This Cranberry Bowtie Pasta Salad is super easy to make and full of ah-mazing flavors! It can accompany any meal or stand alone as a refreshing side dish – just perfect for summer parties, picnics, and potlucks!
Busy weeknights call for quick fixes. And what could that better than a Cranberry Bowtie Pasta Salad accompanied with a bowl of hot comforting soup – healthy, light, and, easy to digest!
This salad holds a little bit of everything: crunchiness from the colorful veggies, sweetness from cranberries, freshness from lettuce, and a velvety bite from the bowtie pasta that is finished with a simple vegan homemade ranch dressing. Sounds yum and amazing, right! Well, it sure does!
When tossed into a bowl, these ingredients bring all of the flavors together beautifully that is loved by all – kids to adults.
How to make Cranberry Bowtie Pasta Salad?
This recipe is so straightforward that even a first time chef could make it with their eyes closed. Just boil and drain the pasta. While the pasta is cooking, cut all your veggies. Add the vegetables, cranberries, and pasta to a bowl. When ready to serve, add lettuce, drizzle your favorite dressing and toss the salad once or twice to coat evenly.
You don’t need a lot of dressing for this colorful pasta salad. Just a drizzle will bring out tons of flavor. That’s it; you are all set. Bring out your forks and let’s dig in.
Highlights!
- Super easy-to-make,
- Portable,
- Refreshing,
- Colorful,
- Made with freshest ingredients, and
- Totally satisfying!
A gloriously simple one-pot-dish that is healthy, comforting, and a real crowd-pleaser!
A very versatile recipe that can be customized to your liking!
Be creative and enjoy sneakily adding some vegetables that your family loves. Some tested and tried options with my fussy eaters are –
- broccoli
- cucumber
- radish
- grilled corn
- and zucchini.
All the veggies mentioned above add great color and texture to this salad. Overall this salad was amazingly DELICIOUS, even my picky eaters liked it!
I encourage you to give this recipe a try and share your feedback! If you have questions related to this recipe, send me an email, and I would be happy to answer them. We’d love to hear from you. ?
Craving for more, try these other options!
Thanks for reading.?
Cranberry Bowtie Pasta Salad
INGREDIENTS
- 1 lb Bow-tie Pasta
- 1.5 cup Romaine Lettuce ,shredded
- 1 large Bell Pepper ,cubed
- 1/4 cup Red onions ,thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup Black olives , sliced
- 1/2 cup Cherry tomatoes , sliced
- 1/2 cup Dried Cranberries
- 3/4 cup Ranch dressing + more if needed
- 1/2 teaspoon Crushed black pepper - optional
INSTRUCTIONS
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook bowtie pasta until al dente. When cooked, drain pasta. Rinse with cold water. Place in a large bowl and set aside.
- For this salad, add whatever vegetables that you like. Wash and cut them into cubes.
- In a large bowl, combine all the salad ingredients.
- Generously pour the dressing over the chopped veggies.
- Toss the salad once or twice to coat evenly.
- Serve immediately!
RECIPE NOTES
- Bow-tie pasta can be swapped with any kind of pasta
- Homemade vegan ranch dressing was added to this salad but feel free to use a store-bought one.
- For extra crunch, add toasted nuts like almonds, walnuts or pinenuts.
- Not a ranch lover, no worries, toss the salad in vinaigrette or any other dressing of your choice.
- This salad can be enjoyed hot or cold.
NUTRITION
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