Fall Pasta Salad with Maple Vinaigrette

Combine the best autumn flavors to make this Fall Pasta Salad with Maple Vinaigrette! This vegetarian salad is loaded with roasted squash, kale, pepitas, and dried cranberries. Make-ahead for potlucks, or your own workday lunches.

Ingredients in this Fall Pasta Salad with Maple Vinaigrette:

This pasta salad is a fabulous combination of sweet and salty, raw and roasted, pantry and fresh. Most of the ingredients are flexible (such as the type of squash you use), and I’ll be sure to note any possible substitutions here.

Ingredients in the pasta salad:

• bowtie/farfalle pasta – Any short pasta shapes will work! I like this shape because it has little grooves for sauce and it’s really easy to stab with a fork!
• butternut squash – The exact amount doesn’t really matter, but you do want to be able to fit it all on about 1/2 a sheet pan. For me, this was about 4-5 cups of diced squash, from about 1 small squash or 1/2 large.
• red onion – Roasted is a delicious way to enjoy red onion because it really brings out the sweetness. Honestly, they taste completely different after roasting. Second only to pickled red onions!
• oil – For roasting the veggies, go ahead and use either olive oil or avocado oil; either one will work since the heat isn’t too high. 
• salt & fresh ground black pepper – Liberally sprinkle the roasting squash and onion with fine ground sea salt (or kosher salt) and fresh ground black pepper.
• kale – This recipe works with whatever kind of kale you normally prefer or enjoy. Just be sure to remove the ribs and massage well so it’s got the best flavor and texture.
• pumpkin seeds – AKA pepitas, but not the ones from your carving pumpkins. You should be able to find these at the grocery store. If already roasted, then feel free to skip that step.  
• dried cranberries – Along with the dressing, this where the dose of sweetness comes in; plus craisins just belong in Fall, right?
• feta – While this is a skippable ingredient, I could never! Not only does it add a nice creamy texture to the entire mouthfeel, but the salty notes are perfect with the sweet ingredients.

Ingredients in the maple vinaigrette:

• apple cider vinegar – Bragg’s is always a solid choice, and it gives the dressing a zippy vibe. This is what makes the dressing a vinaigrette, of course. I love how mild and flavorful it is.
• extra virgin olive oil – In this case, I do recommend sticking with EVOO, as you’ll be able to taste the oil way more in the raw dressing.
• pure maple syrup – This is the main flavoring component of the vinaigrette dressing. I always get this at Costco; it’s the best price there by far! Try not to use the fake stuff, as it just won’t taste the same.
• dijon mustard – Just a hint gives the dressing a light creaminess, zippy bite, and deeper flavor.
• salt – To bring everything together, a small bit of salt enhances the flavors and brightens the overall tone of the dressing.

Equipment you’ll need to make this Fall Pasta Salad with Maple Vinaigrette:

Besides some common kitchen tools, there’s no super specific equipment needed to make this recipe, but I do have some recommendations on brands to look for if you’re already shopping:

• For a cutting board, I recommend this Greener Chef XL Bamboo Cutting Board (affiliate link!). The XL size is perfect but not too huge. I use it for everything except cutting raw meat. Hand wash only!
• For my chef’s knife, I use a Misen Chef’s Knife (affiliate link!). This knife is super high quality while still being affordable. I’ve had mine for years (and there’s a lifetime guarantee!).
• For a sheet pan, I recommend every kitchen have two of these Half Sheet Pan (affiliate link!) size baking pans. You can use them for all things roasting, and baking too!
• And some mixing bowls. These are what I used: 8-Piece Pyrex Sculptured Mixing Bowl Set (affiliate link!).

How to make this Fall Pasta Salad with Maple Vinaigrette:

This pasta salad has a combination prepared fall ingredients, with a light and flavorful maple vinaigrette dressing. It may look like quite a few steps, but each is just a minor prep of a specific ingredient, like boiling pasta or toasting pumpkin seeds.

Here’s a breakdown of each cooking step, plus some extra tips you might find helpful:

Best tips for making this pasta salad:

Here are my best tips for making this delicious pasta salad at home:

• Pay attention to the pasta as it cooks, and do a taste test before draining the water away. You want it to be cooked thoroughly but not mushy.
• Rinse the pasta with cold water when you drain it. This stops the cooking and helps bring the pasta to room temperature for our cold pasta salad.
• Double the dressing and save some for later, if you’re planning to save some salad. The pasta absorbs dressing, so it helps to add more right before eating.

What to serve with this Fall Pasta Salad:

This pasta salad is full of flavor and tastes delicious on its own. But if you’d like to make it a full meal, here are some ideas:

• Add some perfectly cooked thin sliced chicken breasts for more protein
• Add some cottage cheese to make it more creamy and delicious with one scoop
• Add more salad greens as a base. There’s already kale involved, and I think it would pretty good as a salad accompaniment.

Ways to customize this recipe:

Here are some ideas on ways to customize this pasta salad recipe to your own tastes:

• dressing your way – the dressing has room for customization like cinnamon, red chili pepper flakes, some garlic powder, etc.
• swap the seeds/nuts – the recipe uses pumpkin seeds, but you could easily swap this for another crunchy option like pistachios, chopped almonds, etc
• swap the dried fruit – the dried cranberries could be swapped for chopped dates, apricots or other dried fruit you like
• change up the squash – butternut squash is usually pretty widely available so that’s why it’s in the recipe, but feel free to use Honeynut, Kabocha, or Delicata, etc, especially if you already have some on hand.

Ways to meal prep this recipe:

This pasta salad recipe was meant for Fall meal prep! No changes need to be made to the recipe for it to work as leftovers, though I would keep olive oil handy to fresh the salad later. Feel free to portion individually or keep it all together.

It tastes incredible directly from the fridge, or served at room temperature. While I think it tastes best once the flavors have had a chance to meld, it is perfectly okay to serve it immediately after cooking as well.

No, I would not recommend freezing this recipe due to the fresh ingredients like kale, and the various textures involved that would not thaw well.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. For best results, I recommend tossing leftovers with extra dressing (or dressing components like olive oil and maple syrup) to freshen the salad.

The pasta can absorb the moisture in the fridge, leaving the salad feeling dry, but it’s easy to refresh!

This is a dish best served cold or room temperature, so no need to reheat!

Did you make this? I want to see how it turned out! Tag me in your social media post @projectmealplan and use #projectmealplan when you share!

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Recipe developed by Rachel Phipps. Photography by Christine Ma.