Healthy Fall Pasta Salad

This delicious Fall pasta salad has the perfect blend of savory squash, sweet dates and tangy goat cheese to create a delectable Fall salad! This is a wonderful meal in one, or can be adjusted to make a festive side dish for holiday gatherings. Celebrate the warmth and the coziness of the fall months with all the flavors of Fall in this perfect salad.

Fall is my favorite time of year, because it is my ideal weather and it involves so many celebrations and special time with family and friends. I wanted to create a recipe that is evocative of the season and combines some of my favorite fall flavors, but wasn’t the traditional dishes we tend to make every year. We also have so many hearty dishes, like this creamy taco soup or rich roast, that a lighter salad felt right. Therefore this fall harvest pasta salad was born! The first time I made it I knew it was going to go down as a favorite, and I hope you love it just as much. Let me share with you this super flavorful and easy fall pasta salad recipe.

Jump to:

• Why this recipe works
• Ingredients
• Step-by-step directions
• Making a homemade vinaigrette
• Seasonal ingredient swaps
• Healthy Fall Pasta Salad

Why this recipe works

• Hearty but not heavy – this autumn pasta salad recipe will fill you up but not leave you feeling stuffed. A great blend of protein, pasta, light cheese and crunchy kale.
• A full meal in one – no need to mess with multiple side dishes, this salad combines the best and healthiest parts of a meal in one big bowl. And it makes plenty to feed large groups over the holidays!
• Delicious & nutritious – don’t sacrifice flavors for nutrition. Roasted butternut squash is loaded with vitamins and minerals including Vitamin C and A, and the chicken is a great source of lean protein. The goat cheese provides a tangy bit of healthy fats, and the hearty pasta is an affordable carb option that gives you energy.

Ingredients

• ½ bag of pasta – look for a type of pasta that will hold onto the dressing and offer lots of little nooks and crannies for it to absorb into. Think Short Shaped Pasta Like Bow Tie, Conchiglie, Fusilli, Gemelli, Orecchiette, Rotini, Cavatelli and Campanelle
• 2 cups shredded chicken – rotisserie or homemade, preferably use all white meat
• 3-4 kale leaves – I like lacinato, removed from the stem and chopped into small pieces.
• 1 log of goat cheese – feel free to use cheese flavored with herbs, but for this recipe I used plain goat cheese
• 4-5 dates – pitted and chopped up, they add just a hint of sweetness
• 2 tablespoon candied pecans – again, just to add some warm sweetness and crunch
• 2 cups cubed butternut squash – roasted in a warm seasoning blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and olive oil

We will be tossing the salad in a Dijon mustard balsamic vinaigrette. You can use your favorite store bought dressing, or I will also share the ingredients and instructions to make your own in the recipe card below.

Step-by-step directions

Begin by preparing your pasta to cook and butternut squash to roast. For the pasta, fill a large pot with water and generously salt. Cook according to package instructions. While the pasta cooks, prep the squash.

Peel and cut into 1″ cubes, and season with cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat and place on a rimmed baking sheet.

Roast butternut squash in a 400 degree oven for about 12-15 minutes, till fork tender. Leave the oven on. Cook pasta al dente. Strain and place cooked pasta in a large bowl. Drizzle with just a bit of olive oil (1-2 tsp) so it doesn’t become sticky while assembling the rest of your ingredients. Now add the butternut squash.

Take the same roasting pan you cooked the butternut squash on, and add the kale leaves. Lightly toss in a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast for about 3 minutes, just so the leaves get tender. Kale can be a bit tough, so this step softens it up.

Once you have those 3 things cooked up, go ahead and just start adding in all your ingredients one by one. Drizzle on the vinaigrette dressing and toss well to combine. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for a few hours so that flavors can really combine. This is one of those dishes that tastes great when served right away, but even better the next day. I love that this easy pasta salad recipe holds up well to the dressing. You can make well in advance of serving and not have to worry about it becoming a soggy mess.

Making a homemade vinaigrette

• 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoon brown sugar or maple syrup
• ⅓ cup olive oil
• salt and black pepper to taste.

Combine all ingredients in a lidded jar or dressing container (I love this little guy), and shake well. Pour half the dressing on the salad and mix. Leave the remaining half available for guests who wish to add more dressing. Store leftover dressing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Seasonal ingredient swaps

Salads are always great in that you can be flexible with things you have on hand or according to your personal preference. I never want you to have to run to the store to get a single missing ingredient! So get creative and use what you have on hand if you don’t have every ingredient listed here.

• Swap out the candied pecans for pumpkin seeds, pine nuts or marcona almonds
• Feta cheese would be amazing in this in lieu of the goat cheese
• Apple cider vinegar is a great choice to swap out the balsamic vinegar
• Any type of winter squash can be swapped out for the butternut; pumpkin, kabocha, delicata or acorn squash are all great option.

Also, you can remove the chicken if you’d like to make this more of a side dish rather than a main meal.

Check out these other great Fall inspired recipes, to get you fed and nourished during the colder weather.

Tried this recipe? Please leave a comment and/or rating, letting me know how you enjoyed it! Connect with me on Instagram and Pinterest, and never miss a post by signing up for my weekly newsletter!