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Broccoli, Grape, and Pasta Salad

Broccoli salad with sweet-savory grape pasta salad vibes—colorful pasta, bright green broccoli, and purple grapes tossed in a creamy mayonnaise dressing. The salad chills for a rich, scoopable texture and gets topped with crunchy sunflower seeds and crumbled bacon.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
chilling 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Pasta
  • 1 lb pasta shells or rotini
Broccoli
  • 4 cup broccoli florets blanched
Grapes and onion
  • 2 cup red grapes halved
  • 0.5 cup red onion finely diced
Creamy dressing
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 0.5 cup sour cream
  • 0.25 cup sugar
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • salt to taste
  • pepper to taste
Toppings
  • 0.5 cup sunflower seeds
  • 6 bacon slices cooked and crumbled

Method
 

Cook and cool the pasta and broccoli
  1. Cook pasta shells or rotini according to package directions, then drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking and prevent sticking.
  2. Blanch broccoli florets in boiling water for 2 minutes, then plunge into ice water and drain to keep a bright green color and crisp-tender bite.
Make the creamy dressing
  1. Whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, sugar, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper until smooth and evenly blended.
Assemble and chill
  1. Combine pasta, blanched broccoli, halved red grapes, and finely diced red onion in a large bowl.
  2. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat every piece so the pasta and broccoli are creamy.
  3. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, allowing the pasta to absorb flavor and the dressing to thicken.
Finish and serve
  1. Top the chilled salad with sunflower seeds and crumbled bacon just before serving for crunch and salty contrast.

Notes

Pro tip: rinse the pasta under cold water and chill the assembled salad for the full 2 hours so the shells firm up and the dressing clings. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3–4 days; freezing isn’t recommended due to texture changes in the creamy dressing. For a lighter swap, use Greek yogurt in place of half (or all) of the sour cream for tangy creaminess with less richness.