Quick Bow Tie Pasta Salad

Nothing screams summer like a cold pasta salad. This quick bow tie pasta salad will be on repeat this summer over here. This is definitely one of those dishes that’s a fan favorite in our house. It’s not too heavy and can be eaten alone as a light meal or paired alongside your grilled favorites. This bow tie pasta salad paired with hot dogs is a fool-proof meal that your family and guests will love. Try out these 30-minute sourdough hot dog buns for another “quick meal” addition.

I’ve had a million bow tie pasta salads before but the ones with a vinaigrette always stands out. The base of the vinaigrette in this salad is olive oil and apple cider vinegar, which is actually quite fantastic if you’re health-conscious and are trying to avoid the generic vinaigrettes with vegetable oils. Also, for all of the garlic lovers, this recipe uses two large cloves of garlic, but we always add more because our family personally loves garlic. So consider adding another clove (or two hehe) if you’re a garlic lover like us!

You can use any bow tie pasta for this salad but I love this one from Costco (and I guess you can also find it at Walmart). I personally think the tricolor bow tie pasta adds to the appearance of the dish by giving it a lovely pop of color. I also love this aged white cheddar cheese from Aldi for this dish!

This quick bow tie pasta salad recipe alone is fantastic but sometimes I like to get creative and mix in fresh dill from the garden and it’s amazing! I would highly recommend trying it with fresh dill if you’re a fan, but also it’s not necessary. My husband also loves chopped up fresh basil mixed in!

Emma

Quick Bow Tie Pasta Salad

The summer salad on repeat! This quick bow tie pasta salad is perfect for a light meal or paired alongside your grilled favorites.

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Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 17.6 oz bag bow tie pasta
• 1.5 cups ham, diced
• 1.5 cups white cheddar cheese, diced
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 1 large white onion, diced

Vinaigrette Dressing

• 1 cup olive oil
• 2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 2 large cloves of garlic
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Method

 

For Salad

1. Cook bow tie pasta according to directions.
2. As the pasta is cooking, dice the ham, cheddar cheese, and onion and add to a big bowl.
3. Add the frozen peas to the bowl and combine.
4. When pasta is done cooking, strain and rinse well with cold water until cool.
5. Add bow tie pasta to the rest of the ingredients and combine well.

For Dressing

1. Add olive oil, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, garlic cloves, sea salt, and pepper to a mason jar. Screw on a lid and shake vigorously.
2. Add the dressing to the bowl of ingredients and combine well with a tongs.
3. If you have time or are making in advance, refrigerate salad for two hours (this lets all the flavors meld together). Otherwise enjoy right away! Add more sea salt and pepper if needed to taste.

Notes

If you want to try another addition to this salad, consider adding chopped fresh dill or basil from the garden, it’s delicious!