How to Make Pasta Salad (Bowtie with Smoked Sausage)

Experiment with different veggies for a customized salad.

Here's a tasty, colorful and inexpensive pasta salad made with farfalle (bowtie pasta) and smoked sausage. It's perfect for family dinners, office luncheons and get-togethers. This recipe can be served cold or warm.

Things You'll Need

• 1/2 lb. smoked (fully cooked) sausage, chopped
• 8 oz pkg. farfalle pasta
• 15 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 small can sliced black olives
• 1 green bell pepper chopped
• 1 tbsp. garlic pepper
• 1 tsp. sea salt

Instructions

1. Cook bowtie pasta per package instructions. Drain, toss in chopped smoked sausage and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine sliced olives, tomatoes, green onions, bell peppers, mayonnaise, garlic pepper and sea salt. Mix well.

3. Add in the pasta and smoked sausage and toss well. It's good to create this when the pasta is warm as it allows the other ingredients to release more flavor. Refrigerate up to 1 week. Yields 8 to 12 servings.

4. For a nice presentation, cover salad plates with a layer of green leaf lettuce, then add 1/2 to 3/4 cup pasta salad.

Tips & Warnings

• You can garnish with shredded Parmesan or Monterey cheese.