I absolutely loved pasta salad this year. It’s one of my favorite side dishes to always have in the fridge. It’s just such an easy and filling dish, and it helps add extra veggies to your day without feeling like boring ass veggies. do you feel me And the weird thing about fall is that it’s so different for everyone. Here in Denver we had our first snowfall on September 1st while the people of Texas are cooking alive. But, you know what? The people of Texas deserve fall too. And since a hot pumpkin spice latte might not sound super sexy in 100 degree heat, I decided to bring the fall flavors into a cold pasta salad dish. I see you Texan. Bye for now.
As a side note, last night I used my Whoop fitness and recovery tracker for the first time to track my sleep and recovery. The hubs wanted to start tracking his, so I jumped on the bandwagon to see how my training and recovery was looking. And last night was a bad night to start tracking as I had a dream where Jackson was choking on my wedding ring. I’ll never know why he was chewing on my ring in my dream. 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 ambulance. How awful is that? Eventually I woke up from the dream and lay down just to make sure I could hear him breathing. It just got dark here, huh? But I think it’s because I’m taking Jackson to the vet today for his 3 month check-up to make sure his kidney protein levels are safe and healthy. I always get nervous before these appointments because it’s always possible that his protein levels have gone back up. But hopefully his clean diet keeps things in check and our vet will call him a wonder dog again!
Before I head north to the vet today, I’m going to get the vet some healthy snacks and then head to the pet store to get some extra dog beds to donate. During Jackson’s 16 days at the vet, he searched MANY dog beds and all the other pets there as well. They wash them all the time as they always get kind of dirty, so they always need more. I also want to get some blankets. When Jackson was at the vet, I brought him sweatshirts and blankets to keep him comfortable, knowing another dog would benefit from the same things later. So I want to continue that even when he’s not there. I’m thinking that I might do a small fundraiser this year to raise money for the CSU vet school/hospital to get more beds, blankets, food and other donations that they need. I love this place so much and I care about them so much that I want to do something for them. I’ll keep you posted in the future should you wish to donate! But until then, I’d appreciate you just making this pasta salad and living your best life. can you do this for me
Pasta salad in the fall
- Preparation time: 15 minutes
- Cooking time: 25 minutes
- Total time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6–8th portions 1x
- 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 noodles or lentil fusilli noodles
- 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 half pecans
- Handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the Brussels sprouts and Delicata squash slices in 3 tablespoons olives, then sprinkle with garlic powder and salt. Place on a baking sheet, then place in the oven for 20-25 minutes, turning halfway through.
- While the vegetables are roasting, cook the pasta according to package directions. Once they are al dente, drain and rinse with cold water. To prevent the noodles from sticking together, keep the noodles submerged in cold water until it’s time to mix the noodles together.
- In a small nonstick skillet, add 3 tablespoons olive oil, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Bring to the boil over medium-high heat, stirring the pan with a spatula to avoid burning the fresh herbs. After about 5 minutes, remove from heat and transfer to a large mixing bowl to cool.
- In the same skillet over medium-high heat, add pumpkin seeds, coconut sugar, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. Roast the pumpkin seeds for 5-8 minutes until golden brown and fragrant.
- Add the noodles, roasted vegetables, pumpkin seeds, pomegranate seeds, pecans, and fresh parsley to the mixing bowl and toss to combine. Taste if the pasta needs extra salt and/or pepper. I always like to top mine off with some coarse salt before serving!
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You may also like:
Taco Pasta Salad
Butternut Squash Salad in Fall
Greek pasta salad
Mediterranean Orzo Salad
Autumn harvest chopped lettuce
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