Fall Pasta Salad

Rotini pasta tossed with grated carrots, broccoli, pecans, and cranberries.

Fall pasta salad is an easy and flavorful side dish to serve at your next fall gathering. Seasonal ingredients like broccoli, pecans, and cranberries are tossed with pasta in a flavorful homemade vinaigrette and served cold.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Resting Time 1

Total Time 1 20

Servings servings

Author Heather

Ingredients

Pasta salad

8 ounces rotini pasta uncooked
½ cup chopped pecans
½ cup dried cranberries
1 small red onion diced
2 carrots grated
2 cups chopped broccoli florets

Vinaigrette dressing

½ cup olive oil
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

Pasta salad

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta according to package directions for al dente pasta. Drain and rinse with cold water until pasta is room temperature. Place pasta in a large bowl.
Add pecans, cranberries, onion, carrot, and broccoli to pasta and toss to combine. Set aside.

Vinaigrette dressing

In a separate bowl, add olive oil, vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Whisk to combine.
Pour over salad ingredients and toss until evenly coated. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving. Pasta salad will keep for 2-3 days, refrigerated in a sealed container. Pasta WILL continue to soak up the dressing the longer it sits, so it may need a splash of olive oil and vinegar if it has been sitting for several hours.

Video

Notes

Make ahead: Store your salad ingredients and dressing ingredients separately. An hour before serving, add your dressing and toss to coat.
Pasta salad getting dry? Add a splash of olive oil and vinegar to your salad, then toss to coat. Pasta will continue soaking up dressing as it sets, and is best served within a few hours.
Maple syrup substitute: Maple syrup can be substituted with honey (recipe is no longer vegan using honey).
Nut variations: Pecans can be substituted with walnuts or sliced almonds.
Vinegar substitute: Apple cider vinegar can be substituted with red wine vinegar.

Nutrition