Recipe Girl®

Bow Tie Pasta Salad with Summer Vegetables

July 20, 2020

Bow Tie Pasta Salad with Summer Vegetables is the perfect summer salad recipe!

overhead shot of bow tie pasta salad in a glass bowl with a serving spoon and a half lemon and fresh herbs on the side

Bow tie pasta is great for using in pasta salads because the little nooks and crannies in the pasta are able to grasp on to the flavors that have been added to the salad. Since the ratio of pasta to other ingredients is quite fair, every bite will have a bit of cheese or a vegetable attached to it. This bow tie pasta salad is one of the best pasta salad recipes you’ll ever eat.

This recipe comes from an older cookbook called, The Family Flavor cookbook. It’s a cookbook filled with 125 recipes for families looking for new and easy recipes to make for all meals of the day. There is a photograph for every recipe, and it’s focused on using normal, easy-to-find ingredients.

overhead shot of ingredients for bow tie pasta salad in display bowls

Ingredients needed:

  • pasta
  • cucumber, bell pepper, green onion, tomato and fresh parsley
  • black olives
  • red wine vinegar
  • lemon juice
  • honey
  • olive oil
  • feta cheese
  • salt/pepper

overhead shot of bow tie pasta salad ingredients in a glass bowl with dressing, cheese and tomatoes displayed in the background

How to make Bow Tie Pasta Salad:

The base of this pasta salad is perfect- all fresh ingredients. Cooked pasta, tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, green onion and olives. These are all great, mainstay add-ins for a good pasta salad.

About the pasta:

I think bow tie pasta is pretty for a pasta salad. Alternatives that are also good for pasta salad are rotini or penne. Spaghetti also makes a fun pasta salad!

overhead shot of bow tie pasta salad in a glass bowl with bowls of tomatoes, cheese and dressing in the background

Isn’t it pretty? This salad is a great salad to bring to a potluck since it displays so nicely. Forget store-bought pasta salad that is so goopy with too much dressing. This one will be so much better!

pouring vinaigrette from a measuring cup onto bow tie pasta salad in a glass bowl

The vinaigrette:

The vinaigrette is a simple mix of red wine vinegar, freshly squeezed lemon juice, honey, olive oil, freshly chopped parsley and honey. A lot of pasta salads out there instruct you to dump a bottle of Italian dressing onto your pasta salad. That’s fine for a quick fix, but making it homemade will be so much better- fresh, more flavor and no strange ingredients. This is a flavorful vinaigrette. Don’t worry about the amount of oil that is called for- pasta salads need oil. The vinaigrette to pasta ratio in this recipe is just right.

overhead shot of bow tie pasta salad in a glass bowl and feta cheese sprinkled on top. whisk and honey wand displayed in background

Crumbled feta cheese is added in after the pasta salad is tossed with the dressing. This is the best way to do it because it will be much easier for the feta to stick to the pasta when it’s already coated with the vinaigrette.

overhead shot of bow tie pasta salad with a spoonful of the salad being lifted out of the bowl

My family is pretty crazy about this pasta salad. My husband explains that it doesn’t taste “store bought.” It’s more like the kind of pasta salad you might have served with your sandwich at a really nice deli.

Gluten-free option:

This salad can be made with regular pasta or gluten-free pasta. It’s recommended that you undercook the pasta “slightly” because it will soften up when the vinaigrette is added to it.

Serving bow tie pasta salad on two white plates with forks and sliced lemons on the side

The leftovers keep well for several days in a tightly covered container. Enjoy!

Here are a few more pasta salad recipes you might like to try:

overhead shot of bow tie pasta salad in a glass bowl with a serving spoon and a half lemon and fresh herbs on the side
Print

Bow Tie Pasta Salad with Summer Vegetables

A fresh pasta salad recipe loaded with summer vegetables and tossed with a flavorful red wine vinaigrette.
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Keyword Pasta, red wine, rotini, salad, summer, vegetable, vinaigrette
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Calories 532kcal

Ingredients

SALAD:

  • 16 ounces bow tie (farfalle) pasta (cooked according to package directions)
  • 1 large hothouse cucumber (seeds removed), chopped
  • 1 medium red bell pepper (seeds removed), chopped
  • 1 bunch green onions, diced
  • 8 ounces grape tomatoes, halved
  • One 15-ounce can sliced olives, drained
  • One 4-ounce package crumbled feta cheese

RED WINE VINAIGRETTE:

  • 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Instructions

ASSEMBLE THE SALAD:

  • Drain the cooked pasta, and rinse under cold water to cool. Drain very well and then pour the pasta into a large bowl. Stir in the cucumber, red bell pepper, green onion, grape tomatoes and black olives. Set aside.

PREPARE THE VINAIGRETTE:

  • In a medium bowl, combine the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt and pepper. Whisk well. While whisking, slowly whisk in the olive oil. Whisk in the parsley.

FINISH UP:

  • Pour the vinaigrette over the pasta and vegetables. Stir well. Fold in the feta cheese. Serve immediately or refrigerate and serve chilled.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 532kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 1431mg | Potassium: 334mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1184IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 122mg | Iron: 2mg

The post Bow Tie Pasta Salad with Summer Vegetables appeared first on Recipe Girl®.

  • Share:

You Might Also Like

0 comments