Bowtie Pasta Salad

Zesty Italian Bowtie Pasta Salad is quick, easy, and perfect for lunch, BBQs, potlucks, and picnics! A crowd pleasing family favorite everyone will love!

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This recipe was photographed and updated 3/2025.

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Shopping list:

• bowtie pasta
• cucumbers
• campari tomatoes
• zesty Italian dressing
• freshly cracked black pepper
• garlic salt

With school back in session, we’ve been brainstorming creative school lunch ideas!  

One of my daughter’s favorites is this Bowtie Pasta Salad, so we packed it in her lunchbox last week. It’s fresh, delicious, and quick to make. Perfect for busy mornings!  

She’s not much of a meat eater, so most of her lunches are packed with veggies. Her go to meal is a lettuce salad with hard boiled egg whites, tomatoes, and red wine vinaigrette. We even found the cutest little salad dressing squeeze bottles on Amazon. They’re perfect for lunchboxes and make packing salads so much easier!  

We also love making this cucumber and tomato salad for BBQs or picnics! It’s always a hit, and you can easily double or triple the batch for larger groups. Lately, we’ve been using garden fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, which makes it even more flavorful and delicious!

If you love pasta salads as much as we do, then try my Ranch Vermicelli Pasta Salad or Crab Pasta Salad!

Fresh tomatoes are always found in my kitchen! If you're looking for more recipes to use fresh tomatoes, then try Rustic Dill Tomato Soup or Capellini al Fresco!

Keep scrolling for the full printable recipe 💙

Recipe tips and substitution ideas:

• If you choose to refrigerate before serving, you may need to add additional dressing when serving.

• If you don't have garden fresh cucumbers, English cucumbers are a wonderful substitute. If Campari tomatoes aren't available in your grocery store, use grape or cherry tomatoes instead.

• Homemade Italian dressing is a great substitute if you have the extra time to make your own. We use Kraft Zesty Italian.

• Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to two days.

• Try adding chopped pepperoni, black olives, cubed mozzarella cheese, diced bell pepper, diced red onion or salad supreme seasoning. This salad is great with Balsamic Vinaigrette or Lemon Dill Vinaigrette instead of Italian dressing.

Our favorite kitchen equipment and supplies used with this recipe:

• Epicurean Kitchen Series Cutting Board
• OXO Good Grips 7-Piece Nesting Measuring Beaker Set
• Amazon Basics Knife Set

Yield 6 servings

Author Hot Eats and Cool Reads

Prep time

10 Min

Cook time

15 Min

Total time

25 Min

Bowtie Pasta Salad

Ingredients

• 8 ounces bowtie pasta
• 1 cup peeled and diced cucumbers
• 1 cup diced campari tomatoes
• 1/2-3/4 cup zesty Italian dressing
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

Instructions

1. Cook pasta to al dente according to package directions.
2. Rinse with cold water and drain.
3. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
4. Start with 1/2 cup zesty Italian dressing, and add more as needed.
5. Cover and refrigerate or serve immediately.

Hot Eats and Cool Reads is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe you try from this blog/website. You may not always have the same results due to variations in ingredients, humidity, altitude, cooking temperatures, typos, errors, omissions, or individual cooking abilities. 

You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful. I am not a certified nutritionist and make no claims to the contrary. Each individual's dietary needs and restrictions are unique to the individual.

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