Description
Celebrate the harvest season with this vibrant and refreshing pasta salad. Featuring crisp Fuji apples, toasted pecans, and tender pasta tossed in a zesty, homemade poppyseed vinaigrette, this dish is a perfect blend of sweet, savory, and crunch. It serves as an ideal light lunch or a stunning side dish for autumn gatherings, offering a lighter alternative to traditional mayo-heavy salads.
Ingredients
1.5 cups fusilli or penne pasta
10 ounces fresh baby spinach
2 medium Fuji apples, thinly sliced
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup pecans, toasted
1 cup mandarin oranges, drained
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon poppyseeds
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions until al dente.
Drain the pasta and rinse under cold water to cool completely.
In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, poppyseeds, and lemon juice to create the dressing.
Add the cooled pasta, spinach, chopped celery, dried cranberries, and mandarin oranges to the bowl.
Fold in the sliced apples and toasted pecans gently.
Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss well to coat.
Season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.
Notes
To prevent apples from browning, toss the sliced apples in a little lemon juice before adding them to the salad. You can prepare the dressing and chop the vegetables in advance, but assemble the salad just before serving to ensure the spinach remains crisp.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Boiling and Mixing
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 14g
- Sodium: 85mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5g
- Carbohydrates: 42g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 0mg