Bowtie Pasta Salad Recipe

Today’s bowtie pasta salad recipe makes a great addition to your house party.

This dish puts an elegant spin on the familiar pasta salad with bowtie pasta, broccoli, bell peppers, and olives dressed with classic honey mustard dressing.

What Is Bowtie Pasta Called?

Traditionally, bowtie pasta is called farfalle, which translates to “butterflies”. 

Whether it’s bowtie pasta or farfalle, this pasta gets its name from its signature shape. If you want to make this pasta yourself, simply cut fresh pasta into small rectangular shapes and pinch two edges together.

Is This Salad Healthy?

Packed with nutritious vegetables and flavored with a light dressing, this salad is a great healthy option.

By meeting the requirements of our healthy guidelines, we make sure that each serving of this dish contains only 234 calories. 

Better yet, this salad also supports weight loss, as it contains only 2.1 grams of saturated fat and 3.2 mg of cholesterol.

Save

Thanks to the variety of vegetables used in the recipe, this dish also provides ample amounts of vitamins and protein.

Broccoli, which is the substitute for leafy greens in this recipe, provides several health benefits. These include reducing inflammation, aiding heart and brain health, and improving digestion.

Main Ingredients

This salad somewhat resembles a Mediterranean pizza. You may call it a deconstructed version. Pizza dough is replaced by bowtie pasta, and broccoli replaces basil.

• Pasta

Bowtie pasta’s shape is suitable for salads because it is bite-sized and fun. Aside from aesthetic reasons, we use farfalle for this salad because it can hold the dressing well. 

• Broccoli

Preparing broccoli is simple. Wash carefully, trim the hard base, and cut into bite-sized pieces.

Each part of the broccoli has a different texture, unlike leafy greens which are more uniformly textured. The floret is soft, while the stem is crunchy. Putting the broccoli in the oven enhances its signature flavor.

• Chocolate cherry tomato

The name says it all: Chocolate cherry tomatoes are darker in color, and the flavor is sweeter. These tomatoes add softness and juiciness to the salad.

Save

• Peppers, red onions, and olives

There are two types of peppers in the recipe. They add bright colors to the dish. Roasting the peppers enhances their sweet and earthy flavors.

Red onions and olives play a supporting role with their intense signature flavors, adding diversity to the salad.

• Feta cheese

This cheese is tangy and salty, with a crumbly texture. As it’s one of the common ingredients in Mediterranean cuisines, it has to have a place in this salad. It also works well with the honey mustard dressing, creating a nice balance between tanginess and sweetness.

• Dressing

Honey mustard has all the flavors—sweet, salty, tangy, and bitter⑉—which helps it go well with just about any salad. You really can’t go wrong with the classics. 

Tips for Making

There are a couple of things to note when making this dish, especially while cooking pasta.

• Cooking the pasta may make or break this salad. The pasta must be just right, so it isn’t too hard or too mushy. We recommend boiling it just over al dente.
• Letting pasta cool may make the body treat it like fiber instead of carbs, helping your body digest it easily. Also, cooling the pasta will make it absorb the dressing better, preventing the salad from drying.

How to Serve

Now that you’ve finished making the dish, it’s time to use your imagination and prepare an interesting dish to complement this salad.

This bowtie pasta salad is a great dish to accompany grilled meat, burgers, pizza, or pasta. You can also pair it with bread or crackers to add some crunch.

Save

How to Store the Leftovers

You can transfer this bowtie pasta salad in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for 4-5 days. Let the pasta cool down before transferring it to the container.

Unfortunately, pasta salad doesn’t freeze well. Pasta sticks together in the freezer unless you toss it with olive oil. Vegetables may turn mushy and watery when thawed.

How to Make Bowtie Pasta Salad

5 from 1 vote

Today's bowtie pasta salad recipe will make a great addition to your house party menu, thanks to its elegant appearance and health benefits.

- by Tuyet Pham, Luna Regina, 2022-08-03

Pin Print

• cook TIME 13 mins
• prep TIME 12 mins
• total TIME 25 mins

• COURSE Side Dish
• CUISINE Global, Italian
• SERVINGS
  4

  servings
• CALORIES 234 kcal

INGREDIENTS

1x2x3x

• 8 oz farfalle pasta (cooked)
• 4 oz chocolate cherry tomato (halved)
• 3 oz broccoli
• 2 oz red onions (sliced)
• 2 oz red bell peppers (sliced)
• 2 oz yellow bell peppers (sliced)
• 1 oz black olives (sliced)
• 0.5 oz Feta cheese (grated)
• 1 tsp traditional Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp honey
• 3 tbsp olive oil (divided to 1 tbsp and 2 tbsp)
• 2 tbsp parsley (chopped, divided)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Image instructions

1

Combine 2 oz red bell peppers, 2 oz yellow bell peppers, 3 oz broccoli, and 2 oz red onions with 1 tbsp olive oil.

2

Spread the mixed vegetables evenly on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake at 475°F in the oven for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let them rest.

3

Make the dressing. Combine 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp parsley, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1 tsp honey, and 1 tsp Dijon mustard.

4

Prepare a mixing bowl, and add the baked vegetables, 8 oz farfalle pasta, 4 oz cherry tomatoes, 1 oz olives, and the dressing. Mix well.

5

Serve and garnish with 1 tbsp parsley and 0.5 oz Feta cheese. Enjoy.

NUTRITION

Nutrition Facts

How to Make Bowtie Pasta Salad

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 234Calories from Fat 117

% Daily Value*

Fat 13g

20%

Saturated Fat 2g

13%

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 8g

Cholesterol 1mg

0%

Sodium 284mg

12%

Potassium 251mg

7%

Carbohydrate 25g

8%

Fiber 3g

13%

Sugar 4g

4%

Protein 5g

10%

Vitamin A 936IU

19%

Vitamin C 73mg

88%

Calcium 50mg

5%

Iron 1mg

6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keywords: bowtie pasta salad, bowtie pasta salad recipe, how to make bowtie pasta salad