This weekend we attended a party that was potluck style. We agreed to bring a salad and I must admit that after all the holiday hoopla and cooking I really, really wanted to go the local deli and buy a salad and throw it in a pretty bowl. But....I didn't. Mostly because my biggest pet peeve with potlucks is when people just buy junk and even bring it in the store container! I so wasn't going to be THAT person.
I made this festive broccoli, grape pasta salad that I had bookmarked a few months ago. Although it is not the healthiest of dishes, it was outstanding. It is a bit time consuming but was worth it in the end--a huge hit at the party.
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I doubled the recipe below to make enough for a big group. It filled a large bowl nicely.
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 (16-oz.) package farfalle (bow-tie) pasta
- 1 pound fresh broccoli
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup diced red onion (*I used one medium onion)
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups seedless red grapes, halved (*I used probably 3-3.5 cups grapes)
- 8 cooked bacon slices, crumbled
Preparation
1. 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.
2. Prepare pasta according to package directions.
3. 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.
4. Whisk together mayonnaise and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl; add broccoli, hot cooked pasta, and grapes, and stir to coat. Cover and chill 3 hours. Stir bacon and pecans into salad just before serving.
And because she is so darn cute and I am absolutely smitten about her is a current picture of Miss Paisley Mae. She is almost seven months. She is the sweetest little thing on the planet if I do say so myself.
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