Pasta for Fall

When I mention pomegranate seeds, roasted squash, roasted brussel sprouts, and maple syrup, what do you think of? Probably Thanksgiving, right? In this fusion dish, I'm taking classic holiday flavors and serving them in a new way: as a pasta! It has everyone's favorite holiday flavors, but in a very unexpected package.

This dish feels like Thanksgiving dinner collided with a pasta salad. It has perfectly browned roasted squash and brussel sprouts, a holiday-worthy maple balsamic dressing, and an over-abundance of festive garnishes. They're all such special ingredients! But unlike Thanksgiving dinner, this pasta takes less than an hour to make, so it's a weekday win for sure. Plus who says we can't enjoy holiday flavors all fall and winter long??

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Make it Your Own

There are lots of ways to switch up this festive pasta. Feel free to swap in your favorite fall veggies (just remember to adjust the cooking time accordingly). You can also use your favorite pasta shape; while I love bean-based pastas for their extra protein, you can use whatever you love most. If you go with a more traditional pasta, adding in some chick peas (or maybe topping the pasta with a scoop of my Maple Sea Salt Hummus!) would make this feel meal-worthy.

Another great thing about this dish is that it's awesome either hot or cold. So make a big batch, enjoy a bowl for dinner that night, and save the leftovers for easy meals later in the week. You can either reheat any leftovers or enjoy them cold as a fall-inspired pasta salad.

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Make-Ahead Tips

Hosting a fall harvest dinner? This dish works great as a make-ahead item! While you can in theory prepare the entire dish ahead of time, the radicchio and the garnishes can get a bit droopy. That's fine for leftovers, but if you're purposefully preparing this ahead, a couple very minor tweaks will keep everything fresh and vibrant. My suggestion is to prepare the pasta and roasted veggies ahead of time and store them together. You can also prepare the dressing ahead of time. When you're ready to serve, reheat the pasta and veggies, toss with the fresh radicchio and dressing, then plate and garnish. Easy!

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Let's Talk Ingredients

Here's what you'll need for this recipe, as well as some thoughts, tips, and possible substitutions. If you make any substitutions, I'd love to hear about it in the comments section below.

• Delicata squash
• Brussel sprouts
• Pasta. I'm absolutely smitten with bean-based pastas and use them almost exclusively. Shown here is the chick pea rotini from Tolerant Foods, it's one of my favorites. Feel free to use what you love, although I suggest a short cut of pasta to go with the hearty veggies.
• Radicchio. I love the bitterness this adds, it's the perfect complement to the maple balsamic dressing. So while you can swap the other veggies, I suggest keeping the radicchio to ensure the dish feels balanced in terms of its sweetness.
• Balsamic vinegar
• Olive oil
• Maple syrup
• Fresh thyme. The dressing for this pasta is pretty simple, so fresh thyme is definitely the way to go.
• Sea salt and black pepper
• Small apple. Or use a pear!
• Pomegranate. So beautiful and tasty, but what a pain! You'll definitely want to prepare the pomegranate in advance; there are some good tutorials online for how to do this.
• Pecans. I prefer roasted and salted for maximum flavor, or use maple-roasted or even my maple rosemary cayenne roasted.

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Closing Thoughts

Isn't this the best dinner plan for a fall evening? It feels so special and comforting, but comes together quickly and is a balanced meal with lots of veggies and good protein. It has all the best flavors of the holidays, but in a more nourishing package and without the fuss. The perfect way to make any old weekday feel like Thanksgiving dinner!

I made this dish for the first time in the middle of the fall and have already made it a few more times since. We love how versatile it is and how well it keeps. I may even make a double-batch next time, since we just can't seem to get enough of this one. Whether it's for a cozy dinner, a harvest dinner party, or make-ahead lunches, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

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Share It!

It makes me so happy to hear from you and see your creations! Please leave a comment below and let me know what you think about this recipe. If you post a photo on Instagram, hashtag #TheRogueBrusselSprout and tag me (@TheRogueBrusselSprout) in the post text so that I'm sure to see it.

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Suggested Pairings

Chaider Rum Punch

Maple Sea Salt Hummus

Sweet and Salty Stuffed Figs

Roasted Brussel Sprout Waldorf Salad

Chai-Spiced Pear Crumble Bars

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Disclosure: I received free product from Tolerant Foods. However, all opinions and thoughts are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep The Rogue Brussel Sprout running.