Delicious spinach pasta salad with cranberries, pecans, apple, and mandarin orange

Autumn Crunch Pasta Salad: A simple pasta and spinach salad with tart apples, crisp celery, toasted pecans, sweet dried cranberries, and juicy oranges. This salad is dressed with a simple poppyseed vinaigrette.

Overhead image of the autumn crunch pasta salad with spoons in it

Autumn Crunch Pasta Salad

We’re all obsessed with a good pasta salad at my home. And with Fall on the mind, I thought it would be great to combine a pasta salad with seasonal fruits and veggies like apples, cranberries, and pecans. Fall salad essentials!

This salad has it all — flavor, sweetness, and texture and we can’t get enough of it! Today I’m sharing plenty of tips to making the best pasta salad along with some variation ideas. Let’s get started!

Process shots-- images of the pasta being cooked, spinach being prepped, and dressing being made

Quick Tips

  • Look for short pasta: Choose pasta that has plenty of nooks and crannies to catch as much of the dressing as possible. I use orecchiette pasta, but some other pastas that would work well is miniature farfelle, rotini, or small pasta shells.
  • Salt the pasta water: Since this Autumn Crunch Pasta Salad is eaten cold, the flavors tend to get muted. Make sure the pasta is well-salted as it cooks, since salting is the only chance you have to season the actual pasta. Don’t be afraid to add more salt to the finished salad if it needs it. Read about how to properly salt your pasta water here.
  • Cook the pasta to al dente: Since the pasta sits in dressing, it has a tendency to get soggy if overcooked. Pasta also gets a little firmer when served cold, so don’t under cook it! I cook it right to the package directions of what al dente is.
  • The dressing can easily be adjusted to personal preference. Give it a quick taste test and slightly adapt if needed — you may want to add a bit more sugar if you like dressings on the sweeter side. On the flip side, if you’re worried about dressing sweetness, you may want to reduce the sugar.

Process shots-- images of the dressing being poured over the salad and photos off each element of the salad

Autumn Crunch Pasta Salad Variation Ideas

  • Add a creamy element, such as a ripe avocado. Since avocados don’t hold up well in the salad, if you add them, add to individual plates right before serving.
  • Add chicken. Either leftover cooked chicken, a rotisserie chicken, or some diced grilled chicken (use this delicious chicken marinade).
  • For an additional creamy element (beyond the cheese), add a diced or thinly sliced avocado
  • Swap out dried tart cherries for the dried cranberries
  • Use goat cheese instead of feta cheese
  • Swap out candied pecans for the toasted pecans

How To Toast Pecans

Pour the (un-chopped) pecans into an even layer in a small, dry (no need to add oil or anything) skillet over medium-heat and stir them around a bit until they are fragrant and toasted to your liking.

Watch the pecans carefully; they can go from perfectly cooked to burnt in an instant! I like to remove them as soon as they begin to smell fragrant.

Up close overhead image of the autumn crunch pasta salad dressed and ready to be eaten

Autumn Crunch Pasta Salad Storage

  • Unfortunately this Autumn Crunch Pasta Salad doesn’t sit or store well once dressed. The dressing will wilt the spinach, the apples begin to brown, and the pecans get soggy once dressed.
  • The salad can be made in advance as long as everything is stored separately and the apple is cut right before enjoying. Assemble and add the dressing right before eating.
  • If you do make the dressing in advance, don’t be alarmed if it clumps and separates in the fridge (the clumps are the fats (oil) separating and solidifying). To fix this simply shake the dressing together again until smooth (If it’s still clumpy, let it stand at room temperature for 15-20 minutes and then shake again).

More Delicious Seasonal Salads

4.97 from 29 votes

Autumn Crunch Pasta Salad

Autumn Crunch Pasta Salad brings together tart apples, crisp celery, toasted pecans, sweet cranberries, and juicy oranges with pasta and spinach. A light poppyseed vinaigrette ties it together for a fresh, fall-inspired dish!
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6 servings, as a side

Equipment

  • Mason jar or other sealable container
  • Large bowl

Ingredients 
 

  • 1-1/2 cups dry small pasta
  • 5 ounces fresh spinach half a 10-ounce bag, 6 cups
  • 3/4 cup chopped celery
  • 1 large Granny Smith Apple
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 (15-ounce) can drained mandarin oranges or 2 mandarin oranges
  • 3/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/3 cup pecans coarsely chopped, see note 1
  • Feta cheese optional

Dressing

  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 tablespoon poppy seeds
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions 

  • Cook pasta according to package directions to al dente. Boil pasta in salted water (1 teaspoon salt per 4 cups water)โ€”this is what seasons the pasta!
  • While pasta cooks, add all ingredients under โ€œDressingโ€ to a mason jar and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Seal and shake vigorously to combine.
  • Once cooked, drain pasta and immediately toss with a few tablespoons of dressing, then chill dressed pasta in fridge.
  • Meanwhile, thinly slice celery, thinly slice or chop apple and toss with lemon juice, and peel oranges or drain from the can.
  • In a very large bowl, toss the completely cooled pasta with the spinach. Add in celery, apple, oranges, dried cranberries, and coarsely chopped pecans. Drizzle dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Add feta cheese to personal preference and enjoy immediately.

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: If desired, toast the pecans. Let completely cool and then coarsely chop before adding into the salad.
  • To toast pecans: If you want to toast the pecans, place them in a single layer in a dry saucepan (donโ€™t add anything) over medium heat. Stir constantly until the nuts are barely fragrantโ€”just a couple of minutes. Watch carefully as the nuts are very easily scorched/burned.
Storage: This salad isnโ€™t great leftover. If you arenโ€™t eating this immediately, keep the ingredients separate from the dressing and only toss with the dressing right before eating. Top with pecans and feta after dressing the salad.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 234kcal | Carbohydrates: 33.7g | Protein: 3.5g | Fat: 10.8g | Sodium: 24mg | Fiber: 3.3g | Sugar: 17.2g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Meet Chelsea


Hi there! Iโ€™m Chelseaโ€“the recipe developer, photographer, writer, and taste tester behind Chelseaโ€™s Messy Apron (although my little ones help me out quite a bit with the taste testing part!). I LOVE getting creative in the kitchen and then posting my creations here for you to enjoy.

Thanks again for stopping by!

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4.97 from 29 votes (10 ratings without comment)

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88 Comments

  1. Mark and Connie says:

    Need to try .

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      I hope you enjoy! ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. Deborah Jepma says:

    Have you tried this salad with candied pecans or do you think they would be too sweet for this salad?

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      Since the dressing is so sweet and there is a lot of fruit in this salad, I think the candied pecans would make it too sweet!

  3. Joanne says:

    I’d like to make this for my sister who is returning home after a trip. What can I do w/ the apples so they won’t brown b/c I will leave her the dressing on the side (so the salad won’t get wilted)?

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      I’d either cut it and add a bit extra lemon to the apple or just leave the apple with the salad for her to cut into the salad if it’s going to be a while before she gets to it!

  4. Lynn says:

    Hi Chelsea! This looks perfect to take to my nephew’s engagement party on Saturday. I’m sure we won’t be eating right away. Are there ingredients that I can combine ahead of time so I don’t have to bring everything in separate containers? Thank you!

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      You can add the pasta, celery, cranberries, and mandarin oranges to one container; nuts and cheese in separate bags, and spinach, apple and dressing separately. Enjoy!

  5. Vanessa says:

    Thanks for sharing! The vinaigrette keep long?

  6. Suzanne says:

    This looks so good! Do you use this vinaigrette for any other recipes?

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      I don’t.

  7. Carie says:

    5 stars
    Making this salad for Thanksgiving for the 3rd straight year! Thought it was time to thank you for sharing it. Itโ€™s a crowd pleaser!

    1. chelseamessyapron says:

      Ahh that makes me so happy!! It’s always at our Thanksgiving dinner too! Thanks Carie! ๐Ÿ™‚

  8. Maureen says:

    5 stars
    Loved it..I also added strawberries, pineapple chunks, blue cheese crumbles,. Dressing was wonderful will definitely be making it again

    1. chelseamessyapron says:

      Ooh that sounds seriously amazing!! I’m so glad you enjoyed! Thanks Maureen! ๐Ÿ™‚

  9. Manjela says:

    5 stars
    Delicious! I used less sugar though!

  10. Laura Sanchez says:

    5 stars
    My family and I loved it! this recipe was easy to make and cheap. Thank you Chelsea.

    1. chelseamessyapron says:

      So happy to hear that! Thanks for the comment Laura ๐Ÿ™‚