There is pasta salad… and then there is pasta salad that’s so memorable you think about it long after you’ve left the party or potluck. This Calistoga Pasta Salad is definitely the latter. The unique combination of ingredients — grapes, bacon, broccoli — and the sweet-tangy creamy dressing set it apart from other potluck fare. It has crunch, it has creaminess, it has sweetness, saltiness, and tang… this salad has it all and it does it in a beautifully balanced way.

What Ingredients Are in Calistoga Pasta Salad?

It’s not a terribly long list! You’ll need:

• A short pasta. I like bowties.
• Pecans.
• Broccoli.
• Red onion.
• Bacon.
• Grapes. I like red here.
• Mayo.
• Honey.
• Apple cider vinegar.

The last three are for the very simple — but very delicious — dressing.

How Do You Make Calistoga Pasta Salad?

You have probably made pasta salad before and so most of this is probably pretty self-explanatory. You boil the pasta, and then you mix everything together. Done? Yes! But there are a few steps to go over and a few things we can elaborate on.

First things first, you want to toast your pecans. You can do this while the pasta boils and you can easily do it in the oven by spreading out the pecans on a sheet pan and baking them for just five minutes or so. It enhances the flavor significantly and it’s really not adding extra time to the process.

This salad is unique in that it’s kind of a combo between a broccoli salad and a pasta salad. Some people like their broccoli salads raw, some like them blanched. Here, I’m leaving it raw, but you can always throw in the broccoli for the last minute of pasta cooking time if you want to take the raw edge off of it. We’re also aiming to use all the broccoli here. I like to chop the head into small florets and then peel the stem and chop the stem up to mix into the salad as well. It’s a slightly different flavor than the florets and it rounds out the salad nicely. Plus, no waste!

When you’re ready to mix everything together, it’s best if you can manage it while the pasta is still warm. This helps the pasta absorb more of the flavor from the dressing while it’s still more porous. Then, you can chill it all until you’re ready to serve.

If you’re bringing it to a party, I recently learned of a great tip:
Place a piece of parchment paper over the top of the salad, place the pecans and bacon on top of that, and cover it with plastic wrap. Travel to the party, picnic, or potluck like that and when you’re ready to serve, simply remove the plastic and parchment and stir everything together. It keeps the pecans and bacon nice and crisp until you’re ready to eat!