This Fall Pasta Salad is loaded with apples, cranberries, pecans, feta, and the most amazing poppy seed dressing. It’s been a reader favorite for years, and for good reason!
Author’s Notes
My Go-To Fall Pasta Salad
By the time September hits, I am making soup constantly! It’s my absolute favorite Fall dinner. That said, I’m always wanting something fresh and crunchy to serve alongside it and so that is where this salad comes in!
I created it with all my favorite fall flavors in one bowl: crisp apples, sweet cranberries, toasted pecans, feta, and a tangy poppy seed dressing. It’s fresh enough to balance out a big pot of soup, but still feels so perfect for fall.
I look forward to making this one a few times every fall, and it’s such a good side to bring to get-togethers. This is always a huge hit wherever I take it!
Featured Comment
“Making this salad for Thanksgiving for the 3rd straight year! Thought it was time to thank you for sharing it. It’s a crowd pleaser!”
– Carie
Fall Pasta Salad Ingredients
| Ingredient | Let’s Chat About It |
|---|---|
| Pasta & spinach | Use a small pasta shape & make sure it’s completely cooled before tossing with the spinach. |
| Apple & celery | I love the tartness Granny Smith adds to this salad, but Honeycrisp or Fuji work great too. |
| Mandarin oranges & dried cranberries | Drain canned oranges really well. Peeled clementines also work great in this Fall pasta salad. |
| Pecans & feta | Toast the pecans for extra flavor or use store-bought honey roasted pecans. |
| Poppy seed dressing | Shake everything together in a jar until well combined. Don’t dress this salad until you’re ready to eat! |
Variations
Make This Fall Pasta Salad Your Own!
- Add a perfectly ripe diced avocado.
- Make it more of a meal with diced chicken or thinly sliced steak.
- Swap the dried cranberries for dried tart cherries.
Chelsea’s Tips
Recipe Tips
- Salt the pasta water well: It’s your best chance to season the pasta itself.
- Dry ingredients well: Extra moisture can water down the dressing.
- Chop everything evenly: Cut the ingredients into smaller, similar-sized pieces.
Storage
Fall pasta salad is best eaten right away. Once dressed, the spinach wilts, apples brown & pecans lose their crunch.
If making ahead, keep everything separate & cut the apple right before serving. If the dressing thickens in the fridge, let it sit at room temperature for 15–20 minutes, then give it a good shake to re-emulsify.
What To Serve With This Salad:
Appetizers
Life-Changing No-Knead Dinner Rolls
Soups And Stews
Creamy Vegetable Soup
Soups And Stews
Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
Desserts
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Fall Pasta Salad
Video
Equipment
- Wide-mouth Mason Jar or other sealable container
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups uncooked pasta small
- 5 ounces fresh baby spinach half a 10-ounce bag, 6 cups
- 3/4 cup thinly sliced celery
- 1 large granny smith apple diced, see note 1
- 1 (15-ounce) can mandarin oranges drained, or 2 clementine oranges (peeled & segmented)
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup coarsely chopped pecans or honey-roasted pecans, see note 2
- Feta cheese optional
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 tablespoon poppy seeds
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Cook pasta: Bring 12 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt, then add pasta & cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain & rinse under cold water for about 25 seconds. Shake off excess water, then toss with a few tablespoons of the prepared dressing (see next step). Refrigerate until completely chilled.
- While the pasta cooks, add all dressing ingredients to a mason jar. Season to taste (I add 1/4 tsp each salt & pepper). Seal tightly & shake vigorously until well combined.
- In a very large bowl, toss the completely cooled pasta with the spinach. Add celery, apple, oranges, dried cranberries & pecans. Drizzle dressing over only the portion you plan to eat right away & toss to combine. Add feta to taste & enjoy immediately.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made this tonight. It was amazing. The whole bowl was gobbled up! Totally a make again!
So thrilled to hear that!! Thanks so much for the comment Jen 🙂
I made this salad and we loved it. I used 3 Tbsp. of sugar and followed the recipe. I did add chicken. Perfect week nigh dinner.
So glad to hear that! Thanks so much for the comment Deborah 🙂
I have been unable to find the recipe for candied pecans.
https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/triple-berry-spinach-salad-candied-pecans/
made this for my lunch today, and it was awesome! I scaled down the salad ingredients, but made the full portion of dressing, so now I have extra left for future salads. made it just like it is (didn’t add the optional feta), and I wouldn’t change a thing. perfection. 🙂
Yay!!! So great to hear! Glad you enjoyed this Tara! 🙂
great except for recommending to use vegetable oils that are detrimental to health. Just use olive oil and it’s good to go!
Yes, olive oil will work in this recipe, but personally I do like vegetable oil better 🙂
what other kind of pasta can you use , never heard of this kind of pasta .
Hey Marlene! You can really use any small shaped pasta 🙂 The more ridges, the better it absorbs the pasta. We’ve tried it with a few different kinds and it’s great!
This salad was absolutely AMAZING. My 15-year-old daughter (who is super picky) even took some in her lunch the next day. Added to the list for Thanksgiving…thank you so much!!!!
Oh yeah!!! SO great to hear! 🙂 Thanks for the comment and trying this recipe! I’m glad it makes it on the list for Thanksgiving 🙂
Has a very interesting look to it 🙂 —– very inviting & creative ….I really WANT to make it. Query…. What kind of pasta is that, never seen it before & want to buy it. TY! 🙂
Thank you so much Susie! That particular pasta is called orecchiette pasta 🙂
Thanks for the delicious salad recipe. Love the pasta in it. Definitely worth the extra 5 minutes to make the dressing. It’s a nice complement to the fruits as are the feta and toasted pecans. It’s a large salad so I served the dressing on the side so it will be good for another meal. Also, congratulations on your new baby!
Thank you so much, so sweet of you! 🙂 And SO glad you loved the salad, thanks for your comment and review 🙂
I made this salad today…DELICIOUS!!! If you think you don’t like feta (my Mom automatically said she didn’t like feta and wasn’t going to eat it) try it! The tartness of the feta was balanced by all the sweetness going on in the salad. Mom later tried it and loved it!!! We made it exactly according to the recipe and after the first helping (Yes! There were multiple helpings!!!) we added a little purple onion and some bacon. OMGOODNESS!!! So good! Thank you for this recipe!!! We’re adding this to our Thanksgiving lineup this year!
Yay!! Love this comment! 🙂 And I totally agree. We tried this again the other night and I could eat feta now (not pregnant anymore!!) and it was crazy good!! I love the idea of adding onion and bacon oh man that sounds good! 🙂