Description
A refreshing and colorful pasta salad featuring bow-tie pasta, crunchy broccoli, sweet grapes, toasted pecans, and crispy bacon, tossed in a creamy honey apple cider vinegar dressing. Perfect for potlucks, picnics, or as a flavorful side dish.
Ingredients
Scale
Salad Ingredients
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
- 1 lb broccoli
- 1/3 cup red onion, chopped
- 8 oz bow-tie pasta
- 2 cups seedless red grapes, cut in half
- 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
Dressing Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Toast Pecans: Preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange pecans on a sheet pan in a single layer and bake for 7 minutes, stirring halfway through, until lightly toasted. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
- Cook Pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add bow-tie pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain the pasta and keep it warm if possible.
- Prepare Broccoli: Chop broccoli by cutting heads into bite-sized florets. Peel the tougher outside of the stems with a vegetable peeler and finely chop the stems.
- Mix Salad Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, grapes, chopped red onion, and broccoli florets and stems.
- Make Dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, honey, apple cider vinegar, salt, and black pepper until smooth and well combined.
- Toss Salad: Pour the dressing over the pasta mixture and toss thoroughly to coat all ingredients evenly.
- Chill Salad: Cover the bowl and refrigerate the pasta salad for at least 3 hours to allow flavors to meld.
- Add Bacon and Pecans: Just before serving, stir in the cooked crumbled bacon and toasted pecans for added texture and flavor.
- Serve: Serve chilled and enjoy your delicious Calistoga Pasta Salad!
Notes
- Toast pecans carefully to avoid burning; stir halfway through baking for even toasting.
- Use warm pasta when adding dressing for better absorption of flavors.
- Substitute mayonnaise with a vegan alternative for a vegan version.
- Cook bacon to your desired crispiness and drain well to prevent sogginess in the salad.
- Chilling the salad overnight intensifies the flavors and makes it even better.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 16 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 9 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
