Over the years, I’ve mastered the techniques that bring out the best in simple ingredients, ensuring you can confidently recreate this Light Cream Bowtie Pasta favorite at home. This creamy bowtie pasta comes together quickly with a light prosecco cream sauce, sun dried tomatoes and rushrooms. Elegant enough for a dinner part, fast enough for a Tuesday night.
Having cooked Bowtie Pasta countless times for my family and during live recipe demo's, I know exactly how to get the pasta perfectly tender, the sauce silky, and the flavors beautifully balanced, so you can enjoy every bite just as much as I do.
Farfalle is the Italian name for bowtie pasta. Farfalle means butterflies in Italian. The shape of these pasta not only looks like a bowtie but also a butterfly too.
This recipe is simple and light. The cream sauce is flavored with sun dried tomatoes, cheese, broth, and sautéed mushrooms.
Bowtie pasta works wonderfully with cream sauces because the noodles hold sauce well. The pinched center holds sauce in the folds so every bite is coated.
It's a perfect light lunch or even a great side dish. We also love to add Air Fryer Chicken Breasts and Air Fryer Frozen Green Beans for a complete meal.
You might also like Garlic Lemon Pasta, BBQ Ranch Pasta Salad, Sun Dried Tomato Pasta, Teriyaki Noodles, easy Rice Bowl, or Garlic Texas Toast. And one of our favorites Pepperoni Pasta Salad too.
How to Cook Bowtie Pasta
- Bring 4–6 quarts water to a boil
- Add 1 tablespoon salt
- Add bowtie pasta
- Cook 10–12 minutes until al dente
- Drain
Ingredient Rollcall for Bowtie Pasta / Farfalle Pasta
- Bowtie Pasta - Farfalla Pasta: Some even call this fun shaped pasta Butterfly Pasta. Any pasta will work with this recipe. So substitute away for whatever you have on hand.
- Mushrooms - Try cremini, baby bella, or white button. Slice thin or dice up small so the pieces go unnoticed while still adding great flavor and texture to this dish
- Butter or Olive Oil - I like the added flavor butter gives when sautéing mushrooms. But some prefer to use Olive Oil.
- Sun-dried Tomatoes - Packed in oil or in pouches where they tomatoes are soft in texture but not drenched in oil.
- Chicken Broth or Water - Broth adds extra flavor when pressure cooking pasta. Oh it's delicious.
- Heavy Cream - Just a little goes a long way for this light and creamy recipe. Or substitute for half and half or an even lighter cream option.
- Prosecco - sparkling wine: Looking for a substitution? Apple Juice, Sparkling Apple Juice or even 7-Up/Sprite in a pinch too. I prefer using Prosecco or Sparkling Apple Juice. I feel after testing these substitutions give the best results.
- Garlic -Dice or mince. The flavor garlic adds to a recipe is wonderful.
- Pepper and Onion Powder - Seasoning to taste as needed
- Parmesan Cheese - Freshly Grated is preferred, or prepackaged shredded parm cheese. I do not recommend the shaker container of parmesan.
Kitchen Must Haves
- Stock Pot - Circulon pans are the best and a favorite in my kitchen
- Instant Pot - Pressure Cooker favorite
- Wooden Spoon - Use for everything from stirring pasta and so much more
- Measuring Cups - Glass measuring cups
How to Cook Bowtie Pasta Perfectly
You can cook pasta a variety of ways from on the stove to using an electric pressure cooker. Choose what works best for you!
How to make Bowtie Pasta Stove Top Step by Step
- Over Medium/high heat, heat broth to a boil and add farfalla pasta. Add enough water to broth to cover pasta. Stir to prevent sticking and allow to cook based on package directions.
- Rinse and drain pasta reserving ½ - ¾ cup of pasta water
- Meanwhile in a saute pan, heat olive oil or butter and add diced mushrooms and minced garlic. Saute until tender.
- Add Farfalla Pasta back to pot with garlic and mushrooms over medium heat.
- Add pepper, onion powder, heavy cream, and Prosecco and give a stir.
- Stir in Sun Dried Tomatoes and grated parmesan cheese.
- If sauce is too thick, add a tablespoon or two of pasta water at a time to get desired consistency.
5-Star Review
"We absolutely love this recipe, even my picky eater children approved! They just devoure this pasta every time I make it. We always double the amount in the recipe and add some shrimp in it. So easy and so yummy. Thank you for this amazing recipe!"
~Yumi
Kitchen Q&A's Bowtie Pasta Recipe
Bowtie Pasta is a shaped pasta that is pinched in the middle to look just like a bowtie.
You can often find this pasta in a small or regular size and will often be called Farfalle Pasta.
I prefer heating Bowtie Pasta on the Stove with a little bit of broth and cream.
Over a Medium head add broth with serving of Bowtie Pasta. As the pan heats up and the pasta separates from one another, stir. Add cream as needed.
Freezing dairy does some crazy things. You can of course freeze pasta but I would make the cream sauce fresh so it's perfect.
Fortunately it only takes a few minutes to make.
Of course you can! Keep in mind that different shaped pastas will cook in different amounts of time.
Spaghetti will cook in 3 minutes w/ a 3 minute Natural Release
Pasta is done when it is tender. Most prefer pasta to be tender on the outside and a little firm on the inside but personal preference varies. Texture should not be mushy or have a crunch core.
Additions and Variations
Tuscan Style: Add baby spinach in at the last minute of cooking. Or try my Tuscan Chicken and pasta recipe.
Spicy: Add ¼ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes into the sauce. Turn up the heat of the sauce quick and easy.
Artichoke Style: Add in canned or frozen artichoke hearts for an earthy Italian flavor
Pasta Swap: Try Penne, Rigatoni, Fusilli or Linguine.
Serve Sun Dried tomato Pasta With
Let me help you with the guess work and give you some needed suggestions.
Try serving Bowtie Pasta with Air Fryer Garlic Knots, pair with Olive Garden Salad, and don't hesitate to add in some Air Fryer Grilled Chicken too.
Best Sauces for Bowtie Pasta
This light cream sauce is fantastic but you could add other sauces too! A simple Alfredo sauce, or Marinara Sauce always goes well with pasta.
Can You Use Bowtie Pasta in Cold Pasta Salads?
Yes! Bowtie pasta works wonderful in cold pasta salads because of the nooks and crannies in the pasta where it can hold extra dressing and tiny ingredients making the pasta dish more flavorful.
Video Bowtie Noodles
Why I love this recipe
Let me be specific, I LOVED this recipe for it's simplicity that was packed full of flavor. I loved that it felt light and I didn't have a stomach full of a heavy meal.
I loved the Sun Dried Tomatoes and how the flavor spread throughout the sauce and I love mushrooms so they were just an added bonus.
Put it all together and it was perfect. My tastebuds were thrilled time and time again.
Fridge & Freezer Magic for Farfalle Pasta
Storage: Leftovers can be placed in an airtight container and kept refrigerated for 3-4 days before reheating.
Reheating: It's simple to reheat this Farfalle Pasta Recipe. Add a tablespoon of milk to pasta and reheat in Microwave for 30 to 90 seconds. Stirring half way through until desired temperature is reached.
How to Cook Bow Tie Pasta in the Instant Pot?
- Wash and dice mushrooms to small bite size piece
- Heat Instant Pot to saute' and wait until it reads "Hot"
- Add butter or Olive Oil
- Add Mushrooms to saute' for a few minutes
- Turn off Instant Pot
- Add Broth or Water and deglaze pot if needed
- Add Garlic, Pepper, Onion Power, Cream and Prosecco and give a quick stir
- Add Pasta and make sure pasta is evenly distributed in bottom of pot
- Close lid and set to Manual (Pressure Cook) for 4 minutes. Allow for a 4 minute Natural Release.
- Quick Release the remaining pressure and open lid
- Add Sun-dried tomatoes and freshly grated Parmesan Cheese and stir.
- Sauce will thicken as it cools.
Want more GREAT Disney Recipes?
- The Grey Stuff ~ From Beauty and the Beast Resturant at Disney World
- Mickey Mouse Candy Dipped Oreos
- Caramel Bars - Epcot
- Mickey Churro Cookies
Kitchen Secrets for Bow Tie Noodles
Not all noodles are the same quality. Choose your brand wisely for the best flavor, and texture. I like Barilla Pasta or DeCecco Pasta.
Slice your Sun Dried Tomatoes in thin strips. If they are too long of strips, then cut each strip in half. Nice strips are perfect in this recipe and give great balance of flavors.
Using a pressure cooker while cooking bowtie noodles allows the noodles to absorb the liquid they are cooked in. Using chicken broth gives the noodles extra flavor. YUM!
Looking for more GREAT Pasta Recipes?
- Ramen Pad Thai
- Alfredo Sauce
- Fiesta Chicken and Pasta Casserole
- Mac and Cheese Bites
- Mushroom Garlic Noodles
- Pasta with Zucchini and Cheery Tomatoes
- Teriyaki Noodles
Creamy Bowtie Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 8 oz Bowtie Pasta - Farfalla Pasta
- 1 cup mushrooms
- 2 tbs butter or Olive Oil
- ¼ cup Sun-dried Tomatoes
- 1 ¾ Cups Chicken Broth or Water
- ½ Cup Heavy Cream
- ¼ Cup Prosecco - sparkling wine
- 1 teaspoon garlic
- ¼ teaspoon Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
- ⅓ - ½ Cup shredded Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
- Over Medium/high heat, heat broth to a boil and add farfalla pasta. Add enough water to broth to cover pasta by at least 1 inch Stir to prevent sticking and allow to cook based on package directions.
- Rinse and drain pasta reserving ½ - ¾ cup of pasta water
- Wash and dice mushrooms to small bite size piece at set aside
- In a saute pan over medium heat, add olive oil or butter and saute mushrooms and minced garlic until soft and tender
- Add Farfalla Pasta back to pot with garlic and mushrooms and add Garlic, Pepper, & Onion Powder, heavy cream, and Prosecco and give a stir.
- Stir in Sun Dried Tomatoes and grated parmesan cheese. The heat from the pasta will melt the parmesan cheese. Stir gently until all combined.
- If sauce is too thick, add a tablespoon or two of pasta water at a time to get desired consistency
- Sauce will thicken as it cools.
Notes
Nutrition Disclaimer
All nutrition values are approximate and calculated by a plugin and are provided as a courtesy. Adding or subtracting ingredients will change the nutritional value.
Stewball
is the farfale pasta to be cooked separately or in the saucepan with the delicious sauce.
I will be cooking it om the. stove. do you.have any advice for me?
Devour Dinner
Hi, if you cook this recipe on the stovetop, I would cook the pasta separate and then make the sauce in a separate pan. Of course you will need to adjust the recipe a little bit. The thin liquid (water or broth) to cook the pasta in the pressure cooker will change considerably.
Sarah J
This is one of my go-to recipes, so easy to make! I don’t care for mushrooms that much so I omit them, but if you do, I recommend removing 1/4-1/2 of the chicken broth as you won’t need it for deglazing, which keeps it creamy instead of runny.
Debbie
Wow this was super good and easy to make ! I didn’t have the tomatoes and could not add onion or garlic ! Still super .looking forward to making this again adding the tomatoes! Thanks again for a great recipe 😎
Devour Dinner
You are very welcome Debbie, it's a delicious recipe. I love it too
Cindy Reina
I have 12 oz of pasta - not 8 oz as the recipe calls for. Would I need to add 1/2 more of each ingredient?
Devour Dinner
Hi Cindy! If you wish to use more pasta you would need to increase the other ingredients as well including the broth/water!
Devourdinnerfan
I have some sundried tomatoes that need used and this recipe looks perfect! Going to try it this week and I will let you know how it goes. Excited to try it!!
Devour Dinner
I hope you enjoyed this recipe!
Yumi
We absolutely love this recipe, even my picky eater children approved! They just devoure this pasta every time I make it. We always double the amount in the recipe and add some shrimp in it. So easy and so yummy. Thank you for this amazing recipe!
Devour Dinner
Thanks for the 5-star review. Bowtie Pasta is among my favorite too and I secretly love that it's a Disney recipe too!
Ellen
I can see why this is a favorite! It sounds delicious.
Devour Dinner
Hi Ellen, it is a great recipe and so easy too.
Karen
Such a great tip on reheating pasta! This looks delicious!
Liz @ Books n' Cooks
Love this - I'll be happy for a vegetarian pasta dish and my husband will love that creamy sauce
Julie
We put this together as soon as we saw the pictures and weren't disappointed one bit! It's so creamy and flavorful and easy enough for a week-night meal!
Colleen - Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck
Sounds like a pretty great weeknight dish! Easy, creamy, and oh so delicious!
Dorothy Reinhold
I love how sun dried tomatoes pack such a huge flavor punch in dishes like this. This will be a hit at my house!
Amy (Savory Moments)
This pasta dish looks super flavorful and really yummy. I know my whole family would enjoy it.
Colleen
What do you think about substituting the sun-dried tomatoes with fresh tomatoes? I’m not crazy about sun-dried tomatoes
Devour Dinner
Hi Colleen, you could certainly try to substitute the Sun Dried Tomatoes with fresh. It would change the flavor and texture just a little but I'm sure it would be delicious!
Cory
Hello! How would you go about doubling this recipe? I’ve read elsewhere that you typically have a similar cooking time, but would like some advice to make sure I don’t ruin a double portion of one of our favorite dishes!
Devour Dinner
Hi Cory, to double this recipe, make sure to double all the ingredients. The cooking time would stay the same.
DMF
This looks perfect but could I use Shrimp and scallions instead of chicken?
Devour Dinner
You can sure add any cooked protein you like to this recipe. The recipe does not call for Chicken, so the cook times only reflect the ingredients listed but would be delicious with shrimp too!
Chris tine
Thank you for this recipe this is my kind of dish easy flavorful and good for someone with a new instant pot to try.
My only question is adding the cream before it's pressurized seem to make it curdle.. what it be better to add the cream after the 4-minute pressure release?? I want to try it again.. oh and I did use half and half instead of heavy cream but it still looks like it curdled.
It tasted fine and I found I was a little short on the parmesan amount and ended up using a little bit of mozzarella. It was still delicious. I have seen other recipes talk about an issue adding cream before the cooking was done instead of waiting until after.. I would like your ideas on this
Devour Dinner
Hi Christine, Heavy Cream has enough fat content that it doesn't curddle. However Half and Half would not have enough fat content. The liquid from the cream is used to cook the pasta.
Susan
If i added some chicken would you do it with cooked chicken or add it to be cooked in the instant pot? How much added time would you add
Devour Dinner
Hi Susan,
For this recipe I have used cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken and I throw it in after the cooking process has completed. If you want to use raw chicken, I would suggest first to saute the chicken until no longer pink. Then remove the chicken and add the pasta and liquids etc. Throw the chicken on top of the pasta and cook with the same time. As long as the chicken is cubed and small bite size pieces it will be fully cooked and reach the desired 165 degree internal temperature. Let me know if you have more questions! It's delicious!
Malen Braswell
Could this same revipe for the sauce be done on the stove top?
Devour Dinner
Hi Malen!
This recipe could easily be made on the stove top. Another great way to make this recipe for sure!
Jennifer
If I omit the mushrooms, can I skip to #6, or will I lose too much flavor? I'm not crazy about mushrooms. Thank you!
Devour Dinner
Hi Jennifer, you can omit the mushrooms if you wish. They do of course add flavor, however it will still be delicious!
Jeanette
Do I need to add more cooking time if I cook 1 lb of pasta? Thank you!
Devour Dinner
Hi Jeanette,
The cook time would stay the same if you doubled the recipe. Make sure to double all the ingredients!
Rachel
Just curious - what do you use when cooking? The Prosecco or the chicken broth? Thanks!
Devour Dinner
Hi Rachel! I have actually used both! 😉
Susanna
Could one replace the Prosecco with something else?
Susanna
Oops...just saw that it can be replaced with chicken stock.
Christy
I just tried this recipe. Oh my; it is so delicious! I'm bookmarking it. The technique for cooking pasta in the Instant Pot is a game changer and the flavors in this particular recipe play really well together.
I'm a huge Disney fan (never been on a cruise, but love WDW & DL), so to find out a Disney chef came up with this is really cool and I knew it had to be good. Thank you for sharing!!
Devour Dinner
Hi Christy, As a fellow Disney fan a Disney Cruise is amazing and such a different experience than the parks. This was my favorite while onboard the Disney Wonder in Tritons Resturant onboard. I know why it's a Chef's recommendation. It's so good!
Devour Dinner
Hi Susanna! As you saw, you can replace the Prosecco with chicken broth. It's super tasty! Hope you enjoy it!
Penny
Would this be tasty as a cold pasta salad?
Devour Dinner
Hi Penny, This bowtie pasta is a hot pasta with a creamy sauce. It would not be as good served cold in my opinion.
Kristi
I’d like to add Chicken to this dish. How would you change the inspant pot directions?
Devour Dinner
Hi Kristi! Great Question... You could add chicken a couple of ways... You could first slice or cube the chicken and using the Saute' button, cook the chicken until no longer pink. Then follow the directions as listen. OR if you were using Chicken Tenders, you could follow the directions as listed through Step 8. Then place Chicken Tenders on top of the pasta, DO NOT STIR. I would change your cook time to 6 mins to ensure the chicken is fully cooked. It would be delicious! 😉