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Italian Bowtie Pasta Salad is a super-easy Mediterranean-inspired recipe that’s perfect for parties, cookouts, potlucks and random weeknight dinners! It’s abundant with flavor from sweet and savory tomatoes, briny black olives, fragrant basil and peppery arugula. All of your guests will definitely ask you for this recipe. Mine did!
I made this recipe on a whim recently when I had a group of friends over for BLTs. It’s a lighter riff on my pasta alla checca recipe that is heartier with ricotta and pecorino cheeses. I hadn’t documented this version of the recipe yet but realized that I needed to do so asap as everyone around the table asked for it.
In a way, this Italian Bowtie Pasta Salad is the most perfect summer recipe. No-fuss and practically foolproof, it’s made with the season’s finest bounties–sweet tomatoes and basil–along with cooler weather favorite arugula plus sautéed garlic, briny olives and lots of quality extra virgin olive oil.
It’s seriously bursting with flavor in a way that’s different and more impressive than most other pasta salad recipes.
As in my Tuscan-inspired caprese panzanella salad and my tomato bruschetta recipes, it’s all in the way that the ingredients are combined.
Ripe tomatoes are basically macerated with a little salt–meaning, the salt draws out their juices over time and forms the most uniquely-flavored natural sauce that you’ve ever tasted. And, the fact that the tomatoes remain raw and are not cooked in this recipe maintains their natural sweetness in, well, the sweetest way possible.
Add to this extra-virgin olive oil with a little sharpness thrown in from briny olives and peppery arugula and you have a new classic that’s full of unbelievable flavor, color and texture.
This Italian pasta salad is my new go-to year-round for get-togethers large and small. It requires very little cooking and prep, comes together quickly and can be enjoyed chilled, warm or at room temperature. Hope you give it a try soon. Mangia bene!
Main Ingredient Notes
To make this simple tomato olive pasta salad, use the best quality ingredients that you can, as they will truly make a difference. The ingredients are few, but significant.
- Fresh Tomatoes: I love making this bow tie pasta salad recipe with my homegrown red cherry tomatoes (that I can also find year round a the supermarket), but all colors of cherry, grape and pear tomatoes will work here. You can also use larger “sauce” tomatoes, like San Marzano, plum and roma tomatoes. (“Sauce” or “paste” tomatoes tend to be more oval, oblong or pear-shaped and are more meaty than “slicing” tomatoes for sandwiches and salads.) Ripe, sweet tomatoes are essential for this dish. Do not attempt to make this dish with canned or jarred tomatoes.
- Salt: Salt is not just seasoning in this dish, but also the tool to draw out the juices of the tomatoes, creating a super-flavorful sauce in the process. This process is called maceration. Any type of salt will do. I prefer either a light, flaky salt or fine sea salt.
- Fresh Basil: Lots of it. Be sure that it is fragrant and fresh and not limp or wilty. Buy or pick it on the day you’re making this dish if possible. Dried basil will not have the same effect in this recipe and is not recommended.
- Garlic: As raw garlic is very strong and pungent, I prefer to sauté it for this recipe and then fold it into the pasta and tomatoes. You can also use nutty roasted garlic or garlic confit cloves if you prefer or have them on hand. Just smash them with a fork before adding them to the dish.
- Black, Oil-Cured Olives: Adds a really great briny, salty tang to the dish’s overall flavor which is a pleasant contrast to the sweetness of the tomatoes. If you’re not an olive fan, just leave them out.
- Arugula: I love the peppery flavor and color that arugula greens add to this recipe. If you’re not a fan of arugula, milder baby spinach is a great substitute.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Use the really great olive oil in this recipe–you will taste the nuances of it in the final dish. Choose a first, cold-pressed, extra-virgin olive oil that has not been on your shelf for years. Fresher (younger) is better when it comes to olive oil.
- Pasta: I used chunky farfalle pasta here (a.k.a., bow tie pasta) because I love how the small bits of tomato and olives interact with the curves in the pasta. But quite honestly, any short shape will work in this recipe. Fusilli is another favorite for this dish.
How to Make Italian Bowtie Pasta Salad
Anybody can make Italian Bow tie Pasta Salad and be successful! It really could not be any simpler–it just takes great ingredients and a little bit of resting time. Here are the main steps:
- Gather and prep all ingredients. Chop the garlic. Pit and chop the olives. Slice the tomatoes in ½ or ¼ lengthwise, depending on their size, and place in a large bowl.
- Add the olives, olive oil, salt and black pepper to the tomatoes and stir well. Leave this bowl covered in a cool place until needed, for a minimum of one hour and up to 6 hours. Stir mixture every 30 minutes or so.
- Meanwhile, sauté/cook the garlic in olive oil until it is lightly browned, then let it cool.
- When the tomatoes are ready, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once the water comes to a boil, add salt, then the pasta, stirring frequently. Cook the pasta until al dente and reserve some of the starchy pasta water.
Pro-Tip
For most of my pasta dishes, I recommend cooking the pasta until about 2 minutes before it is al dente so that it can finish cooking in the sauce.
This is not the case with this recipe. The pasta should be drained/pulled out of the boiling water at the moment when it is exactly ready (al dente), and then mixed with the other ingredients.
- Once the pasta is cooked, drain and transfer it to the tomato mixture along with the cooled sautéed garlic, arugula and basil leaves. Mix well and serve immediately or at room temperature. That’s it!
Pro-Tip
If more moisture is needed, add a little pasta water, a couple of tablespoons at a time.
If the mixture seems a bit juicy, let it sit for a couple minutes to allow the pasta to absorb the additional tomato liquid.
More Summer Pasta Favorites
- Spaghetti and Crabs
- Pasta Sorrentina with Tomatoes, Basil and Fresh Mozzarella
- Ricotta Pasta with Eggplant and Tomatoes
- Vodka Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes
- Pasta with Pesto, Green Beans and Potatoes
- Linguine with Red Clam Sauce
- Pesto Ricotta Pasta (No-Cook Sauce)
- Creamy Zucchini Pasta
- Sicilian Pasta alla Norma
If you love mini-tomatoes, also check out these easy recipes: Cucumber Tomato Salad, Cherry Tomato and Garlic Confit, Pasta with Quick Grape Tomato Sauce, Sun Gold Tomato Pasta and Cherry Tomato Marinara.
Frequently Asked Questions
I love making this tomato pasta salad with my homegrown red cherry tomatoes but all colors of cherry, grape and pear tomatoes will work here. Also, these small tomatoes tend to be reliably sweet and available all year round in the supermarket, making this a great recipe to enjoy during any season!
You can also use larger “sauce” tomatoes, like San Marzano, plum and roma tomatoes. (“Sauce” or “paste” tomatoes tend to be more oval, oblong or pear-shaped and are more meaty than “slicing” tomatoes for sandwiches and salads.) Ripe, sweet tomatoes are essential for this dish. Do not attempt to make this dish with canned or jarred tomatoes.
Basically, don’t overcook the pasta! Like all hot pasta recipes, pasta for a chilled pasta salad should be cooked until al dente, which means that it should still be firm to the bite. Al dente is an Italian phrase that means ‘to the tooth’ and it refers to the degree of cooking of the pasta.
Al dente pasta is less likely to become mushy or soggy when mixed together with other ingredients. Generally, the proposed cooking time on a pasta’s packaging will give the cooking time to achieve al dente texture, but you should still become comfortable with testing the pasta yourself by biting it. If it sticks to your teeth but is not tough, it’s ready. If you bite right through the pasta with ease, you have over cooked the pasta.
Also, unlike hot pasta dishes, you may want to rinse the cooked pasta with cold water after cooking. This will remove excess starch and cool the pasta which can help the salad from becoming soggy.
Cooked pasta tends to continue to absorb whatever sauce it’s in as it sits. (Assuming a delicious sauce, this is a good thing!) In the case of chilled pasta salads, many of which are oil- or mayonnaise-based, they may appear dry and require additional dressing as they sit or after they’re chilled.
Many people say that tossing the cooked pasta with a bit of oil before mixing it with the dressing or other ingredients will help to slow down this absorption process. But, in my humble opinion, a pasta salad with pasta that’s absorbed some dressing (i.e., flavor) is much more appetizing than one that hasn’t. So, I generally don’t do this and will just add some additional olive oil or dressing as needed.
More Summer Salad Recipes: Pesto Tortellini Salad, Caprese Orzo Salad, Italian Potato Salad (without mayo) and Antipasto Tortellini Salad.
Substitutions and Variations
- Baby spinach is a great substitute for baby arugula.
- Add some pulled fresh mozzarella cheese or mini fresh mozzarella balls (a.k.a., ciliegine) for a heartier, cheesy touch.
- Turn this into more of an entrée by adding shredded rotisserie chicken or cubes of salami.
- If you prefer more of an acidic bite, add a splash of either lemon juice or red wine vinegar to the dish.
- For more piccante, add a dose of spicy crushed red pepper.
TOP TIPS for Italian Bowtie Pasta Salad
- Cooking The Pasta: For most of my pasta dishes, I recommend cooking the pasta until about 2 minutes before it is al dente so that it can finish cooking in the sauce. This is not the case with this tomato olive pasta salad as the sauce is raw. So, when the pasta and sauce are mixed together, the relatively large amount of cold ingredients lowers the temperature of the pasta and immediately stops its cooking. Consequently, the pasta should be drained/pulled out of the boiling water at the moment when it is exactly ready (al dente), and then mixed with the other ingredients.
- Serving: Serve the salad immediately or at room temperature. You can also serve it chilled, but this dish happens to be be at its peak never having been refrigerated.
- Pair Italian Bowtie Pasta Salad with your cookout favorites or other classics such as bbq chicken or ribs, chicken cutlets, Italian sausage, stuffed peppers and burgers. Since this salad has an oil-based dressing, you can even enjoy this recipe as a hot pasta entrée (and I have many times)!
- Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Enjoy chilled or at room temperature. You can also heat leftovers and enjoy this dish hot. Freezing is not recommended.
Italian Bowtie Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Arugula
Ingredients
- 2 pounds cherry or grape tomatoes, (See Notes.)
- ½ cup pitted and rough chopped black, oil-cured olives
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 tsp salt
- Large pinch freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup chopped garlic
- 1 pound bowtie pasta, + salt for pasta water (see Notes.)
- 1 big handful arugula, (about 3 ounces)
- 1 cup firmly-packed basil leaves, hand-torn or lightly chopped, plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Gather and prep all ingredients according to specifications above. Then, prepare the tomatoes. Slice the grape, cherry or pear tomatoes in ½ or ¼ lengthwise, depending on their size, and place in a large bowl.2 pounds cherry or grape tomatoes
- Add the olives, half of the olive oil, salt and black pepper to the tomatoes and stir well. Leave this bowl covered in a cool place until needed, for a minimum of one hour and up to 6 hours. The salt will draw out the juices from the tomatoes and form a sauce. Give this tomato mixture a stir every 30 minutes or so.½ cup pitted and rough chopped black, oil-cured olives, 1 tsp salt, Large pinch freshly ground black pepper
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining ¼ cup olive oil over medium-low heat in a small pan and add the chopped garlic. Sauté/cook the garlic until it is lightly browned, then transfer the garlic and oil to a small bowl and let it cool.¼ cup chopped garlic
- When the tomatoes are ready, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once the water comes to a boil, add salt, then the pasta, stirring frequently.
- Cook the pasta until al dente and reserve some of the starchy pasta water. (You may or may not need the pasta water.)NOTE: For most of my pasta dishes, I recommend cooking the pasta until about 2 minutes before it is al dente so that it can finish cooking in the sauce. This is not the case with this recipe as the sauce is raw. So, when the pasta and sauce are mixed together, the relatively large amount of cold ingredients lowers the temperature of the pasta and immediately stops its cooking. Consequently, the pasta should be drained/pulled out of the boiling water at the moment when it is exactly ready (al dente), and then mixed with the other ingredients.
- Once the pasta is cooked, drain and transfer it to the tomato mixture along with the cooled sautéed garlic, arugula and basil leaves. Mix well.1 big handful arugula, 1 cup firmly-packed basil leaves
- If more moisture is needed, add a little pasta water, a couple of tablespoons at a time.If the mixture seems a bit juicy, let it sit for a couple minutes to allow the pasta to absorb the additional tomato liquid.
- Garnish with additional basil leaves and serve immediately or at room temperature. Buon Appetito!
Notes
- This recipe can serve up to 12 people as a side dish.
- Fresh Tomatoes: I love making this bow tie pasta salad recipe with my homegrown red cherry tomatoes (that I can also find year round a the supermarket), but all colors of cherry, grape and pear tomatoes will work here. You can also use larger “sauce” tomatoes, like San Marzano, plum and roma tomatoes. (“Sauce” or “paste” tomatoes tend to be more oval, oblong or pear-shaped and are more meaty than “slicing” tomatoes for sandwiches and salads.) Ripe, sweet tomatoes are essential for this dish. Do not attempt to make this dish with canned or jarred tomatoes.
- If using plum or roma tomatoes, remove the core, then chop the whole tomato (including the pulp and seeds) into a small dice and scrape the tomato pieces and their juices into a large bowl.
- Fresh Basil: Lots of it. Be sure that it is fragrant and fresh and not limp or wilty. Buy or pick it on the day you’re making this dish if possible. Dried basil will not have the same effect in this recipe and is not recommended.
- Garlic: As raw garlic is very strong and pungent, I prefer to sauté it for this recipe and then fold it into the pasta and tomatoes. You can also use nutty roasted garlic or garlic confit cloves if you prefer or have them on hand. Just smash them with a fork before adding them to the dish.
- Pasta: I used chunky farfalle pasta here (a.k.a., bow tie pasta) because I love how the small bits of tomato and olives interact with the curves in the pasta. But quite honestly, any short shape will work in this recipe. Fusilli is another favorite for this dish.
- Cooking The Pasta: It’s important to cook the pasta properly (to al dente doneness) so as to prevent a soggy salad. Al dente pasta is less likely to become mushy or broken when mixed together with other ingredients.
- Also, for most of my pasta dishes, I recommend cooking the pasta until about 2 minutes before it is al dente so that it can finish cooking in the sauce. This is not the case with this recipe as the sauce is raw. So, when the pasta and sauce are mixed together, the relatively large amount of cold ingredients lowers the temperature of the pasta and immediately stops its cooking. Consequently, the pasta should be drained/pulled out of the boiling water at the moment when it is exactly ready (al dente), and then mixed with the other ingredients.
- Serving: Serve this tomato basil pasta salad immediately or at room temperature. You can also serve it chilled, but this dish happens to be be at its peak never having been refrigerated.
- Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Enjoy chilled or at room temperature. You can also heat leftovers and enjoy this dish hot. Freezing is not recommended.
- Substitutions and Variations:
- Baby spinach is a great substitute for baby arugula.
- Add some pulled fresh mozzarella or mini fresh mozzarella balls (a.k.a., ciliegine) for a heartier, cheesy touch.
- Turn this into more of an entrée by adding shredded rotisserie chicken or cubes of salami.
- If you prefer more of an acidic bite, add a splash of either lemon juice or red wine vinegar to the dish.
- For more piccante, add a dose of spicy crushed red pepper.
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This was delicious and our guests loved it. I had it made about 4 hrs before dinner. Next time will add more olives and more arugula. Also, I would have preferred serving it within an hour of combining everything.
So happy that you enjoyed this pasta salad recipe, Michele! Thank you so much for your comment and feedback. 🙂