A light, refreshing pasta salad recipe, perfect for summer picnics and outings. This bow tie pasta salad is tossed with an amazing, light and zesty dressing.

It’s always a hit at barbeques, picnics and summertime potlucks!

bow tie pasta salad in a bowl with cherry tomatoes basil and feta
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Today I’m excited to share one of summer’s quintessential sides. This is a bow tie pasta salad, but lighter. I never took to the heavy mayonnaise-drenched pasta salads, so I make mine with a vinaigrette, which is perfect for summer outings like picnics and parties.

You’ll love this light and refreshing pasta salad dressing. It’s always a crowd pleaser!

bow tie pasta salad with lemon vinaigrette basil and cherry tomatoes

Serve Bow Tie Pasta Salad as a Side or Main Dish

It’s no secret that I love an deliciously simple pasta salad. They keep well, which means we can enjoy it all week.

Be sure to check out my Italian pasta salad, spaghetti salad, and vegetarian pasta salad

You can also add a little fiesta to your fiesta with this Mexican Pasta Salad. You’ll want to pin it for Cinco De Mayo! See, I told you there was something for everyone around here!

In fact, I’ve got an entire post dedicated to rounding up all the reader-fave easy pasta salad recipes around here. Don’t miss it– you’ll want to pin and save it for later!

easy pasta salad recipe in a bowl with tomato and basil

This pasta salad recipe also feeds a crowd! It serves 10-12 side portions. It’s great for summer entertaining.

Pretty little bow tie pasta noodles all dressed in a lemon vinaigrette pasta salad dressing, and tossed with feta, basil and cherry tomatoes…does it get any better? It’s the ultimate summer side dish but can also be enjoyed as an entree.

In fact, that’s the best way to have leftovers – for lunch!

Even kids will enjoy this irresistible recipe. Adalyn can’t resist the cherry tomatoes and who can say no to adorable bow tie pasta? It’s light, fresh and flavorful!

Pasta Salad Dressing is so easy to make! This pasta salad dressing uses just four ingredients: lemon juice, olive oil, mustard and minced garlic. That keeps this dressing light, unlike so many pasta salad recipes.

It gets even better as it soaks into the noodles when refrigerated. It makes the bowtie pasta so tender and flavorful.

You can make enough to serve 10 in less than 15 minutes (including prep/cut and boil time)!

What Readers on Pinterest Said About this Pasta Salad Recipe

This has been one of my most popular recipes on Pinterest and it’s no wonder why! See what readers are saying about this amazing pasta salad recipe.

bow tie pasta salad with vinaigrette tomatoes and basil
  • “Love it! Delicious! Just like the title, light and easy. Will compliment any meal.” – Roberta
  • “Used Dijon mustard and orecchiette pasta bc that’s what I had. This is amazing and could be adapted in so many delicious ways. Warning if you have no self control: you could very well eat this all in one sitting, without sharing, like I almost did! ?” – Jamie
  • “Delicious recipe! I made it for a bbq party and everyone loved it!” – Jocelyn
  • “I used dijon mustard, rotini pasta, and just regular tomatoes instead of cherry. I halved the recipe because I didn’t need it to serve 10. It was still really good, fast, and easy!” – Emma
  • “Excellent! Light and fresh.” – Lisa
  • “Loved it! Very easy to make, and it was good.” -TJ
  • “One of my favorite things to make! I cheat and use pre-minced garlic and pre-chopped slightly dried basil, and then sometimes I get fancy and use tomato basil feta instead of regular feta. It’s always good!” – Jess

easy bowtie pasta salad in a mixing bowl

Bow Tie Pasta Salad Ingredients

  • Bow Tie Pasta Noodles – You can use the noodle of your choice, but I like using bow tie for the prettiest pasta salad. It holds the cheese and mustard grain and looks beautiful!
  • Feta – A slightly salty Greek cheese from Sheep’s or Goat’s milk is often tolerated by those who are dairy free.
  • Basil – Fresh basil adds so much flavor and color to this pasta salad. Slice thin. You can use a sprig to garnish on top as well.
  • Cherry Tomatoes – Use red or a blend of yellow, orange and red to add even more color.
  • Lemon Vinaigrette – A blend of lemon juice, olive oil, whole grain mustard, and minced garlic coats the noodles to perfection.
  • Salt and Pepper – Season to taste. I like to use thick flakes of black peppercorns from a grinder for the best flavor.
close up of bow tie noodles covered in dressing tomatoes, cheese and basil

How to Make Bowtie Pasta Salad

  1. Prepare PastaBoil the bowtie pasta until al dente. This prevents them from breaking or becoming mushy.
  2. Shock Pasta – Drain pasta and rinse with cold water. A white colander with water coming in, rinsing cooked pasta for a lesson in how to make pasta salad.
  3. Make Pasta Salad DressingWhisk pasta salad dressing ingredients together. woman in stripe dress combing ingredients in jar
  4. Toss and TopToss drained pasta with dressing, feta, cherry tomatoes and basil. pouring pasta salad dressing onto pasta salad

To see just how simple this pasta salad recipe is, watch the video in this post.

bow tie pasta salad with mustard grain

Tips

  • Don't Overcook - Prepare noodles al dente. This will prevent your pasta salad from becoming mushy and toss easier. Overcooking your noodles will result in a mushier pasta salad. Nobody wants that!
  • Shock Pasta - After straining noodles, rinse them with cold water to shock them.
  • Cool Pasta - Allow your pasta to cool before adding the pasta salad dressing and ingredients.
  • Marinate - The best pasta salads are made in advance to allow the dressing to soak into your bow tie pasta and toppings. This makes it so flavorful!

To Store

Refrigerate - Store in an airtight container or covered for up to 4 days refrigerated.

You can find more easy pasta recipes here!

This recipe was originally shared May 2016 and updated May 2020. As seen on MSN

pasta salad dressing tossed with bow tie pasta

Love a classic summer side dish? Don't skip this Grilled Corn on the Cob and this Seven Layer Salad.

bow tie pasta salad in white serving bowl
4.90 from 150 votes

Light and Easy Bow Tie Pasta Salad Recipe

A light, refreshing and easy pasta salad, perfect for summer picnics and outings. This lemon basil pasta salad recipe is always a crowd pleaser!
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
Servings: 12
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Ingredients  

  • 16 ounces pasta
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
  • 1 tablespoon garlic minced
  • 5 ounces feta crumbled
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
  • 6 leaves basil sliced thin
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions 

  • In a large pot of boiling water, prepare pasta until al dente.
  • In a small mixing bowl or jar whisk or shake lemon juice, olive oil, mustard and minced garlic until well combined.
  • Drain bow tie pasta and rinse with cold water to shock the noodles.
  • In a large serving bowl, toss drained pasta with dressing, feta, cherry tomatoes and basil.
  • Salt and pepper to taste.
  • Refrigerate until serving (recommend 2+ hours to allow the pasta salad dressing to marinate the bowtie pasta).

Julie's Tips

Substitutions

  • Bow Tie Pasta Noodles - You can use the noodle of your choice, but I like using bow tie for the prettiest pasta salad. It holds the cheese and mustard grain and looks beautiful!
  • Feta - Can be substituted with any soft cheese including fresh mozzarella or goat cheese.
  • Cherry Tomatoes - Use red or a blend of yellow, orange and red to add even more color.
  • Lemon Juice - Can be substituted with white wine or white wine vinegar. 
  • Olive Oil - Can be substituted witch canola oil in a pinch.

Tips

  • Don't Overcook - Prepare noodles al dente. This will prevent your pasta salad from becoming mushy and toss easier. Overcooking your noodles will result in a mushier pasta salad. Nobody wants that!
  • Shock Pasta - After straining noodles, rinse them with cold water to shock them.
  • Cool Pasta - Allow your pasta to cool before adding the pasta salad dressing and ingredients.
  • Marinate - The best pasta salads are made in advance to allow the dressing to soak into your bow tie pasta and toppings. This makes it so flavorful!

To Store

Refrigerate - Store in an airtight container or covered for up to 4 days refrigerated.

Video

Calories: 222kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 167mg | Potassium: 186mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 255IU | Vitamin C: 11.1mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 0.9mg

Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.

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89 Comments

  1. This salad looks great… and the bowtie pasta makes it look even more special. 🙂 Very pretty.

  2. Making it for a pool party tomorrow. Do I need to let the pasta cool before mixing? Have you made it a day early?

    1. You can make it the day before, but because it’s so quick and everything is best fresh, I encourage you to make it the day of. When you strain the noodles, run cold water over them and you can toss immediately. Enjoy!

  3. Ok, Julie Blanner – I made this for tonight’s dinner and it was WONDERFUL!!! This is my go-to pasta salad recipe from now on!

    1. I’M JUMPING FOR JOY! Thanks for making my night, Emily. I can’t resist this one either. Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

    2. Thanks, Emily! Do you mind clicking on the star rating to help other readers? I’d really appreciate it. Hope you have a great week!