Thanksgiving Pasta Salad
Celebrate Thanksgiving Warm Weather Style
This Thanksgiving Pasta Salad is the perfect blend of cozy and fresh tasting, plus it is super colorful and celebrates all the best fall flavors in one dish. Tri-colored rotini brings a great color and texture, diced smoked turkey adds that savory Thanksgiving flavor we love, roasted butternut squash adds sweetness and color, and the shaved Brussels sprouts finish it off with crispness and a little crunch.
What really ties everything together, though, is the creamy cranberry dressing. Serve it as a Thanksgiving side, make it with leftovers the next day, or bring it to a fall potluck.
Love Or Hate, This Recipe Is Great
Most of my recipes are made with love but this recipe is made with hate. My graphic designer Roxy made a really helpful and cute Thanksgiving graphic showing how much food to buy for the holiday and one of the options on there was for salad.
People on Facebook LOST THEIR MINDS that anyone would serve salad on Thanksgiving! So in true Tipsy style, I had to come up with a recipe that would send the Thanksgiving police into an uproar.
Joke’s on me, this salad ended up being one of the best pasta salads I ever made, and I will now have to make it every holiday!
Also, don’t people in warm weather climates have Thanksgiving? There is nothing worse I can think of than being in a high heat and humidity area and bulking up on all casseroles, so I am bringing a new tradition to those in the South: Thanksgiving Pasta Salad!
You are welcome!
Accidentally Gourmet
I made up this dressing in my head and when I went to execute, it got better and better. This dressing is drinkable so I am going to do a separate recipe post JUST for this Creamy Cranberry Dressing.
The dressing will be great on a simple salad but will also be delicious as a dip. I think I may make a batch to put on turkey sandwich leftovers.
The color is so pretty too!
Disney To The Rescue Again
I was at Disney Food and Wine Festival two weeks ago and tried a sandwich that had roasted butternut squash as part of the spread. It was fantastic, even cold.
This is how I came up with the idea to use it in this pasta salad recipe. It also adds such a pillowy texture that is a great contrast to the pasta and other veggies in the salad!
Close Shave Or Nothing At All
You have GOT to shave these sprouts. My Mom just gave me a meat slicer for my birthday, and yes you read that right, I was able to shave these sprouts on it.
You must cut these close with a sharp knife or mandolin, then these have to sit mixed into the salad. The dressing will soften them up.
You can also shave them and let them sit in a bowl with a little bit of vinegar and salt until you add them to the salad. You just want to make sure you do not have thick chunks or the texture will be off on the salad.
If you cannot commit to this, leave them out.
Another Salad Option
I am a big believer in salads for Thanksgiving day. If you are too you can also make my seven layer salad.
In the Midwest we also call Jell-o a salad so you can make my creamy raspberry jell-o mold as well. You need something cold and crisp to offset all the brown foods!
Thanksgiving Pasta Salad Recipe
A festive twist on pasta salad with tri-colored rotini, smoked turkey, roasted butternut squash, shaved Brussels sprouts, and red onion tossed in a homemade creamy cranberry dressing. A delightful mix of savory, sweet, and tangy. You can use this recipe to use up Thanksgiving leftovers or a make a holiday side dish.
Ingredients
- 1 box of tri color rotini pasta (12 ounce)
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup of jellied cranberry sauce
- 2 cups of mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup of seasoned rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon of a grainy mustard
- 1 to 2 teaspoons of celery salt
- 2 to 3 teaspoons of celery seed
- 1/8 teaspoon of sage
- 1/2 teaspoon of poultry seasoning
- pinch of black pepper
- *it is suggested that you season and taste, start small and add more
- 3 cups of frozen butternut squash cubes
- 2 tablespoons of olive, plus a little drizzle
- salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder
- 1 cup of finely shaved Brussels sprouts
- 3/4 cup of finely diced red onion
- 8 ounces of diced turkey breast
- 6 ounces of dried cranberries
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water and let drain again. Do not use until cooled.
- Thaw and drain the butternut squash, I set this out and let it strain for a good hour.
- Pat the squash dry, add to a bowl and add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with your heart using the salt, pepper, and garlic and onion powders. Spread on a baking sheet, bake at 400° for 20 minutes, and occasionally open the oven and use a spatula to toss around the pan and spread out again. I did have to add a little drizzle of olive oil to it. Keep an eye out the first time you make this to make sure it doesn't burn. All ovens bake differently. Squash should be caramelized. When done, let cool completely.
- To make the dressing add the vinegar and cranberry sauce to a bowl (or use a blender) and whisk until the cranberry sauce is mostly dissolved and smooth, then blend in the mayo and mustard, celery seed, celery salt, sage, poultry seasoning, and black pepper. Taste as you go and adjust. The sage and poultry seasoning can be strong so start with a little and add. Reminder that the spices get stronger as it sits.
- Add the pasta to a large bowl, dice the turkey into small pieces, and add to the bowl, along with the cranberries, red onion, Brussels sprouts, and the cooled squash. Toss carefully to combine.
- Slowly add the dressing a little at a time, tossing to coat. Depending on how creamy you want this, you may not use ALL the dressing. It makes a great dressing for other salads and as a dip. I used mostly all the dressing.
- This should sit for 3 to 4 hours before serving as the dressing will help the Brussels sprouts to become more tender. *be sure to slice the sprouts VERY thin or the texture will be off. If you cannot commit to this, leave them out.
2 Comments
Patti Brooks
November 11, 2025 at 5:57 pm
This sounds fantastic! How many adults do you think this would serve as a dinner? Thanks, Patti
Andrew Tavin
November 12, 2025 at 1:23 pm
Eight to Ten! Hope you enjoy!
-Andrew, Tipsy Team Member