A hearty pasta salad that’s great as a meal on its own or a side dish. Sprouts, acorn squash, and crunchy seasonal toppings!
Ingredients
12ouncestiny pasta, cooked and drained
3cupsacorn squash, diced
2cupsBrussels sprouts, shredded
3tablespoonsolive oil
1pomegranate, seeded
1cupdried cranberries
1cupchopped pecans, toasted
Apple Cider Dressing:
¼cupolive oil
¼cupapple cider vinegar
2tablespoonmaple syrup
Salt and pepper
Instructions
For dressing, whisk together all ingredients and set aside. You might not want all the dressing. Add it slowly.
Cook pasta according to package. When done, drain pasta rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.
Peel acorn squash with a paring knife (careful) and chop squash into 1/2-inch cubes. I medium squash should yield roughly 3 cups of chopped squash. Also, shred 2-3 cups of brussels sprouts.
Add olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add squash and cooking, stirring occasionally, until cubes are slightly browned in spots and tender, 8-10 minutes. Add shredded sprouts and cook for another 3-4 minutes until they are bright green. Season squash mixture with salt and pepper.
Toast pecans in a dry skillet over low heat until they are fragrant. Seed pomegranate (I like to do this in a bowl of water to prevent the seeds from going everywhere. The seeds will sink to the bottom of the bowl.)
Add cooked pasta to a large bowl and stir in squash mixture. Toss with cranberries, pecans, pomegranate, and dressing to taste. Season pasta salad with salt and pepper.
Pasta salad can be served at room temperature or cold.