Warm Pasta Salad
This Warm Pasta Salad is loaded with fresh veggies, cheese, bowtie pasta, walnuts and a delicious olive oil drizzle. Ready in minutes and budget-friendly, it’s perfect for potlucks, gatherings, meal prep, and more!
We love easy recipes that are quick to make, but still loaded with flavor and nutrients, like this Warm Pasta Salad. That said, pasta salad is one of our go-to recipes for pretty much every occasion.
Warm Pasta Salad
This is not a typical Italian salad, but more of a “comfort” salad, spruced up with veggies and pasta and served warm. The end result is crowd-pleasing, easy, warm pasta salad recipe we know you’ll love!
Whether you’re preparing a picnic, hosting a luncheon, or just want a quick meal prep option, this dish always hits the spot. You can also make warm pasta salad with chicken, or serve it as a side dish with barbecue chicken thighs.
Why I love this recipe
- It comes together in minutes.
- Mix and match your favorite veggies and pasta.
- Double the recipe for a large batch.
- Versatile for potlucks, or meal planning for the week.
Gather these ingredients
- Carrots
- Broccoli
- Walnuts
- Red bell pepper
- Fresh basil and parsley
- Green onion
- Garlic cloves
- Black pepper + salt
- Brie cheese
- Blue cheese
- Olive oil
- Bowtie pasta
How to make this salad
- In a medium saucepan, blanch the carrots and broccoli. Drain and rinse with cold water. Blot dry with a paper towel.
- Toast the walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet, or for a few minutes in the microwave (on a paper towel). Allow to cool.
- In a large bowl, combine carrots, broccoli, walnuts, red pepper, parsley, basil, green onion, garlic, and pepper and salt. [TIP: Keep out a few tablespoons of the herbs for garnish.]
- Cut the Brie cheese into 1” chunks and add to the bowl. Crumble the blue cheese into the bowl. Pour olive oil over mixture and toss gently to combine. Cover and let marinate on the counter at room temp for a few hours.
- Cook pasta according to package directions (el dente, which is usually a minute or 2 less). Drain well. Toss the pasta gently into the veggie/cheese mixture. Be careful not to overmix, or the cheese will melt too much. You want large chunks.
- Garnish with a few tablespoons of herbs. Serve this dish with chunks of cheese! It’s delicious served warm or at room temp.
Tips and substitutions:
- Mix and match your favorite ingredients to make this pasta salad recipe your own:
- Pasta: If you don’t have bowtie, swap out for farfalle, or use fusilli, penne, cavatappi, elbow noodles, or any other similar pasta.
- Meat: Add protein such as chicken, beef, pepperoni, or salami. Or for a luncheon, serve the salad with a salmon filet on top.
- Veggies: Add a mix of any veggies you have on hand, and pack it full.
- Cheese: You can change out the Brie cheese with Asiago if needed, or your favorite cheese.
- Don’t overcook the pasta: Cook the noodles al dente, about one minute less than package directions. You don’t want soft and mushy pasta.
- Cut the veggies small: Cut the veggies small and as evenly as possible. Optional to also use a mandolin tool.
- Let the ingredients sit: Once combined, allow the dressing to mingle into the pasta and the flavor to sink in.
How do you serve warm pasta salad?
Serve warm. Unlike other pasta salad recipes, serve this warm. If it does cool, just pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to heat it back up!
The cheese will be perfectly soft and flavorful.
Make ahead and how to store
We love to double the recipe of this Warm Pasta Salad, and enjoy it throughout the week! It makes a great leftover lunch!
Store in an airtight container in the fridge, as it will keep fresh for up to three days. We don’t recommend freezing this salad.
More tasty pasta salads to try:
Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta Salad
Individual Caprese Pasta Salads
Get the Recipe:
Warm Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup carrots, cut into matchsticks
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1 cup red bell pepper, diced
- ½ cup fresh basil, chopped
- ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- ⅓ cup green onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ pound Brie cheese
- ½ pound blue cheese
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1 pound bowtie pasta
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Marinating time: 2-4 hours.
- In a medium saucepan, blanch the carrots and broccoli for about 2 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Blot dry with a paper towel.
- Toast the walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet for 8-10 minutes, or for a few minutes in the microwave (on a paper towel). Allow to cool.
- In a large bowl, combine carrots, broccoli, walnuts, red pepper, parsley, basil, green onion, garlic, and pepper and salt. [TIP: Keep out a few tablespoons of the herbs for garnish.]
- Cut the Brie cheese into 1” chunks and add to the bowl. Crumble the blue cheese into the bowl. Pour olive oil over mixture and toss gently to combine. Cover and let marinate on the counter at room temp for 2-4 hours.
- Cook pasta according to package directions (el dente, which is usually a minute or 2 less). Drain well. Toss the pasta gently into the veggie/cheese mixture. Be careful not to overmix, or the cheese will melt too much. You want large chunks.
- Garnish with a few tablespoons of herbs. Serve this dish with chunks of cheese! It’s delicious served warm or at room temp.
Notes
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
Very tasty, whole family enjoyed.