Description
A delightful Calistoga Pasta Salad featuring toasted pecans, fresh broccoli, sweet grapes, crispy bacon, and a tangy honey-mayonnaise dressing. Perfect for potlucks, picnics, or as a refreshing side dish.
Ingredients
Scale
Salad
- 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
- 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 the 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 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: While the pasta cooks, chop the broccoli by cutting the florets into bite-sized pieces. Peel the stems with a vegetable peeler and finely chop the stems.
- Combine Salad Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the hot cooked pasta, broccoli florets and stems, seedless red grapes, and chopped red onion.
- 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 gently to coat all ingredients evenly.
- Chill: Cover the bowl and refrigerate the salad for at least 3 hours to allow flavors to meld and salad to chill.
- Add Bacon and Pecans: Just before serving, stir in the cooked and crumbled bacon and toasted pecans to maintain their crisp texture.
- Serve and Enjoy: Serve chilled as a refreshing main or side dish.
Notes
- For extra crunch, toast the pecans but watch closely to avoid burning.
- Cook pasta just until al dente to keep texture firm in the salad.
- Use seedless red grapes for better texture and less mess.
- Chill the salad well to enhance the flavor blend and crispness.
- Bacon can be substituted with turkey bacon or omitted for a vegetarian option.
- Mayonnaise-based dressing can be swapped for a lighter yogurt-based alternative if preferred.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
