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Butternut Squash Pasta Salad with Brussels Sprouts, Pecans, and Cranberries

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Servings: 6

Ingredients

Roasted Brussels Sprouts:

  • 12 oz Brussels sprouts ends trimmed, yellow leaves removed, each sliced in half
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt, to tast

Roasted Butternut Squash:

  • 1 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed (1-inch)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Other Ingredients:

  • 8 oz pasta
  • 1 cup pecan halves
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar or glaze
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

How to roast Brussels Sprouts

  • Preheat oven to 400 F. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl, combine halved Brussels sprouts, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt (to taste), and toss to combine. 
  • Add Brussels sprouts cut sides down onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, and roast in the oven at 400 F for about 20-25 minutes. The cut sides should be nicely and partially charred but not blackened (see my photos).

How to roast Butternut Squash

  • Preheat oven to 400 F. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl, combine cubed butternut squash (peeled and seeded),1 tablespoon of olive oil, maple syrup, and cinnamon, and toss to mix.
  • Place butternut squash in a single layer on the baking sheet. Roast for 20-25 minutes, until softened.
  • Note: You can roast both Brussels sprouts and butternut squash on 2 separate baking sheets or on one large baking sheet at the same time, on the same rack in the oven – that’s what I did.

Cook pasta:

  • While the veggies are roasted in the oven, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package instructions, usually about 10 or 12 minutes. Drain.

How to toast pecans:

  • Toast the pecans for about 5 minutes (maybe a bit longer) in the preheated oven at 350 F until they get darker in color. 
  • Note: pecans burn really fast, so make sure to check the nuts after 5 minutes and frequently afterwords. 

Assembly:

  • In a large bowl, combine roasted Brussels sprouts, roasted butternut squash, cooked and drained pasta, pecans, and cranberries, and mix to combine. 

Salad dressing options

  • There are 4 salad dressing options that you can drizzle over this butternut squash salad:
  • Option 1. Combine 3 or 4 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small bowl and whisk to emulsify.
  • Option 2. Drizzle the salad with balsamic glaze (store-purchased) or homemade. To make a balsamic glaze, combine 1 cup of balsamic vinegar + ¼ cup of honey or brown sugar and cook it down until reduced at least by half. Consistency should be thick enough to coat the back of the spoon but should not be overly thick.
  • Option 3. Use 2 or 3 tablespoons of maple syrup plus 2 or 3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice (not the bottled kind) as a salad dressing.
  • Option 4. Your favorite store-bought Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing (not the creamy kind).
  • Option 5. Anything pomegranate based would be good - such as pomegranate molasses mixed with a small amount of olive oil. Or store-bought Pomegranate-based salad dressing (not the creamy kind).