1/3 cup), red wine vinegar (2 tbsp), Italian seasoning (1 tsp), garlic powder 1/4 tsp, salt (1/4 tsp) black pepper (1/8 tsp) and honey (1 tsp) and stir it well.
Then, prep the vegetables and add them to the mixing bowl. Cut and dice the onion into very small pieces (about 1/8 inch). Cut the red bell pepper and English cucumber into 1/2 inch pieces. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half.
Next, add the sliced drained olives 1/4 cup each: black olives and Spanish olives wit pimento.)
Then, add the chopped, fresh parsley.
Then, add the drained, cooked pasta to the bowl. Add grated parmesan cheese and stir well. Chill until ready to serve. Stir it again before serving as the dressing will fall to the bottom.
Notes
Store leftovers in an airtight container in your refrigerator for a few days.
Nutrition
Calories: 299cal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 352mg | Potassium: 220mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 886IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 1mg
