Farfalle Pasta

Farfalle pasta, or butterfly or bow tie pasta in English, is a uniquely shaped Italian pasta that is loved the world over. Make this farfalle pasta recipe to try the most simple and delicious way to enjoy it!

Farfalle pasta used to be one of my Nonno Scipione’s favorite pasta shapes. (You can click to read about my precious Nonno.)

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What are Farfalle?

Farfalle are simply pasta that has been shaped to look like butterflies or bow ties. Apparently, they were first created in Northern Italy (Lombardy and Emiglia-Romagna) to use leftover pasta dough. Farfalle are called “strichetti” (stree-kay-teeh) in this region, according to Wikipedia.

Farfalle Pasta Pronunciation

It’s easy to say farfalle: “far-FAH-lay” which is plural. Singular is farfalla, “far-FAH-lah.” Larger shaped farfalle are called farfalloni, and smaller shaped bow tie pasta are called farfalline, which means “little butterflies.”

I used these farfalloni to make this 4 ingredient rapini pasta.

Farfalle pasta recipes can be made using many different sauces, but I prefer light, creamy sauces if I’m not making this authentic, quick Italian pasta sauce. It also lends itself well to cold pasta salad recipes. *See my personal note below, just before the printable recipe card.

Which Farfalle Pasta Brand is Best?

While I don’t choose a specific brand, instead I look for 100% durum wheat semolina on the ingredients list. If it contains the words, “enriched pasta” I don’t buy it. This process strips the natural goodness of the wheat and then adds in vitamins, which is not done with pasta that is sold in Italy and other countries.

Sadly, many Italian brands I used to love now are complying with the USDA regulations, so beware of buying these brands in the USA, and always check the ingredients (they are still good if purchased in Italy): De Cecco, Rummo, Barilla, La Molisana, Mueller’s, and Ronzoni.

Here is a typical product I would buy, farfalle by Bragagnolo. I’ve also found that Whole Foods brand is still selling 100% durum wheat semolina pasta with both organic farfalle available and regular pasta at a very inexpensive price point. On a personal note, I just bought my niece some Barbie pasta for Christmas! It’s just cute Barbie packaging, the pasta is the same.

Another fun pasta shape is trottole!

NB: the ridged farfalle in this photo are from Trader Joe’s. However, as it was a seasonal item it is no longer available. If I discover the Italian brand that makes this pasta for Trader Joe’s, I will share it here since many have asked about it on social media since I published this recipe yesterday.

I hope this easy pasta recipe shows you how quick and easy pasta can be!

Farfalle Pasta Recipe

Family recipe serves 5

FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW

Ingredients

• farfalle pasta 
• extra virgin olive oil 
• fresh garlic 
• whole tomatoes (in jar or can, from Italy, preferably)
• sea salt or Diamond crystal Kosher salt
• fresh basil 

Directions

Cook the Farfalle Pasta

Put a large pot of salted water on the cooktop and bring to a rolling boil. Add pasta and cook as directed on the package.

Make the Sauce

Pour the oil into a large sauté pan over medium high heat.

Crush the garlic and add it to the oil. Sauté the garlic until it just starts to brown, then add the chopped parsley. You can add the parsley stems, but remove them later. Turn the heat up so the pan is very hot.

If you prefer a smooth sauce, use an immersion blender or blender to purée the tomatoes before adding them to the pan.

Add the tomatoes and be ready with the lid as it may squirt before it starts to simmer. Stir quickly, and keep it simmering briskly with the lid removed. Add salt and stir often. This sauce will most likely be ready before the pasta has finished cooking.

When the sauce has thickened, taste for salt and pepper and add torn fresh basil leaves and remove from the heat.

Serve the Farfalle Pasta

When the pasta is almost al dente, drain it by either saving a mug of pasta water and using a colander, or by scooping it out with a pasta skimmer. and placing directly into the sauce in the pan. Toss together until the pasta is well coated in the tomato sauce, adding some of the reserved pasta water if it’s too dry.

You can put the pan over the heat and add more water to finish cooking the pasta if it’s still too al dente. This ensures the flavor of the sauce goes into the pasta.

Dish into bowls to serve immediately.

In Italy, grated cheese isn’t normally added to a fresh pasta sauce.

However, I see no harm in adding a little sprinkle, along with a sprig of basil.

My only caveat is that it has to be a really good quality cheese like Parmigiano Reggiano, DOP or Pecorino Romano, DOP.

This bow tie pasta recipe is one you can make with any shape of pasta. You can freeze the sauce, or keep a bowl on hand in the fridge for up to 3 days (since there’s no meat in it.)

How to Reheat Farfalle Pasta

And if you happen to not finish every last bite, here’s how to reheat pasta just like the Italians do!

Have I enticed you to try this recipe? Buon appetito!

*When I was newly married and working as a social worker, but husband managed to get me a small catering job at a studio in Hollywood. He told the producer that the food provided by the catering company they’d hired was awful and that I could do a much better job, so they hired me! I remember making a simple farfalle pasta salad as one of the dishes. I received the most beautiful thank you note after catering that job; they loved everything I made!

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