Roasted Vegetable Fall Pasta Salad
This Roasted Vegetable Fall Pasta Salad is packed with flavor, and it's great both hot and cold! It has mixed roasted veggies, cheese, toasted pine nuts, and the best homemade sun-dried tomato vinaigrette! It can be served as a side or as a main dish!
- Total Time1 hour
- Yield4 1x
- DietVegetarian
Ingredients
Sun-dried Tomato Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp maple syrup (or other sweetener)
- 1 clove of garlic, grated
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp fresh oregano leaves (or 1 tsp dried oregano)
- 5-6 large fresh basil leaves (or 1 tsp dried basil)
- 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Fall Pasta Salad
- 2 cups diced butternut squash
- 1 medium red onion, sliced
- 2 cups brussels sprouts, cut into quarters
- 2 cups small broccoli florets
- 2 tbsp avocado oil (or other cooking oil)
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp pecorino or parmesan cheese (optional)
- 9 oz dry pasta (tubetti rigati or other small pasta, approx. 2 1/4 cups)
- 2-3 kale leaves, stems removed (dino or curly)
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4-5 oz fresh mozzarella, diced
- 2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted (see notes)
- 1/3 cup of sundried tomato vinaigrette (see notes)
Instructions
Sun-dried Tomato Vinaigrette
- Add all ingredients except olive oil to a tall container or a large mason jar with a wide opening.
- Use an immersion blender to blend everything into a chunky paste.
- Stream in the olive oil slowly while continuing to blend. Blend until smooth.
- Set aside or store in the fridge until ready to use.
Fall Pasta Salad
- Preheat your oven to 400F and prepare a large baking sheet.
- Add the diced butternut squash, sliced red onion, quartered brussels sprouts, and broccoli florets to the baking sheet.
- Drizzle with avocado oil and season with sea salt, black pepper, and dried oregano.
- Toss to evenly coat.
- Spread the vegetables out as much as possible and roast in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes.
- Take them out, sprinkle with pecorino or parmesan (optional), and roast for another 5 minutes. You can turn on the broiler here to get them crispier but keep a close eye on them.
- While the veggies are roasting, boil your pasta in a large pot of salted water according to package instructions (usually 10-15 minutes).
- Drain and rinse it briefly with cold water. You can toss the pasta in a little bit of olive oil to prevent it from sticking together.
- While the pasta cooks, chop your kale into thin strips.
- Add it to a large mixing bowl with 1 tsp of olive oil and massage it with your hand for a minute to soften it.
- Add the roasted veggies and cooked pasta to the bowl along with diced mozzarella, toasted pine nuts, and sundried tomato vinaigrette.
- Toss everything together gently until well mixed with the dressing.
- Serve with extra fresh black pepper and enjoy!
Notes
Pine nuts: Toast the pine nuts in a small dry pan over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown, tossing often. You can do this while the veggies roast.
Vinaigrette: The recipe makes more than you need because it's hard to blend it using an immersion blender if there's too little ingredients. You can use the leftovers in this Kale Sweet Potato Salad.
Storing: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. I don’t recommend reheating this pasta salad because the mozzarella would melt completely. If you plan to reheat it, add grilled halloumi instead, or feta right before serving.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Category: Salad
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American