Bowtie Pasta Salad with Pesto
This… This is heaven on a plate. No, this isn’t just an ordinary pasta dish that takes 15 minutes from start to finish and tastes like fresh golden sunshine. This Bowtie Pasta Salad with Pesto, Feta, and Tomatoes will change your life and feed you for days (if you have leftovers, that is).
Click here for the directions for ‘Bowtie Pasta Salad with Pesto’
My good friend Allison gave me this killer recipe after she made it for a potluck we both attended. If you know me well, you’d know that I can eat about 1 pound of pasta over the course of a day. And with this dish, there’s just something special about al dente pasta, colorful pesto, juicy cherry tomatoes, and sharp feta cheese that makes me go crazy. Yes, I’m a little crazy — Β crazy obsessed with pasta. Make this dish now. It stores incredibly well in the fridge, has only a few ingredients, and is perfect for lunch or dinner. Feel free to add other ingredients, such as artichokes, olives, crumbled bacon, etc. Nom.
Here’s what you need:
Bowtie pasta (aka farfalle; you can also use another pasta, but bowties are just too cute), prepared pesto (no need to make it from scratch), crumbled feta cheese, and cherry or grape tomatoes.
Cook the pasta just until it’s al dente and tender. Pasta usually takes about 8-10 minutes to cook through.
Drain the pasta and rinse it under cold water to cool it down. Drain well!
Transfer the drained pasta to a large bowl. Add the pesto and toss to coat.
We want the pasta to absorb all the flavors from the pesto sauce immediately.
Now cut some cherry or grape tomatoes in half.
We want 2 cups of halved tomatoes!
Add those plump baby tomatoes into the bowl…
Along with the crumbled feta…
And seasoning. Don’t forget about the seasoning! The feta is already salty, but we still need to add more seasoning since we rinsed the pasta earlier.
And some freshly ground black pepper won’t hurt.
Toss gently until all the ingredients are combined. If the salad seems too dry and needs some moistening, add some olive oil!
This pasta salad is perfect cold or at room temperature. It’s just everything you’ve ever wanted in a pasta salad. Enjoy!
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Bowtie Pasta Salad with Pesto
Total time: 15 minutes
Prep: 5 min
Cook: 10 min
Yield: 6 servings
Level: Easy
Ingredients:
1 lb bowtie pasta
1 cup pesto sauce
2 cups halved cherry or grape tomatoes
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
Optional: 2 (or more) tablespoons olive oil, if pasta is too dry
Directions:
Add the pasta to a large pot of boiling water. Follow the cooking directions on the package and cook the pasta until tender and al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta and rinse well under cold water to cool down pasta and stop the cooking. Allow pasta to drain thoroughly. Transfer drained pasta to a large mixing bowl.
Add pesto sauce to bowl and mix thoroughly with pasta until coated. Add halved tomatoes, feta, salt, and pepper, and toss until evenly mixed. If pasta salad is too dry, add a few tablespoons of olive oil to moisten pasta. Serve immediately or serve chilled.
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