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    Home » Budget Recipes

    Cannellini Bowtie Pasta Salad

    Published: Jul 10, 2017 · Modified: Jul 19, 2022 by Jessica Fisher

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    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 bowl of bowtie pasta salad ingredients this …

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    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!

    A bowl and meal prep boxes filled with bowtie pasta salad

    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 knivesA bowl of bowtie pasta salad ingredients
    bowl of bowtie pasta salad with meal prep boxes

    Cannellini Bowtie Pasta Salad

    Summer salads are a great way to eat well on these hot summer days. Try out this Cannellini Bowtie Pasta that comes together in a flash.
    4.67 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 12 servings
    Calories: 253kcal
    Author: Jessica Fisher

    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

    Calories: 253kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 205mg | Potassium: 135mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 227IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Tell us what you think! Your reviews help us develop better recipes and give newcomers the confidence to try your favorites. Scroll down to leave a starred comment.

    Other summer salads to try:

    • Loaded Potato Salad with Greek Yogurt, Bacon & Cheddar
    • Caesar Salad
    • Greek Wedge Salad
    stirring a bowl of bowtie pasta salad

    Originally published July 19, 2012. Updated July 10, 2017.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Carol

      July 15, 2017 at 5:28 pm

      Another winner, Jessica! Thank you!

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        July 17, 2017 at 3:41 pm

        So glad you enjoyed it!

        Reply
    2. Theresa Ellis

      April 09, 2015 at 3:47 pm

      another so good.

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        April 13, 2015 at 5:45 am

        Glad you liked it!

        Reply
    3. ray

      July 24, 2012 at 6:00 pm

      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.

      Reply
    4. Tracy

      July 19, 2012 at 10:55 am

      Have you tried this salad with red wine vinegar? Does the white taste very different?

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        July 19, 2012 at 11:20 am

        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.

        Reply
    5. Megan

      July 19, 2012 at 8:07 am

      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?

      Reply
      • Tiffany @ DontWastetheCrumbs

        July 19, 2012 at 10:33 am

        I thought I saw white kidney beans the last time I was at Walmart. I wonder if navy beans would be an adequate substitute?

        Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        July 19, 2012 at 10:40 am

        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.

        Reply
    6. The Blissful Baker

      July 19, 2012 at 7:58 am

      Thanks for hosting! 🙂 Have a great Thursday!

      Be sure to check out my latest recipe, review & giveaway @ Baking Blissful

      Reply
    7. Jen Blacker

      July 19, 2012 at 4:18 am

      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.

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Jessica! I'm a 4x cookbook author and 6x mom. I know what it is to be in a hurry and on a budget. I believe anyone can prepare delicious meals -- no matter what's on their plate. I've been featured on Good Morning America, PBS News Hour, and NBC.

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