Fall Pasta Salad with Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette
This fall pasta salad is everything you love about autumn in one bowl! Roasted butternut squash, crispy bacon, kale, and parmesan, all tossed in a sweet and tangy maple balsamic vinaigrette. It’s the perfect make-ahead dish for Thanksgiving or your next fall gathering!
If you need more fall salad ideas, try this easy, crowd-pleasing autumn salad, this spinach salad with beets and feta, this fall salad with apple cider vinaigrette, and this fall harvest salad with sweet potatoes.
Recipe Ingredients: Fall Pasta Salad
For the maple balsamic vinaigrette:
For the salad:
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
Kale: For the best texture, make sure to remove the tough stems from the kale and just use the leaves.
Butternut squash: For an extra time saver, look for precut butternut squash. If you want to make this out of the squash/fall season (because that’s perfectly acceptable!), use one peeled sweet potato.
Pasta: Pasta like rotini, farfalle (bow ties), or penne hold up well and grab onto the dressing, kale, and squash perfectly. Orzo would also work well.
Parmesan cheese: I use freshly Parm grated straight from the big block. I like using a vegetable peeler to get nice big shavings to grate over the top, too!
Casey’s Tips
- Crunch and sweetness: Adding about 1/2 cup of toasted nuts will give the salad a nice crunch. You can also add dried cranberries for more color and a bit of sweetness.
- Make it ahead (with a tweak): I like to toss the salad with the dressing and serve it right away, but you can prep several components ahead of time to save time. Roast the squash, cook the bacon and kale, and mix up the dressing a day or two in advance. Then just assemble when you’re ready to serve.
- Storage: You can store leftovers in an airtight container for about 3-4 days. The pasta tends to soak up the dressing as it sits, so add a splash of balsamic vinegar and olive oil to keep it fresh.
How to serve
Thanksgiving side dish: This fall pasta salad pairs perfectly alongside holiday favorites like turkey, stuffing, and brussels sprouts!
Roasted chicken or pork: No need to wait for a holiday to make this fall salad! It’s delicious served with a nice roasted chicken or pork tenderloin.
Chicken: Dice up some cooked chicken (grilled, baked, pan-cooked, or even rotisserie) and add it to the salad for a flavorful lunch meal prep.
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Thank you! ~ Casey
Fall Pasta Salad with Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For the pasta salad
- 2 cups butternut squash OR sweet potato, cubed about 1/2" cubes
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. coarse salt (sea salt, kosher salt)
- 16. oz. pasta I used bow tie, but any small'ish shape works great
- 8-10 slices of bacon, cut into small 1/2" pieces
- 6 cups kale leaves (stems removed), torn into small pieces
- 3/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated or crumbled I prefer fresh Parmesan off the block vs. pre-shredded
For the maple balsamic dressing
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 tsp. coarse salt (sea salt, kosher salt)
Instructions
- Roast butternut squash or sweet potato: Preheat oven to 400°F. Spread the butternut squash pieces evenly on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tbsp. of olive oil and season with 1 tsp. sea salt. Roast squash for 15-16 minutes or until tender. Set aside to cool.
- Cook pasta: While the squash is roasting, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 10-11 minutes, or according to package instructions. Drain, rinse with cool water, and set aside to cool.
- Cook bacon and kale: In a large skillet over medium heat, add bacon pieces. Cook 8-10 minutes until crisp. With a slotted spoon, remove the bacon from the skillet and transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Leave about 1 tbsp. of bacon grease in the pan.Add the kale and cook in the bacon grease for 3-4 minutes until wilted (kale will cook down A LOT!). Allow a few minutes for the kale to cool.
- Make the dressing: While the kale is cooling, make the dressing. Whisk all dressing ingredients together until combined.
- Finish: To a large serving bowl, add cooled pasta, roasted butternut squash, kale, bacon, and Parmesan cheese. Toss the salad with the dressing. With a vegetable peeler or small knife, shave additional pieces of Parmesan cheese over the top of the salad and serve.
Notes
Casey’s Tips
- Crunch and sweetness: Adding about 1/2 cup of toasted nuts will give the salad a nice crunch. You can also add dried cranberries for more color and a bit of sweetness.
- Make it ahead (with a tweak): I like tossing the salad with the dressing and serving this salad right away, but there are several things you can do a day or two in advance to make this salad come together quickly: Cook the squash, fry the bacon and kale, and make the dressing.
- Storage: You can store leftovers in an airtight container for about 3-4 days. The pasta tends to soak up the dressing as it sits, so add a splash of balsamic and olive oil to keep it fresh.
I LOVE this salad to mix up my Thanksgiving spread! It’s great for a holiday potluck, too! XO ~ Casey