Slow smoked turkey breast, sweet apples, celery, cheese, and a wonderful creamy dressing come together to make this delicious Turkey Apple Pasta Salad. A definite crowd pleaser, perfect for brunch, luncheons, potlucks, spring and summer gatherings, and all year long!
This recipe was developed by me for Safeway whom I have an ongoing awesome relationship with. All opinions are 100% my own. Thank you for helping to support the brands that I love!
Turkey Apple Pasta Salad
We sure do love a good pasta salad! This one is filled with Boar’s Head BOLD PitCraft™ Slow Smoked Turkey Breast, Jazz™ apples, cheese, crunchy celery, dried cranberries, nuts, and coated in a fantastic dressing. It’s so easy to make and can be enjoyed for dinner or as a side.
Yay Spring!
Now that the world seems to be regaining some normalcy and things are opening back up, we’ve got our eye on spring and summer and being with friends and family again. That often means potlucks and our chance to whip up delicious pasta salads.
Last week saw another awesome delivery from Safeway. This time my box was packed with a big ‘ol Boar’s Head Slow Smoked Turkey Breast, Jazz apples, O Organics Colby-Jack Cheese and dried cranberries, Open Nature chopped pecans, and Signature Select mini penne pasta.
The Boar’s Head BOLD PitCraft™ Slow Smoked Turkey Breast was a thing of beauty. Made from whole muscle turkey breast, authentic dry rub, and slow smoked with real mesquite wood for real pit smoke taste. Gluten free, no MSG, trans fat, fillers, or artificial colors, and can be sliced or cubed.
Jazz apples are the perfect compliment. They’re tangy, sweet, crunchy, and refreshing. Fun fact! Before being grown in Washington state and being popular worldwide, Jazz apples were developed in New Zealand.
The two pair wonderfully together as a snack, a sandwich, and definitely in a pasta salad.
We nibbled on quite a bit from my box, so I just ended up using the Safeway mobile app to order more goodies. Even though in-store shopping is great, we’ve gotten spoiled with their delivery service this past year. I’ve never once had a problem ordering what I wanted or having the right things delivered.
Ingredients for this Pasta Salad Recipe
(Scroll to the bottom for the detailed printable recipe) Here’s a summary of what you’ll need:
- Small pasta – we use mini penne, which is a nice small shape with lots of ridges to catch the creamy dressing. If you can’t find it, use any other small pasta.
- Turkey – Boar’s Head BOLD PitCraft™ Slow Smoked Turkey Breast was perfect! We cut it into small cubs, so you get some in every bite.
- Apples – Jazz™ apples are a delicious compliment to turkey, with sweetness and great crunch.
- Celery – For more crunch and texture.
- Cheese – O Organics Colby Jack Cheese has a semi-soft texture and a fun white-orange marbled appearance. It’s mild and smooth, slightly sweet and tangy.
- Dried cranberries – the sweetness and slightly tart flavor from dried cranberries are a great contrast to the apples and cheese.
- Pecans – chopped pecans provide some crunch and a nice nutty flavor.
- Scallions – for a subtle onion, peppery flavor.
- Dressing – A combination of creamy Caesar salad dressing and Balsamic salad dressing bring this pasta salad all together. Might sound strange, but trust me, it’s so good!
Assembly:
You simply prep all the dry ingredients and dressing while the pasta cooks. Drain and rinse the pasta, then combine everything until well coated. You can serve right away or chill for later.
Make Ahead and Storing Leftovers
This can be made up to 24 hours in advance. If making it ahead of time, keep covered in the refrigerator. I recommend adding in the pecans right before serving, so they maintain their crunch. Give the salad a few good stirs to incorporate everything again.
Any leftovers should be kept in the refrigerator, covered. It will keep up to 3 days.
Turkey Apple Pasta Salad Video
Other Pasta Salad Recipes We Love
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Turkey Apple Pasta Salad
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 1 pound dried mini penne pasta
- 1 pound Boar’s Head PitCraft™ low smoked turkey breast , diced into small cubes (2 cups)
- 3 cups cubed Jazz™ apples
- 1 cup cubed Colby Jack Cheese
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 4 scallions , diced
For the Dressing
- 1 cup creamy Caesar salad dressing
- 1/2 cup Balsamic salad dressing
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil; cook pasta until al dente according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drizzle with a little olive oil to prevent sticking.
- In an extra large bowl, add all the ingredients for the salad, including the cooked pasta.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the Caesar dressing, Balsamic Dressing, and salt until incorporated. Drizzle the dressing over the salad; toss to combine and coat.
- Enjoy right away or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Video
Nutrition
Other Notes
