Summer salads are a great way to eat well on these hot summer days. Try out this Cannellini Bowtie Pasta Salad that comes together in a flash.
A few weeks ago I boasted how moderate the temps are here in San Diego. I spoke too soon. I should have known that would happen, right? The last few days have felt like our little piece of the map was picked up and squashed down somewhere in the midwest. Humidity does make things feel hotter. Even if the temps are still considered “moderate.”
Whew, glad that’s over. And my apologies for gloating. Seriously.
Hot, muggy weather calls for cool dinner salads. Yes, I know, there are people under your roof who balk at the idea of a salad being a meal. I know. But, I say do it anyway. Especially when you’re making this salad. This Cannellini Bowtie Pasta Salad is packed with protein, a few veggies for good measure, and a rocking vinaigrette packed with flavor.
Keep a bowl of this in the refrigerator for serving as a cold lunch, light dinner, or even for snacking. It travels super well so you can easily pack it for school, work, or picnics. My husband loves to have a cold salad like this to snack on when he comes home from work at 3pm each afternoon. It’s an ideal pick-me-up.
Best yet? The entire dish probably won’t cost more than $2.50 to make, and it can feed a lot of people. Imagine how much we spend on restaurant food when we can make something fancy sounding like Cannellini Bowtie Pasta Salad for just a few bucks at home!
How I make this cheap:
This Cannellini Bowtie Pasta Salad is pretty economical by virtue of its being a meatless pasta dish getting its complex carbohydrate protein whatchacallit from the beans.
Here are some of the strategies I use to make this recipe even more affordable:
- Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale! When I see a great price on pasta, I buy a lot of it. We almost always have a stockpile of noodles in the pantry. The same goes for canned beans and spices.
- Take advantage of tomatoes and peppers in season. You’ll enjoy better flavor and cheaper prices making this dish in the summer and fall. Be sure to ask the neighbors if they’ve got too much produce on their hands. Maybe they’ll share. You can also grow your own.
Tools I use to make this recipe easy:
This is a pretty straight-forward dish. You don’t need any fancy equipment to cook pasta! However, having some good basic kitchen tools can really make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable. Over time, I’ve honed my collection so that they are perfect for my needs. Here are the tools that I like to use in this recipe.
- large stockpot – Mine is a Kitchenaid that I’ve had for 14 years!
- collander – We just bought this one this year to replace a broken plastic one.
- large pasta/salad bowl – I have this IKEA one and love it!
- plastic cutting board – I have several: blue for veggies; white for meats
- Ergo chef chef’s knife – some of my favorite knives
Cannellini Bowtie Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb bowtie pasta
- ⅓ cup white wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon coarse salt
- 2 clove garlic crushed
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans rinsed and drained
- 2 tomato chopped
- 1 bell pepper (any color) chopped (½ cup)
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil (chopped)
Instructions
- In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the bowties until al dente. Rinse with cool water and drain.
- In a large serving bowl, place the vinegar, salt, garlic, and pepper. Whisk to blend. Add the olive oil in a thin stream, whisking to blend.
- Add the pasta, beans, tomatoes, pepper, and basil. Stir gently to combine. Adjust seasonings, adding salt to taste.
- Chill for several hours to allow flavors to combine.
Notes
How I make this cheap:
This Cannellini Bowtie Pasta Salad is pretty economical by virtue of its being a meatless pasta dish getting its complex carbohydrate protein whatchacallit from the beans. Here are some of the strategies I use to make this recipe even more affordable:- Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale! When I see a great price on pasta, I buy a lot of it. We almost always have a stockpile of noodles in the pantry. The same goes for canned beans and spices.
- Take advantage of tomatoes and peppers in season. You’ll enjoy better flavor and cheaper prices making this dish in the summer and fall. Be sure to ask the neighbors if they’ve got too much produce on their hands. Maybe they’ll share. You can also grow your own.
Nutrition
Other summer salads to try:
Originally published July 19, 2012. Updated July 10, 2017.
Carol
Another winner, Jessica! Thank you!
Jessica Fisher
So glad you enjoyed it!
Theresa Ellis
another so good.
Jessica Fisher
Glad you liked it!
ray
I made this salad for a dinner on Sunday with family. Everyone loved it. I think it was light and refreshing.
I didn’t have any wine vinegar in our house so I use Japanese Rice Vinegar and I use Garbanzo beans because that was all I had.
Very good Sald.
Tracy
Have you tried this salad with red wine vinegar? Does the white taste very different?
Jessica Fisher
White wine vinegar was all I had. I’m outta red during the pantry challenge. I’m actually out of white, too, now that I think of it. But red would work just as well and be very tasty. White has a brighter flavor to it. That’s the best way I can describe it.
Megan
We use a lot of cannellini beans and our grocery stores only carry one brand and no dry cannellini beans! I pay about $1.50/can; has anyone found these dry beans anywhere?
Tiffany @ DontWastetheCrumbs
I thought I saw white kidney beans the last time I was at Walmart. I wonder if navy beans would be an adequate substitute?
Jessica Fisher
Mine were less than a dollar at Trader Joe’s, but I think you could substitute other beans, like red kidney, garbanzo, and white navy.
The Blissful Baker
Thanks for hosting! 🙂 Have a great Thursday!
Be sure to check out my latest recipe, review & giveaway @ Baking Blissful
Jen Blacker
Thank you for hosting. This week I shared my simple pasta salad recipe. I haven’t had it in awhile, I really should make it soon.