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Thursday, March 15, 2012

Broccoli, Grape, & Pasta Salad


Being a pasta salad lover, when I saw this recipe on Pinterest it immediately made it on my dinners-to-try board. I just got around to trying it this week. Yum. I love it when I actually make/do something I see on Pinterest. It makes me feel so accomplished, even though I've wasted more time on there than I care to say. I love broccoli salad, and I love pasta salad. So, for me, this was a match made in heaven. The hubs doesn't love raw broccoli, or nuts, or grapes in his salad, so I was being selfish and kind of just making this for me, but it turns out he did like it! He even had seconds of this salad. I love the sweetness of this dressing with the crumbled bacon. It just works for me. Anyway, with the warmer weather we've been having here in Oklahoma lately, we paired this salad with some salmon and it was the perfect springtime supper! I think I'll see it popping up lots in our summer menu as well.




Broccoli, Grape, & Pasta Salad
Printable Version
Ingredients: 


1 cup chopped pecans
8 ounces farfalle (bow-tie) pasta (next time I’ll use the mini bow-ties)
1 pound fresh broccoli 
¾ cup mayonnaise 
⅓ cup sugar 
⅓ cup diced red onion
⅓ cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt 
2 cups seedless red grapes, halved 
8 cooked bacon slices, crumbled (or bacon bits)


Directions:


Preheat oven to 350°. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through. You could also used sunflower nuts, or slivered almonds...whatever floats your boat. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta and immediately rinse in cold water. Meanwhile, cut broccoli florets from stems, and separate florets into small pieces using tip of a paring knife. Peel away tough outer layer of stems, and finely chop stems.Whisk together mayonnaise and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl; add broccoli, cooked pasta, and grapes, and stir to coat. Cover and chill 3 hours. Stir bacon and pecans into salad just before serving.


Recipe Source: Adapted slightly from Southern Living via Pinterest
(P.S. go check out the original picture--it looks way better!)

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