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.
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 till 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 to the pasta.
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, ending with the goat cheese. Drizzle on the vinaigrette dressing and toss well to combine.
To make the dressing
Combine all ingredients in a lidded jar or dressing container, 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.
Notes
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.