fall pasta salad

Butternut Squash Pasta Salad is a delicious Fall comfort food perfect for cozy cold nights. This meatless holiday side dish is bursting with Autumn flavors and spices (cinnamon and maple syrup) and will make a great addition to your traditional Thanksgiving or Christmas menu.

Butternut Squash Pasta Salad with Brussels Sprouts, Pecans, and Cranberries

Brussels sprouts (ends trimmed, yellow leaves

olive oil

Salt (to taste)

lb butternut squash

maple syrup

cinnamon

oz pasta

pecan halves

cranberries

balsamic vinegar (or glaze)

extra virgin olive oil (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 F. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, combine halved Brussels sprouts, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt (to taste), and toss to combine.&nbsp;

Add Brussels sprouts cut sides down onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, and roast in the oven at 400 F for about 20-25 minutes. The cut sides should be nicely and partially charred but not blackened (see my photos).

How to roast Brussels Sprouts

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Line the baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, combine cubed butternut squash (peeled and seeded),1 tablespoon of olive oil, maple syrup, and cinnamon, and toss to mix.

Place butternut squash in a single layer on the baking sheet.  Roast for 20-25 minutes, until softened.

Note: You can roast both Brussels sprouts and butternut squash on 2 separate baking sheets or on one large baking sheet at the same time, on the same rack in the oven – that’s what I did.

How to roast Butternut Squash

While the veggies are roasted in the oven, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package instructions, usually about 10 or 12 minutes. Drain.

Cook pasta

Toast the pecans for about 5 minutes (maybe a bit longer) in the preheated oven at 350 F until they get darker in color.  

Note: pecans burn really fast, so make sure to check the nuts after 5 minutes and frequently afterwords.&nbsp;

How to toast pecans

In a large bowl, combine roasted Brussels sprouts, roasted butternut squash, cooked and drained pasta, pecans, and cranberries, and mix to combine. 

Assembly

There are 3 salad dressing options that you can drizzle over this butternut squash salad:

Option 1. Drizzle the salad with balsamic glaze (store-purchased) or homemade. To make a balsamic glaze, combine 1 cup of balsamic vinegar + ¼ cup of honey or brown sugar and cook it down until reduced at least by half. Consistency should be thick enough to coat the back of the spoon but should not be overly thick.

Option 2. Combine 3 or 4 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small bowl and whisk to emulsify.

Option 3. Use 2 or 3 tablespoons of maple syrup as a salad dressing. Or, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of maple syrup to the previous 2 salad dressing options.

Option 4. Your favorite store-bought Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing. Or Pomegranate Vinaigrette or dressing.

Salad dressing options

This Fall Pasta Salad is loaded with tons of fall inspired produce and perfect for potlucks and parties!

Fall Pasta Salad with Butternut Squash and Feta

butternut squash,

Salt and pepper

dry pasta,

broccoli

(15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

(8 oz) block feta cheese, diced

red onion

parsley

apple cider vinegar

dijon mustard

garlic, grated

Salt and pepper,

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.  On a large baking sheet, toss together the cubed butternut squash, olive oil and salt and pepper.  Bake until butternut squash is fork tender, 35-40 minutes.

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and rinse with cold water.  Let cool for a few minutes.  Add pasta, butternut squash and all remaining ingredients to a large bowl.  Whisk all salad dressing ingredients together and pour desired amount of pasta salad.  Mix until everything is combined.

Thank you so much for this fall harvest pasta recipe! Made it for Friendsgiving potluck yesterday and it was a hit, everyone complimented me on it.
I used a few more teaspoons of olive oil and mustard, and a couple more cloves of garlic than the recipe stated, and the flavor was amazing. I also added fresh pomegranate seeds and sweet corn.

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Top 2 fall pasta salad recipes from across the web

The most viewed fall pasta salad recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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The most viewed fall pasta salad recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine