Bowtie pasta salad with peas, lemon, and fresh basil makes the perfect potluck party item. It’s fresh, flavorful, and so easy to make!

A few weeks ago I posted my grocery shopping items from Trader Joe’s on my Instagram stories. I don’t work for TJ’s but I spend a lot of time in the store mainly because I really like the products and also how often they introduce new items.
And if I can pass that info onto you guys, then the rest is gravy. One of the items I’ve noticed for a few weeks now is a lemon basil pasta salad. It’s a simple bowtie pasta salad that you can find in the refrigerated section and it tastes pretty good! So good, I thought that I should recreate it for the blog.
And here it is, just for you guys. It’s very similar to TJ’s, maybe even better because when you make it at home it’s a hundred percent fresh and hasn’t been sitting on a truck, then on a shelf for a few days.
Incidentally, bowtie pasta and farfalle pasta are one in the same.
What’s in this pasta salad?
- green peas
- fresh basil
- Parmesan
- zucchini
- shallots
The whole thing is tossed in a slightly creamy dijon and lemon dressing. So simple, right? It’s light and fresh, and packs a good lemon punch for flavor!
Can I make the salad ahead of time?
This is totally a recipe that only gets better if you make it the night before you plan on serving it. With a regular salad, you’d never want to add the dressing until right before eating it. But because the bowtie pasta has a lot of body, it can stand up to all of the other ingredients. Plus, let’s face it; pasta on its own isn’t too flavorful. So any help we can give it is always a huge bonus. Just be sure to cover the bowtie pasta salad completely with plastic wrap or it’ll dry out. Then, store it in the fridge overnight until you need it.

Can I use another type of pasta?
Yes, you can. I don’t know about you and your kitchen but in my cupboard, I usually have at least six different types of pasta on hand. Why…I don’t know. Maybe it’s the kids because they can eat enough pasta that would put an Olympic athlete to shame. Here are some other pasta types that would work.
- Penne
- Rotini
- Orzo
- Orecchiette
- Cavatappi
- Casarecce
Tips for making bowtie pasta salad at home
Once the bowtie pasta has been boiling long enough, drain it into a colander and then run cold water over it, gently moving it around with a spoon or your fingers. This gets rid of the starch that would usually make the pasta sticky and turn into one big clump as it cools.
Frozen peas are easy to find and I usually just throw some in a bowl and add some lukewarm water over them to thaw, I don’t even cook them. This way they stay nice and bright green. Don’t skimp on the fresh lemon and basil ingredients. We want the pasta salad with peas to pop like crazy when your friends put it in their mouths. In my opinion, you can’t have enough, especially the basil. I’m a huge fresh basil fan!





Bowtie Pasta Salad with Peas, Lemon and Basil
Ingredients
- 3 cups farfalle pasta uncooked
- 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 1 ½ cups peas
- 1 cup zucchini diced
- ¼ cup shallot diced
- zest of one large lemon
- 1 big handful of fresh basil chopped and shredded
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ¾ cup Asiago cheese grated
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling water as per the instructions on the box.
- Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, basil, salt, and pepper until well combined.
- Transfer the cooled pasta to a larger bowl along with the peas, diced zucchini, diced shallot, lemon zest, Dijon and grated Asiago.
- Add the dressing and toss everything together until well combined in a salad bowl.
- Serve at once and garnish with extra basil and grated Asiago or store covered in the refrigerator.
YUM!
Anything to use instead of Dijon?
Perfect summer pasta idea, I love the lemon and basil!
This simple combination of flavors is so tasty!!! I’d happily eat it all year round.
Such beautiful flavors! I’ll be making this for lunch this weekend!
So many fresh flavors- I love this!
Such simple and yummy flavors!
Asiago is one my favorite cheeses to use! Love the fresh veggies with the light dressing. Makes this pasta salad so refreshing!
Finally the recipe of my favorite Trader Joe’s salad!
I went to TJs and tasted this salad today, went looking for the recipe and found yours. This is tasty.
So happy to see this post!!! I haven’t made this yet, but I saw it in T.J’s. earlier today and thought how much fresher it would be if I made it myself. I plan on making it this weekend and will let you know how it turns out.
I see in the recipe it says Asiago and in the description it says Parmesan.Do you have a preference? Thanks for recreating this – I was about to do the same.
H Kirsten, they’re really similar but I might say Asiago is my fav!
OMG just finished making this and it’s fabulous! Was in TJ yesterday– got a sample of this and was thinking hmmmmm…..wonder if there is a copycat recipe out there?! Thanks for creating this!
Yay, thank for the feedback Bonoca!!
how long can you leave this in the fridge for?
About two days covered :)
A friend surprised me with the Trader Joe’s version of this salad and I’ve been looking for a similar recipe ever since. Thanks for posting this. It’s just what I’ve been looking for.
Thanks for sharing this! I just ate the one from Trader Joe’s and LOVED it! – all except the preservatives. Now, I’ll make it myself.
Awesome :)
I haven’t tried this recipe yet but am so excited to find it. My 7 yr old son chose this for lunch one day and devoured it. Hopefully he will enjoy this version too!
Just finding this and can’t wait to make it! They do toss it with spinach though and not basil at Trader Joe’s :)
So excited to find this! I’m obsessed with this salad at TJ’s but it kills me to pay $5 for a tiny container of it. I can only imagine it tastes even better home made!
Such a good base but wayyyyy too much shallot! It completely dominates the recipe. I absolutely loved it but the onion flavor was too much. Going to be remaking for sure— just with less shallot! Haha
I added the Dijon to the dressing to ensure even distribution. As with the TJ version, I add it on top of lettuce greens. It’s got enough dressing to coat the lettuce, it cuts down on carbs and increases vegetable eating. It also ensures I have enough for more meals! It definitely tastes better with time 😋
Thank you for creating this recipe. I look forward to making it. In the past when I’ve used peas in a recipe they weren’t very tasty. What kind/brand do you use or recommend? Tha k you!
Hi Elsa, I like the fresh ones from Trader Joes, or any petite pea as they seem to be sweeter.