Bowtie Pasta Salad

You know those summer cookouts where everyone brings a side dish and the table gets so packed there’s barely room for plates? This bowtie pasta salad is the kind of thing I bring when I want my bowl to come home empty. It’s got crunch from the cucumber, a little bite from the red onion, and chunks of ham and cheese that make it feel more like a meal than a side.

I first started making pasta salads like this one because my husband isn’t big on lettuce salads. But cold pasta with a creamy ranch dressing? That he’ll eat by the bowlful. The dressing comes together in about two minutes, and while it sits and thickens up, you’ve got time to chop everything else.

Here’s the thing nobody warned me about when I started making pasta salad. The pasta drinks up the dressing as it sits in the fridge, so what looked creamy at lunch can look kind of dry by dinner. That’s why this recipe has you set aside half a cup of dressing before tossing. Pull it out right before serving, give the salad a quick stir with that extra dressing, and it’s back to looking just-made.

One more thing before you start. Cook the bowtie pasta until it’s just al dente, then rinse it under cold water in the colander. Hot pasta keeps cooking even after you drain it, and soft floppy bowties will fall apart once you start tossing everything together. A quick cold rinse stops the cooking and keeps the noodles from sticking in a clump while you chop the rest.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

It feeds a crowd without much fuss. You boil some pasta, chop a few veggies, whisk the dressing, and toss everything together. The whole thing takes about 20 minutes from start to finish.

The mix of textures keeps it interesting. You get tender bowties, snappy cucumber, juicy tomato halves, and chewy bits of ham and cheese in the same bite. Nothing in it goes soggy.

That ranch dressing does a lot of work. The mayo and milk turn creamy and tangy with the vinegar and ranch seasoning, and it coats every noodle without feeling heavy.

It gets better overnight. Make it the day before a potluck and the flavors settle in. Just hold back some dressing to stir in before serving so the pasta doesn’t dry out.

Ingredients

For the Dressing:

• ¾ cup mayonnaise
• ¾ cup whole milk
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon ranch seasoning (from a 1-ounce packet)
• 1½ teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

For the Pasta Salad:

• 12-ounce box bowtie (farfalle) pasta, cooked al dente and drained
• 7-ounce smoked uncured ham steak, diced
• 1 cup cheddar Monterey jack cheese block, diced
• 1 cup cucumber, seeds removed and diced
• 1 cup red onion, diced
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

STEP BY STEP:

1. Whisk the dressing

Grab a medium bowl and whisk together the mayonnaise, whole milk, white vinegar, ranch seasoning, sugar, salt, and black pepper. Scoop out half a cup into a separate bowl and stash it in the fridge for later. The rest can sit on the counter while you keep working.

2. Cool the pasta

Cook the bowtie pasta until al dente, drain it, and give it a quick rinse under cold water. Pour it into a large bowl and let it sit for about 10 minutes so it cools all the way down before any dressing touches it.

3. Coat with dressing

Pour the dressing that’s been sitting on the counter over your cooled pasta. Toss it around with a big spoon until every noodle has a creamy coating. The dressing should look thicker now than when you first whisked it.

4. Add the mix-ins

Add your diced ham, cubed cheddar Monterey jack, diced cucumber, diced red onion, and halved grape tomatoes to the bowl. Try to keep the ham and cheese cubes about the same size as the cucumber pieces so you get a little of everything in each scoop.

5. Toss it together

Gently fold everything together so the ham, cheese, and veggies spread evenly through the pasta. Go slow so the tomato halves don’t get smashed against the side of the bowl.

6. Chill before serving

Move the salad to a serving bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and pop it in the fridge until you’re ready to eat. Right before serving, stir in that reserved dressing from earlier to freshen things up.

EXPERT TIPS:

• Pat your ham steak dry with a paper towel before dicing if it came packed in liquid. Soggy ham makes for a watery salad.

• Scoop the seeds out of your cucumber with a small spoon. That watery center will thin out your dressing as the salad sits.

• Cut everything around the same size as the bowtie pasta. Big chunks of cheese or ham make the salad awkward to eat with a fork.

• Hold off on adding the tomatoes until just before serving if you’re making this way ahead. They tend to weep juice and turn the dressing pink.

• Taste a noodle right when the timer goes off. Pasta keeps cooking from its own heat, so pull it a minute early for true al dente.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH THIS RECIPE

Pair this pasta salad with grilled chicken breasts, burgers off the grill, or barbecue ribs. The ranch dressing matches smoky meats well.

Round out the plate with corn on the cob, watermelon wedges, or a green salad. Iced tea or lemonade rounds things out.

For potlucks, set it next to deviled eggs, baked beans, or a fruit platter. Cold leftovers travel well in lunch containers.

HOW TO STORE THIS RECIPE:

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. The salad keeps for up to four days.

The pasta soaks up dressing as it sits. Stir in a splash of milk or the reserved dressing before serving again.

Skip the freezer with this one. The mayo separates once thawed, the cucumber turns mushy, and the tomatoes go limp.

Give the salad a quick toss before scooping out a second helping. Cold ingredients settle to the bottom of the bowl.

VARIATIONS:

Swap the pasta shape. Rotini, penne, or cavatappi all hold dressing well in their ridges and curves. Cook them to al dente just like the bowties.

Change up the meat. Diced rotisserie chicken, salami cubes, or crispy bacon bits work in place of the ham. Use about one cup so the ratio stays right.

Pick a different cheese. Sharp cheddar, smoked gouda, or pepper jack each bring something new. Stick with a block you can dice, not pre-shredded cheese, which clumps in the dressing.

Add more veggies. Toss in half a cup of sliced black olives, diced green bell pepper, shredded carrot, or chopped broccoli florets. Frozen peas thawed under cold water also work.

Make it spicy. Stir half a teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes into the dressing, or swap the ranch seasoning for spicy ranch.

Go fresh herb. Chop two tablespoons of fresh dill, parsley, or chives and fold them in with the veggies. Dried herbs work too, just use one teaspoon.

Use Greek yogurt. Replace half the mayo with plain Greek yogurt for a tangier dressing. The texture stays creamy and thick.