Sunflower, Bacon and Parmesan Bow-tie Pasta Salad

Submitted by LiisaN

"One of my co-workers found this recipe from a local grocery store; when we have potlucks we hope he'll make this salad. It's very easy and very tasty - but you really can't go wrong with bacon and parmesan-now can you? (The cooking time - includes the minimum chill time.)"

 

• Ready In: 3hrs 20mins
• Ingredients: 7
• Serves: 10

ingredients

• 12 ounces bow tie pasta, cooked according to directions
• 1 1⁄2 cups bottled parmesan salad dressing, divided
• 1⁄2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1⁄2 cup sliced celery
• 1⁄2 cup sliced green onion, tops included
• 3 tablespoons diced pimentos or 1 small diced red pepper
• 1⁄2 lb bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

directions

1. Cook pasta according to directions on box, drained.
2. Add 1 cup of parmesan dressing, celery, onions, pimento/red pepper to pasta.
3. Toss to mix.
4. Chill several hours or overnight.
5. Prior to serving, add remaining 1/2 cup dressing, bacon and sunflower seeds.
6. Toss to mix and serve.

Reviews

[Debbb]

Really good! The only parmesan dressing we could find was a roasted red pepper & parmesan - it was good but a little sweet for our tastes. I omitted the green onion as a personal preference.

 

[Chef TraceyMae]

I made this recipe for the Aussie/Kiwi Swap and I loved it! It was easy to make ahead of time and quick to throw together just before serving. The combination of crunchy sunflower seeds and celery, the saltiness of the bacon, the tang of the parmesan dressing, and the tenderness of the pasta was wonderful. This is a keeper. And it makes enough for seconds!

 

[Kay D.]

I'm not usually really big on pasta salads, but this one sounded too intriguing to pass up. Made as directed, except I left out the red peppers to encourage my husband to give it a try. He actually liked it! This won't be something we have all the time, but it's a very nice change of pace.