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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!
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!
Table of Contents
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!
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.
- “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
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.
How to Make Bowtie Pasta Salad
- Prepare Pasta – Boil the bowtie pasta until al dente. This prevents them from breaking or becoming mushy.
- Shock Pasta – Drain pasta and rinse with cold water.
- Make Pasta Salad Dressing – Whisk pasta salad dressing ingredients together.
- Toss and Top – Toss drained pasta with dressing, feta, cherry tomatoes and basil.
To see just how simple this pasta salad recipe is, watch the video in this post.
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!
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This recipe was originally shared May 2016 and updated May 2020. As seen on MSN
Love a classic summer side dish? Don't skip this Grilled Corn on the Cob and this Seven Layer Salad.
More Pasta Salad Recipes
Did you make this? Rate the recipe and tag me on social @julieblanner!
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!
Yield
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).
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
Nutrition Information
Calories: 222kcal (11%), Carbohydrates: 30g (10%), Protein: 7g (14%), Fat: 7g (11%), Saturated Fat: 2g (10%), Cholesterol: 10mg (3%), Sodium: 167mg (7%), Potassium: 186mg (5%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 2g (2%), Vitamin A: 255IU (5%), Vitamin C: 11.1mg (13%), Calcium: 73mg (7%), Iron: 0.9mg (5%)
Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.
Raquel says
This recipe was great. I made it as a side for a BBQ and it was a hit. Tastes great and is so easy to make! I will keep it as one of my go-to recipes. Thanks!!
Julie says
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to come back and sharen I’ve since shared a couple others you may like as well. Happy Spring!
Candace says
This pasta salad is so GOOD! Definitely making it again.
Anahi says
I loved it and will make tus again and again ❤️
Julie says
Thank you, Anahi! Do you mind clicking on the star rating to help other readers? I’d really appreciate it. Hope you have a great week!
Doreen McGettigan says
This looks like the perfect take along for a picnic or summertime party.
Antionette Blake says
I love it, I might make this too but will use yellow cherry tomatoes which are a bit sweeter. #ThursdayFavoriteThingsBlogParty