Savory Apple & Broccoli Pasta Salad
Looking for a delicious Broccoli pasta salad recipe? Whether you need a new recipe for a picnic or get together or just want a healthy pasta salad to serve with lunch or dinner, you are going to love this Savory Apple & Broccoli Pasta Salad.
Heading to a BBQ? Try my Italian Pasta Salad, Chicken Shish Kabob, Taco Salad Dip,Best Deviled Eggs and my personal favorite Mexican Corn Salad.
I love a good pasta salad. I recently served savory apple and broccoli pasta salad on a buffet. It’s a simple and delicious salad to make, with healthy ingredients, and a dressing that blends all the flavors together in a light and tangy dish. Everyone was asking for the recipe.
What to Serve with Broccoli Pasta Salad
This pasta salad is a great choice to serve as a meal itself but it can also be used as a side dish. What can you serve with this cold pasta salad? Consider:
- Grilled Honey Chicken
- Chicken Salad
- Garlic Lemon Chicken
- Manwich
- Instant Pot Philly Cheesesteak Sliders
Variation to Broccoli Pasta Salad
- Add Chicken: If you want to serve this as the main dish, but want more protein to it, you can add cooked chicken breast.
- Noodles: If you don’t have fettuccine you can use any pasta you like.
- Apples: You can change the type of apples used in this recipe. You can use green apples, like granny smith, for a more tangy taste.
Ingredients for Broccoli Pasta Salad
- Broccoli
- Fettuccine
- Honey Crisp Apple
- Carrots
- Celery
- Golden Raisins
- Green onions
- Bacon
- Hellmann’s Mayonnaise
- Sugar
- Rice wine vinegar
- Lemon juice
- Garlic
- Salt & Pepper
How to Make Savory Apple & Broccoli Pasta Salad
With a paring knife, cut the Broccoli crown (that’s the fluffy looking bright green part on top) away from the stem. Set stem aside. Pull the crown florets apart, and then cut the small florets away from the small stems that are holding them, and you should end up with
Make the Pasta
In a medium stock pot filled ¾ full of hot water, bring the water to a boil, adding a little olive oil or butter and a pinch of salt to the water. Break the Fettuccine into 2 inch pieces, and place in boiling water. Turn the heat to low, and cook for 6 minutes, or until pasta is Al Dente (done, but still a little firm). When Fettuccine is cooked, remove from water with a slotted spoon, or pasta strainer, to a dish, and place the Broccoli in the pasta water. Bring the water to a boil, and then turn down the heat to low, and cook two minutes. Drain broccoli in the colander, and set aside to cool. While the Fettuccine and broccoli are cooling, wash and peel the carrots, and either grate them on a grater, or shred them in the food processor. Wash and slice the celery. Peel and chop the red onion, and green onions.
Place the cooled, drained broccoli and the Fettuccine in a serving dish, and add the carrot, celery, and red and green onion, and place dish in the refrigerator.
Make the Dressing
Prepare the dressing: In a small bowl, with a whisk, add the Hellmann’s Mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper and whisk all together until well blended, and place in the refrigerator. Wash and chop the apple, and add to the salad.
Immediately pour the dressing over the salad, and add the raisins, and toss all ingredients together to coat the pasta and vegetables in the dressing. Place the salad back in the refrigerator. (OPTIONAL: Cook the bacon, and drain on paper towels. When bacon has cooled, and right before serving the salad, crumble the bacon over the top of the salad). Serve as a side dish, on a buffet, or as a starter in place of lettuce salad. Enjoy!
Savory Apple & Broccoli Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 head of Broccoli – prepared instructions below
- 16 ounce package of Fettuccine – broken into 2 inch pieces
- 1 Honey Crisp Apple – washed and chopped
- 2 large carrots – peeled and grated
- 4 stalks of celery – washed and sliced
- 1 small red onion – peeled and chopped
- 1 cup of golden raisins
- ½ cup of green onions
- OPTIONAL – 12 strips of bacon – cooked and crumbled
FOR THE DRESSING:
- 1 cup of Hellmann’s Mayonnaise
- ¾ cup of sugar
- 5 Tablespoons of Rice wine vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon of fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon of minced garlic
- ⅛ teaspoon of salt
- ⅛ teaspoon of pepper
Instructions
- With a paring knife, cut the Broccoli crown (that’s the fluffy looking bright green part on top) away from the stem. Set stem aside. Pull the crown florets apart, and then cut the small florets away from the small stems that are holding them, and you should end up with bite-size florets. Take the large stem you set aside and cut both ends off and discard. Slice the remaining stem into bite-size pieces, and put all the Broccoli, stems and floret pieces, in a colander, and thoroughly wash under cold running water until clean. Let drain in a colander. In a medium stock pot filled ¾ full of hot water, bring the water to a boil, adding a little olive oil or butter and a pinch of salt to the water.
- Break the Fettuccine into 2-inch pieces, and place in boiling water. Turn the heat to low, and cook for 6 minutes, or until pasta is Al Dente (done, but still a little firm). When Fettuccine is cooked, remove from water with a slotted spoon, or pasta strainer, to a dish, and place the Broccoli in the pasta water. Bring the water to a boil, and then turn down the heat to low, and cook two minutes. Drain broccoli in the colander, and set aside to cool. While the Fettuccine and broccoli are cooling, wash and peel the carrots, and either grate them on a grater or shred them in the food processor. Wash and slice the celery. Peel and chop the red onion, and green onions.
- Place the cooled, drained broccoli and the Fettuccine in a serving dish, and add the carrot, celery, and red and green onion, and place dish in the refrigerator. Prepare the dressing: In a small bowl, with a whisk, add the Hellmann’s Mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper and whisk all together until well blended, and place in the refrigerator. Wash and chop the apple, and add to the salad. Immediately pour the dressing over the salad, and add the raisins, and toss all ingredients together to coat the pasta and vegetables in the dressing. Place the salad back in the refrigerator. (OPTIONAL: Cook the bacon, and drain on paper towels. When bacon has cooled, and right before serving the salad, crumble the bacon over the top of the salad). Serve as a side dish, on a buffet, or as a starter in place of lettuce salad. Enjoy!
