This Creamy Bow Tie Pasta Salad recipe is everything you want in a summer side dish! Tender pasta is tossed with a creamy homemade dressing, then mixed with ham, cheese, peas, onions, and bell peppers. The pops of color – and flavor – are hard to resist! Perfect for potlucks, BBQs and family picnics.
Looking for more potluck ideas? Try: Loaded Broccoli Salad | White Cheddar Mac and Cheese | Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
An Easy Pasta Salad Recipe
Pasta salad is always on the menu for any summer gathering. It’s such a perfect side dish to add to a meal of grilled chicken, burgers, brats, fried chicken, and more. This Bow Tie Pasta Salad Recipe is so good, you’ll be finding every reason to make it all year long! The bow ties look so pretty and hold up well with the dressing and other ingredients. This is one of those recipes everyone will be asking you to send to them.
What You’ll Need
Here’s what you’ll need to make the Bow Tie Pasta Salad Recipe (the exact measurements and full recipe instructions are below in the printable recipe card):
For the pasta:
- Bow tie pasta
- Cheddar cheese – I used a block of cheddar and cut it into small cubes.
- Ham – leftover ham would work very well, or you can use thick sliced deli ham. I used ham steaks from the meat section of the grocery store and they were great for this recipe.
- Onion – you can use a white onion or a sweet onion, whichever you prefer.
- Frozen peas
- Red bell pepper
Dressing:
- Mayonnaise
- Relish – you can choose to use either sweet relish or dill pickle relish, depending on your taste and what you have on hand.
- Granulated sugar
- Yellow mustard
- Vinegar – either white vinegar or apple cider will be perfect.
- Salt
- Pepper
What is bow tie pasta really called?
Bow tie pasta is really called “farfalle” pasta, which means “butterflies” in Italian. In the states, it is called “bow-tie” pasta because it also looks like a bow tie! This pasta is made by cutting fresh pasta into rectangles with ruffle edges, then pinching the centers together.
How to Make Bow Tie Pasta Salad
First, boil the pasta according to the package directions, just until al dente. Be sure you don’t over-cook the pasta or it will fall apart and not hold up well to the other ingredients in the salad.
Rinse the pasta. When the pasta is cooked, drain it in the colander and then rinse well with cold water. This stops the cooking, chills the pasta fast, and prevents it from sticking together.
Make the dressing. While the pasta is cooking, you can whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dressing until you’re ready to add it to the salad.
Mix everything together. In a large mixing bowl, toss together all of the ingredients for the salad with the dressing.
Chill. Cover the bowl and chill the salad in the refrigerator for 1 hour before serving.
Variation Ideas
Here are some variations on this salad that you might enjoy:
- Purple onion – Purple onion would be delicious in this salad.
- Bacon – Instead of ham, use crumbled crisp bacon.
- Different pasta shapes – There are other types of pasta that would work well in this salad if you don’t have bow tie pasta on hand. Farfalle, rotini, and penne would all be good options.
Also, many of the ingredients in the salad can be left out or changed to suit your tastes. Don’t like peas? Just leave them out. Prefer sweet relish over dill pickle relish? That’s fine! Use what you like.
Tips for Success
Pasta salad is super easy to make, but there are a few simple tricks I recommend:
- Mix-ins should be about the same size. When you are cutting up the ham, cheese, peppers or whatever else you are adding to the salad, try to cut them to about the same size. I prefer smaller sized mix-ins because then it’s easier to get a bite of everything together in one go!
- Don’t skip rinsing the pasta. The noodles need to cool a bit before being tossed with the dressing and other mix-ins. If you wait around for it to cool on its own the pasta can stick together, so running it under cold water after it has finished cooking is a good workaround.
- Let it chill. Let the pasta salad rest for at least 30 minutes in the fridge before serving it. This gives the flavors time to really mesh together and allows the noodles to absorb some of the flavors from the dressing.
How to Store Leftovers
Keep the leftover pasta salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Be sure to give it a good stir before serving as the dressing tends to settle at the bottom of the bowl.
More Recipes to Try
- Jamaican Me Crazy Cocktail
- Loaded Mashed Potato Pancakes
- Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls
- Crockpot Chicken Alfredo
Bow Tie Pasta Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons relish (sweet or dill)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Salad
- 1 pound bow tie pasta
- 8 ounces cheddar cheese diced
- 1 cup fully-cooked ham diced
- 1/2 small white or sweet onion peeled and finely diced
- 1/2 cup frozen peas thawed
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper seeded and finely diced
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Cover and refrigerate while you move on to the next steps.
- Boil the pasta according to the package directions, just until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- In a large mixing bowl, toss together all of the ingredients with the dressing. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.
Last Step:
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