Are you searching for the ultimate, modern, and crowd-pleasing side dish for your holiday table? A stunning, jewel-toned salad so vibrant, so packed with the flavors of the season, and so unbelievably simple to make ahead, it will become your new secret weapon for a stress-free Thanksgiving? This incredible, from-scratch-tasting Thanksgiving Pasta Salad is that perfect recipe. We’re talking tender pasta, tossed with sweet, caramelized roasted vegetables, chewy cranberries, and crunchy pistachios, all enveloped in a luscious, creamy, and tangy maple-tahini dressing.
This isn’t just another pasta salad recipe; it’s your definitive guide to a show-stopping side that looks and tastes like a gourmet masterpiece but is secretly simple to assemble. We’ll show you the crucial professional secrets to perfectly roasted vegetables and a beautifully balanced dressing that will have everyone reaching for seconds. This is a satisfying, refreshing, and deeply impressive dish that is perfect for your Thanksgiving or Christmas feast.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Recipe Overview: The Ultimate Festive & Easy Holiday Side Dish
What makes this Thanksgiving Pasta Salad so spectacularly delicious is its incredible combination of textures and its perfectly balanced, sweet, savory, and tangy flavors. This recipe is a masterpiece of festive, efficient cooking. The base of the salad is a hearty rotini pasta, which is the perfect vessel for catching the delicious, creamy dressing. The classic Thanksgiving flavors come from a beautiful medley of deeply caramelized, roasted sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts, seasoned with fresh sage and thyme. The real magic, however, is the from-scratch creamy tahini dressing, a quick and easy blender sauce that gets its sweet and tangy notes from maple syrup and red wine vinegar. The final, festive touches are a generous handful of crunchy pistachios and chewy, sweet-tart dried cranberries.
| Metric | Time / Level |
| Total Time | 1 hour 15 minutes |
| Active Prep Time | 30 minutes |
| Difficulty Level | Easy |
| Servings | 8-10 |
The Flavors of the Feast: The Essential Ingredients
This iconic dish uses a handful of high-quality, simple ingredients to create its signature rich and vibrant flavor.
- The Roasted Vegetables (The Stars of the Show!):
- Sweet Potatoes & Brussels Sprouts: This is the “holy trinity” of Thanksgiving vegetables! Roasting them in a hot oven with classic holiday herbs like sage and thyme brings out their natural sweetness and creates a deep, caramelized flavor that is completely irresistible.
- The Pasta & Greens:
- Rotini: The fun, corkscrew shape of rotini pasta is the perfect choice for this salad, as its spirals are brilliant at trapping the creamy dressing.
- Tuscan Kale: The brilliant secret to perfectly tender kale with zero extra cooking! By tossing the thinly sliced kale with the hot, freshly cooked pasta, you are using the residual heat to gently wilt and tenderize the tough leaves.
- The Creamy Tahini Dressing:
- Tahini: This is the secret to an unbelievably creamy, dairy-free dressing!1 Tahini is a classic Middle Eastern condiment made from ground sesame seeds, and it provides a wonderful, nutty flavor and a rich, luscious base.2
- The Quick-Pickled Onions: A fantastic professional trick! By letting your diced red onions sit in the red wine vinegar for a few minutes, you are mellowing out their sharp, raw bite and giving them a beautiful, bright pink color.
The Chef’s Secrets: The Masterclass for a Perfect Pasta Salad
This recipe uses two simple but brilliant professional techniques that guarantee a flawless, impressive result.
- High-Heat Roasting is KEY!: The secret to vegetables that are beautifully browned and caramelized (and not just steamed and soggy) is to roast them in a hot, preheated oven. The high heat is the key that allows the natural sugars in the vegetables to caramelize, which creates a deep, sweet, and nutty flavor. Don’t overcrowd the pan!
- Use That Pasta Water!: The number one, restaurant-quality secret to a perfectly creamy and emulsified dressing is starchy pasta water! The cloudy water that your pasta has been cooking in is packed with starches. When you whisk this “liquid gold” into your tahini, it acts as a magical emulsifier, creating an unbelievably smooth, silky, and creamy sauce that clings perfectly to your pasta.
Step-by-Step to the Best Thanksgiving Pasta Salad
This elegant, festive side dish is a joy to prepare.
Part 1: The Art of the Perfectly Roasted Vegetables
Step 1: First, preheat your oven to a hot 450°F ($232^{\circ}C$).
Step 2: In a large bowl, toss your 1 pound each of diced sweet potatoes and halved Brussels sprouts with the 1/4 cup of olive oil, the 1 tablespoon each of chopped fresh sage and thyme, and 2 teaspoons of salt.
Step 3: Transfer the seasoned vegetables to a rimmed baking sheet in a single, even layer and roast for 30 to 35 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and beautifully browned in spots. Let them cool slightly.
Part 2: The Pasta, The Kale, and The Creamy Tahini Dressing
Step 1: In a large pot of generously salted water, cook your 1 pound of rotini pasta according to the package directions until it is al dente. Just before you drain the pasta, be sure to reserve at least 1/2 cup of the starchy pasta water.
Step 2 (The Kale Trick!): Drain the pasta well. Immediately place the hot pasta in a large bowl and add your 6 ounces of thinly sliced kale. Toss everything together until the kale turns bright green and begins to soften and wilt from the heat of the pasta. Let this cool completely.
Step 3: To make the dressing, in a small bowl, add your 1/2 finely diced red onion and pour the 6 tablespoons of red wine vinegar over it. Let this sit for about 15 minutes.
Step 4: In a medium bowl, whisk together the 1/4 cup of tahini, 5 tablespoons of your reserved pasta water, the 4 tablespoons of olive oil, the 2 grated cloves of garlic, the 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, the 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard, and the chopped fresh herbs. Whisk until the dressing is smooth and well combined. Whisk in your pickled onions and their vinegar.
Part 3: The Final, Festive Assembly
To your large bowl with the cooled pasta and kale, add your roasted vegetables, the 1 cup of roasted pistachios, and the 1 cup of dried cranberries. Pour your prepared dressing over the top and toss everything gently until it is well combined.
Give the salad a final taste and adjust the seasoning with any more salt and pepper if needed.
Thanksgiving Pasta Salad (An Easy Make-Ahead Side!)
A hearty and flavorful recipe for a ‘Thanksgiving Pasta Salad,’ a perfect make-ahead side dish for a holiday feast. This vegetarian pasta salad is packed with classic fall ingredients, including roasted Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes seasoned with fresh sage and thyme. The roasted vegetables are tossed with rotini pasta, fresh kale (which is wilted by the heat of the pasta), crunchy pistachios, and sweet dried cranberries. The entire salad is brought together with a creamy, tangy, and savory homemade tahini dressing.
Ingredients
- For the Pasta Salad:
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts, halved or quartered
- 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound rotini pasta
- 6 ounces Tuscan kale, stems removed, leaves thinly sliced
- For the Tahini Dressing:
- 1/2 red onion, finely diced
- 6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, grated
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
- For Assembly:
- 1 cup roasted shelled pistachios
- 1 cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Roast the Vegetables: Preheat the oven to 450°F. In a large bowl, toss the Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes with 1/4 cup of olive oil, the chopped sage and thyme, 2 teaspoons of salt, and several grinds of black pepper. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 30 to 35 minutes, until tender and browned in spots. Let cool slightly.
- Cook the Pasta: While the vegetables are roasting, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook the rotini until al dente, about 7 minutes. Before draining, reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta.
- Immediately toss the hot pasta in a large bowl with the thinly sliced kale. The heat from the pasta will wilt the kale. Set aside to cool.
- Make the Tahini Dressing: In a small bowl, combine the finely diced red onion and the red wine vinegar. Let it sit for about 15 minutes to lightly pickle the onions.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the tahini, 5 tablespoons of the reserved pasta water, the olive oil, grated garlic, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, thyme, sage, and 1 teaspoon of salt until smooth. Whisk in the pickled onions and their vinegar.
- Assemble the Salad: To the large bowl with the pasta and kale, add the roasted vegetables, pistachios, and cranberries. Pour the dressing over the top and toss until everything is evenly combined. Season with more salt and pepper if needed.
Notes
- This is a perfect make-ahead side dish for Thanksgiving, as it can be served at room temperature.
- Tossing the hot, freshly cooked pasta with the raw kale is a key technique that perfectly wilts the kale without overcooking it.
- Letting the diced red onion sit in the vinegar for a few minutes helps to mellow its sharp flavor.
- The starchy pasta water is an important ingredient in the dressing, helping to create a smooth and creamy consistency.
- The article references two ‘Cook’s Notes’ that are not provided in the text.
What to Serve With Your Pasta Salad
This beautiful and savory-sweet dish is a fantastic and incredibly versatile side dish.
- Holiday Roasts: It is an absolute must-have alongside a classic Roasted Turkey, a Glazed Ham, or a beautiful Prime Rib. It’s a wonderful, fresh and bright counterpoint to the rich, roasted meats.
- As a Vegetarian Main: This hearty and satisfying salad is substantial enough to be a delicious vegetarian main course for your holiday table.
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Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
This is the ultimate make-ahead holiday side dish!
- Make-Ahead: This is a perfect make-ahead dish! In fact, the flavor is even better on the second day. You can prepare and fully assemble the entire salad up to 24 hours in advance. Simply store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Storage: Store any leftovers, well-covered, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Frequently Asked questions (FAQs)
Q1: My dressing seems really thick. Is that right?
Yes! Tahini is very thick on its own. The magic happens when you whisk in the pasta water. It will instantly transform the thick paste into a smooth, creamy, and pourable dressing. If it’s still too thick, you can add another tablespoon of pasta water or regular water.
Q2: Can I make this side dish ahead of time for Thanksgiving?
Yes, absolutely! This is an ideal make-ahead side dish. In fact, it tastes even better if you make it at least a few hours (or up to a day) in advance, as this gives all the flavors a chance to meld and for the pasta to absorb the delicious dressing.
Q3: Can I use a different kind of pasta or green?
Yes! This classic salad would also be fantastic with other short, sturdy pasta shapes like penne, fusilli, or farfalle (bow-tie pasta). If you’re not a fan of kale, you can substitute it with a few large handfuls of fresh baby spinach (no need to wilt it first!).
Q4: Can I make this nut-free?
Of course! To make this recipe nut-free, you can simply omit the pistachios, or you can substitute them with an equal amount of toasted sunflower seeds or pepitas (pumpkin seeds) for a similar, delicious crunch.
Q5: What is tahini?
Tahini is a classic and delicious Middle Eastern condiment made from ground, toasted sesame seeds.3 It has a texture similar to a natural peanut butter and a wonderful, nutty, and slightly savory flavor. You can find it in the international aisle of most grocery stores.