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Lemon Basil Farfalle Salad An Italian Pasta Dish Celebrating Summer

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Lemon Basil Farfalle Salad includes everything you desire in an Italian pasta salad. This irresistible pasta dish has striped lemon-yellow and basil-green bow tie pasta. A light vinaigrette dresses the colorful pasta, summer vegetables, and fresh mozzarella cheese. 

Lemon Basil Farfalle Salad an Italian Pasta Salad celebrating summer tastes.

Lemon Basil Farfalle Salad – Pasta Selection

The minute I spotted the striped farfalle pasta at Aldi’s, I knew that those bow ties were going to a party. There is everyday pasta, and then there is pasta for a special occasion.

Our family fish fry definitely rated as a special occasion. Our son Reid and his wife Lauren hosted our family gathering and decided we should extend the party to not only celebrate our daughter Shelley’s birthday. . .

Lemon Basil Farfalle Salad for a Family birthday gathering.

. . . but also our son Jason’s birthday, who would be on military duty in Asia. They stuck my birthday in there too, but we won’t mention it! 😉

Jason's mountain climb at Shuksan .

Now, I have to confess; the annual family fish fry didn’t have any fish, it ended up a family pulled pork and fried chicken tenders picnic with some terrific buns.  Why? No fish to fry. 😢Last winter fishing in Florida was terrible. Then to make matters worse, in May, Honey had the same luck at Saint Simons Island.

We heard no complaints about the substitution! 😉

So, when we found the bow ties in lemon, yellow, and red stripes, we knew that the pulled pork and chicken would have colorful company to jazz up the plate.

Lemon Basil Farfalle Salad an Italian pasta salad celebrating summer.

Lemon Basil Farfalle Salad – Vegetable Selection

Veggie selection for the lemon basil farfalle salad was easy. It had to have an Italian flavor, and it had to be colorful.

Grape tomatoes are a must in our pasta salads. We prefer them to any other tomato. They’re sweet, colorful, and they don’t release a lot of juice.

Lemon Basil Farfalle Salad an Italian pasta Salad celebrating summer.

Purple onions are mild, and they give the salad color and taste.

Peperoncini, which we all love, give the dish a nice briny heat.

Salty Kalamata olives are a must for our pasta salad.

It’s an unwritten law that cheese has to be in a pasta salad.  This time fresh mozzarella cheese was our choice.

And last but not least, what could be more Italian than Genoa hard salami? YUM! 😋 Genoa is part of what is considered the Italian Riviera! Nice, huh??

Genoa Province, Liguria, Italy, Italian Riviera.

Lemon Basil Farfalle Salad – Putting it together

The instructions are so simple I’m almost embarrassed to include them but just in case there is a newcomer I’ll add them:

  • Make the pasta according to package directions. Make sure that it’s al dente (to the tooth) and add a little olive oil to prevent sticking.
  • Halve the grape tomatoes.
  • Slice the Kalamata olives.
  • Slice the Purple onion.
  • Cube the fresh mozzarella cheese.
  • Slice the Genoa salami into short slices.
  • Drain the peperoncini.
  • Favorite Italian salad dressing (we used Gerard’s Old Venice Italian) or plain olive oil and white balsamic vinegar.
  • Fresh basil sliced into thin ribbons.
  • Lots of freshly ground pepper.

That’s it. Put it all together and let it sit in the fridge at least for several hours or overnight.

Lemon Basil Farfalle Salad an Italian pasta salad celebrating the flavors of summer.

The Lemon Basil Farfalle Salad is a great pasta salad for family gatherings or picnics. It travels well, and it tastes fantastic.

Lemon Basil Farfalle Pasta for our Family Birthday gathering.

This year for the birthday cake I made Ambrosia Coconut Cake. A three layer cake with a creamy pineapple coconut filling that’s to die for. The cake is frosted with Vanilla Buttercream. It’s the type of cake that wipes the word diet or counting calories right out of your mind!!  I’ll be posting the recipe very soon.

Tutti a tavola è pronto!

Un caro saluto e alla prossima.

Lemon Basil Farfalle Salad an Italian pasta salad celebrating the tastes of summer.

Lemon Basil Farfalle Salad an Italian Pasta Salad celebrating summer tastes.

Lemon Basil Farfalle Salad An Italian Pasta Dish Celebrating Summer

Lemon and Basil Farfalle Salad combines striped bow ties with grape tomatoes, genoa salami, fresh mozzarella, peperoncini, and a light vinaigrette. It is an ideal dish for gatherings because it can be made ahead a stores well.
5 from 11 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: pasta dish, pasta salad, picnic food, side
Cuisine: Italian American
Keyword: antipasto, antipasto salad, pasta salad, picnic side, summer salad
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 10
Calories: 241kcal
Author: Marisa Franca @ All Our Way

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. farfalle pasta bow ties or pasta of choice, cooked according to directions.
  • 8 oz. grape tomatoes halved.
  • 1/2 purple onion sliced
  • 1/2 cup sliced Kalamata olives.
  • 1/2 cup sliced Genoa Salami
  • 1 cup cubed fresh mozzarella cheese.
  • 1 small jar peperoncini drained
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 1 bottle favorite Italian white vinaigrette or make your own.
  • 10 fresh basil leaves sliced into ribbons chiffonade.

Instructions

  • Made the pasta according to directions. Make sure not to overcook. Drain and put the pasta in a large bowl. Add a bit of the dressing to prevent sticking. The pasta will absorb more liquid as it's in the refrigerator.
  • Layer the ingredients one on top of each other. When all of the ingredients are in the bowl pour more dressing on top and mix well. Grind some pepper over the salad. Sprinkle the basil ribbons over the ingredients. Mix again. It's better to add a little at a time and check the amount before serving. You don't want the salad overloaded with dressing.
  • Wrap the bowl with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator.
  • When ready to serve, check to see if it has enough dressing. Add more to your taste.
  • Garnish with basil.

Notes

This is a very forgiving recipe. Add as much or as little as you like. Take your favorite ingredients and include them.

Nutrition

Calories: 241kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 307mg | Potassium: 192mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 6.2% | Vitamin C: 5.3% | Calcium: 7.3% | Iron: 4.5%

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Comments


  1. When looking at the photo it looked hard to make but after reading your instructions, I’m going to add this to my cooking schedule with my kids. Who doesn’t love pasta? But adding the olives and tomatoes, it will help my kids see the different flavors of ingredients make the pasta not the main component. We will be trying this out this week!

    Reply


  3. The salad looks amazing. I have never seen lemon bow tie pasta before. I will have to keep my eye out for it.
    Have you ever had Lemon Basil? If you ever plant a herb garden you have to grow some lemon basil. It is amazing. One of my favorite basils.

    Reply


  4. Sounds like a GREAT pasta salad. Perfect as a side…to all the BBQ’s this summer. Great as a stand alone for a meal. I am so looking forward to the warm sunny weather. I am going to attempt to have a herb garden. Basil will be one of the things I will be growing for sure.

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  6. This pasta is definitely a party pasta if I ever saw one 🙂 And the salad looks so bright and vibrant! What a perfect way to welcome the warmer weather. PS: It was really nice that you shared pictures of your family. Hope everyone is doing well!

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  8. ‘Hopping over from the Blogging Grandmothers Party. Any time I’ve tried your recipes, they’ve become a family favorite. I bet this one does, too. We love all those ingredients, but have never combined them quite like that. 😉 Thank you for sharing the love from your kitchen! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures

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  11. Hi Marisa. I am visiting from the Blogging Grandmother Series and I am drooling just looking at all your food pictures! When we eat out, my favorite place to go is Italian.
    It is a pleasure to meet you and hope to see you around.
    🙂 gwingal

    Reply

    • Hi, Nikki! It’s a pleasure to meet you too. Thank you for taking a look at our blog and your sweet comment about the photos. We do love to cook and needless to say we love to eat. 😋 I can’t wait to read about you at Blogging Grandmothers. Have a wonderful weekend. 🤗

      Reply

    • Hi, Christie! I’m glad you found me too. Isn’t Dee the sweetest person? The salad was fun to make with the striped pasta — and a plus was it was good too. Have a great weekend. xoxo

      Reply

  13. I must confess I’m not a fan of pasta salads, but yours, with those adorable and colorful bow ties, seems irresistible. I loved seeing your beautiful children too – and God bless your son in his military duty.

    Reply

  16. We do fish fries all the time! We are lucky that we live in Florida near the gulf coast so we have fresh fish available year round. However, sometimes you go out and come back with nothing. Anyways. This pasta salad sounds so good, and it does sound like y’all ended up eating good anyway!

    Reply

    • Hi, Joanna! Well, we were on the Gulf Coast for 3 months this winter and that’s exactly what we got — not a heck of a lot. We had to end up buying our fish. Did the Red Tide affect your part of the coast? Have a wonderful weekend.xoxo

      Reply

  20. I love pasta salads. It’s always nice to find new recipes for it! This lemon basil farfalle salad is definitely on my to-try list.

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  21. Haha – love your law about cheese and pasta salad! And I agree with you! The flavours are scrumptious – olives, mozzarella – Delicious!

    Reply

  22. un delizioso piatto di pasta è sempre ben accetto e se condito così ancor di più! (ho scritto in italiano questa volta), un caro abbraccio !

    Reply


  23. Don’t you love when you find something totally out of the norm, like the lemon pasta? The salad sounds so fresh and tasty! Another yummy recipe to try for my family……..Enjoyed pictures of the kids😊 Tell everyone we said hi and send our love. JASON is in our prayers for a quick return home.

    Thanks, Marisa

    Reply

    • Hi, Susie!! I certainly was surprised Aldi had such a great imported pasta — it’s just the type we like to buy. I’ll be sure and give your love to all the kids. We can’t wait until Jason is back!!! Love and hugs to you and your clan.

      Reply

    • Thank you, Jovina! It really was a great find at Aldi. I couldn’t believe it. When we went back for more it was all gone! I would have bought more and saved. Hope you’re having a good weekend.

      Reply

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