Fall Pasta Salad

I have absolutely LOVED pasta salad this year. It’s one of my favorite side dishes to have in the fridge at all times. It’s just such an easy and filling dish, and it helps add in extra veggies to your day without feeling like boring ass veggies. Ya feel me? And the weird thing about fall is that it’s so different for everyone. Here in Denver we had our first snowfall September 1st while the people in Texas are boiling alive. But ya know what? People in Texas deserve fall, too. And since a hot pumpkin spice latte may not sound super sexy in 100 degree heat, I decided to bring the fall flavors to a cold pasta salad dish. I see you, Texans. I see you.

On a completely unrelated pasta salad note, last night I used my Whoop fitness and recovery tracker for the first time to start tracking my sleep and recovery. The hubs wanted to start tracking his so I jumped on the bandwagon to see what my workouts and recovery look like. And last night was a poor night to start tracking it since I had a dream Jackson choked on my wedding ring. Why he was chewing on my ring in my dream, I’ll never know. But I woke up almost hyperventilating because in my dream I was running to my car with him in my arms to take him to the ER vet. How awful is that? I finally woke myself up out of the dream and laid there just to make sure I could hear him breathing. Things just got dark here, huh? But I think it’s because I’m taking Jackson to the vet today for his 3 month checkup to make sure his kidney protein levels are safe and healthy. I always get nervous before these appointments because there is always a chance his protein levels have elevated again. But hopefully his clean diet is keeping everything in check and our vet will call him a miracle dog once again!

Before I head up north to the vet today, I’m going to grab the vet some healthy snacks and then head to the pet store to grab some extra dog beds to donate. While Jackson was in the vet for 16 days, he went through A LOT of dog beds and so do all of the other pets in there. They wash them constantly since they always get dirty in some capacity, so they are always in need of more. I also want to grab some blankets, as well. When Jackson was in the vet, I would bring him sweatshirts and blankets to keep him comfortable, knowing that another dog would benefit later on from the same things. So I want to keep that going even when he’s not there. I’m thinking that I might do a little fundraiser this year to raise money to get the CSU Vet School/Hospital more beds, blankets, food, and whatever other donations they may need. I love that place so much and they are so near and dear to my heart, I want to do something for them. I’ll keep you updated in the future in case you would like to donate! But until then, I’d love for you to simply make this pasta salad and live your best life. Can you do that for me?

Want to save this recipe?

Just enter your email and get it sent to your inbox!

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Name *

Email *

Subscribe

Fall Pasta Salad

Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 2 reviews

• Author: juli
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 6-8 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 16 ounces brussels sprouts, halved
• 1 large delicata squash, halved, deseeded, and sliced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 12 ounces brown rice fusilli pasta or lentil fusilli pasta
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
• pinch of cinnamon
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
• 1/2 cup pecan halves
• handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss brussels sprouts and delicata squash slices in 3 tablespoons of olive then sprinkle with garlic powder and salt. Place on baking sheet then put in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes, tossing halfway through.
2. While the veggies roast, cook pasta according to the directions on the packaging. Once al dente, drain then rinse with cold water. To keep the pasta from sticking together, keep the pasta submerged in cold water until it’s time to mix the pasta together.
3. In a small nonstick pan, add 3 tablespoons of olive oil, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Bring to a low boil over medium heat using a spatula to move around in the pan to keep the fresh herbs from burning. After about 5 minutes, remove from heat and pour into a large mixing bowl to cool.
4. To the same pan over medium-low heat, add pumpkin seeds, coconut sugar, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. Toast the pumpkin seeds for 5-8 minutes, until golden brown and fragrant.
5. Add the pasta, roasted veggies, pumpkin seeds, pomegranate seeds, pecans, and fresh parsley to the mixing bowl then toss to combined. Taste to see if the pasta needs any extra salt and/or pepper. I always like to top mine off with some chunky salt before I serve it up!

_______________

You May Also Like:

Taco Pasta Salad

Fall Butternut Squash Salad

Greek Pasta Salad

Mediterranean Orzo Salad

Fall Harvest Chopped Salad

____________

Click Here To Get All My PaleOMG Recipes Into Your Meal Planner With Real Plans!

This post contains some affiliate links and I may be compensated, but all opinions are my own. This compensation helps with expenses to keep this blog up and running! Thank you for all your support!