Pasta salad with roasted brussels sprouts and bacon

pasta salad with arugula, brussels sprouts and bacon.

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Pasta salad with roasted brussels sprouts and bacon

This delicious pasta salad with roasted brussels sprouts and bacon incorporates healthy greens, creamy cheese, crispy bacon and crunchy walnuts in the best way possible. This main course salad is perfect for a quick and healthy meal.

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Course: Dinner, lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: International

Keyword: bacon, blue cheese, brussels sprouts, pasta salad, walnuts

Servings:

Calories: 452kcal

Author: Tonje

Cost: Medium

Ingredients

100 g pasta
200 g brussels sprouts
1 tsp olive oil
3 bacon strips
1 tablespoon walnut pieces (or a small handful)
10 g stilton
handful rocket (US: arugula)

Instructions

Clean the brussels sprouts and cut them into quarters. Add them to a baking tray, and drizzle with olive oil. Roast the brussels sprouts in the oven at 200 C / 180 C fan oven / 390 F until they are soft and slightly golden on the edges (10-15 minutes).
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in water according to package instructions, typically about 10 minutes. Drain off the excess water, and leave the pasta to cool down slightly.
Roughly chop the streaky bacon and fry it in a pan until crispy. If you use low fat bacon, you might want to add some oil to your pan.
Combine the pasta, crispy bacon, roasted brussels sprouts, walnut pieces, rocket and a little crumbled stilton in a salad bowl.
Serve as is, or with a salad dressing of your choice.

Notes

This recipe makes one very large serving, or two regular servings.

Storing leftovers

You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. I would not recommending freezing this salad, as it will appear watery and not as appetizing after thawing it.

If you want to make a large batch of pasta salad with the intention of eating it later in the week, you can also store each ingredient individually and assemble the salad when you serve it. This gives a fresher result.

If possible, you can also make the salad ahead without the bacon. Cook and add the bacon to the salad right before serving. This is the best way to ensure that the bacon is still crispy, as cooked bacon tends to soften when stored.

Can you use frozen brussels sprouts? – If you thaw them, you could, however I find that roasted brussels sprouts taste a lot better if you make them using fresh sprouts. As frozen vegetables contain more water, you won’t be able to achieve the same crispy, roasted texture if you use frozen veg.

Can you boil the brussels sprouts instead of roasting them? – Absolutely. If you prefer them boiled, you can boil them instead. I love roasted brussels sprouts, and think the flavour suit the salad perfectly. But it comes down to your personal preference. You can also use leftover boiled brussels sprouts if you have them available.

Can you substitute ingredients? – Yes. As with all salads, you can add exactly what you want. See Tips and substitutes for some options.

Can you add other ingredients? – Of course! I think this salad would be great with dry cranberries or raisins, pomegranate seeds, kale, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, roasted cherry tomatoes, pear or orange slices added.

Nutrition