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.
This pasta salad is one of my most popular recipes so don’t think too long about if you should make it or not. I’m trying to save you some time.
A good pasta salad can’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 at room temperature making it ideal for picnics.
Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links which means, if you make a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission but, the price you pay is the same.
Additionally, pasta salad is a great way to use up some of your garden’s fresh vegetables that add color and crunch to the pasta salad.
Parmesan Bow Tie Pasta Salad Recipe
This tasty pasta salad is an instant hit on a hot summer day because it’s flavorful, cold and fresh. You’ll want to eat a big bowl of it. Trust me.
This Italian bowtie pasta salad can also double as a light lunch dish 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 pasta al 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.
What type of pasta is 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 the recipe card.
- bow-tie pasta (a.k.a. farfalle pasta)
- cherry tomatoes (or grape tomatoes)
- bell peppers (I like red bell pepper because they’re sweeter.)
- English cucumber (or mini cucumbers)
- red onion – adds flavor, color and crunch
- sliced black olives
- sliced Spanish olives with pimento
- fresh parsley (Do not used dried parsley.)
- grated parmesan cheese
Italian Salad Dressing Ingredients
*The full printable recipe with exact measurements is at the bottom of this post in the recipe 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 versatile Italian salad dressing for 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.
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I took this recipe to Weekend Potluck.
Easy Parmesan Bow Tie Italian Pasta Salad Recipe
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 2 quarts of water and add 1 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
Did You Make This Recipe?
If you made this recipe don’t forget to leave a review!
Categories:
Featured, Italian Recipes, Italian Side Dishes, Pasta, Pasta Salad (cold), Side dishes, Summer, Vegetarian,
That sounds delicious. Thanks for the 5-star rating!
So I only had rotini and I cheated by using Olive Garden Italian dressing, the creamy kind, but yum it was good. I also added salami and banana peppers n my fam doesn’t eat black olives so I saved them for my own salad!! It was even better the next day!! Didn’t last longer than that.
I’m so glad you like it. Thanks for the 5 star rating!
Awesome! Definitely a keeper recipe.
That sounds good. Thanks for the 5-star rating.
Easy, very flavorful, nice way to use up my extra cooked pasta and spring salad mix. I also added some shredded mozzarella.
Hi Renee. I’m glad your grandkids like this recipe so much. It’s always feels good to make them happy. Thanks for your comment.
When I first made this, I didn’t think my grandkids would like it but now every holiday they always ask grandma. Are you making a salad? Thank you for your recipe. It is really good.
Hi Virginia. I’m so glad you liked it. Thanks for the 5-star rating!
Amazing Pasta Salad; it’s a keeper!
Glad you liked it Paul.
It was very tasty !