We are taking a summertime favourite & making it now perfect for fall with this fall pasta salad! You are getting perfectly roasted vegetables, crisp apple, pumpkin seeds, & freshly cooked pasta all drizzled in a rich maple balsamic dressing!
GLUTEN-FREE and vegan Fall Pasta Salad
This recipe packs a ton of flavour along with good for you ingredients. I made it gluten-free simply by using gluten-free pasta. I used this chickpea pasta for some added fibre & plant-based protein.
This recipe is naturally vegan by simply omitting the feta cheese or replacing it with your favourite dairy-free brand. But trust me, this recipe is wonderful with or without the cheese if you want to make it without!
EASY GLUTEN-FREE Fall Pasta Salad
This recipe is actually incredibly easy as well. Once you have the pasta prepped, veggies roasted & dressing mixed together, it is just a matter of throwing it all into a large bowl & enjoying! Spend a few minutes on the weekend or during the week to mix it all together & then have a healthy cold pasta salad for the next few days! It also makes a great addition to any Thanksgiving dinner or holiday party, & is sure to be a hit!
MAKE IT GLUTEN-FREE
The only thing you need to make sure you have on hand to make this gluten-free is the pasta. I have been loving chickpea pasta lately. It has extra fibre & protein which is a nice added bonus to a pasta dish. I used this one in this recipe & have always had great results from it. I have also been told you can get it for a great price at Costco too, which is something I need to look into for my next trip there.
MAKE A BATCH, EAT ALL WEEK!
One of the things I love about this recipe is that it makes a decent amount & you can always double or triple it if you have a large family. And it also gets better with time as all of the ingredients have time to mesh & blend together. For those reasons, its a great recipe to prep at the start of the week & then you have it on hand for easy lunches or snacks all week long!
You can store it in the fridge & simply serve as desired. It should last up to one week but it best within the first 3-4 days!
Ingredients you will need for this fall pasta salad
Fall Pasta Salad
- prepared pasta of choice (I used this chickpea one for added fibre & protein, but any will work)
- roasted veg of choice, diced (I used carrots & parsnips but sweet potato would also be great here)
- spinach
- 1 apple
- pumpkin seeds, optional
- feta cheese or dairy-free cheese of choice, optional
Maple Balsamic Dressing
- maple syrup
- extra virgin olive oil (or avocado oil)
- balsamic vinegar
- Dijon mustard
- garlic, minced (optional)
- Pink salt & pepper
How to make this fall pasta salad
I love to roast my favourite veggies like parsnips, carrots & sweet potato at the start of every week to throw into a salad or on top of my meals. That makes this recipe super easy when you already have roasted veggies on hand. However, if you don’t it’s not that hard to do! Simply coat your preferred, diced veggies in your oil of choice (I love using avocado oil) & roast them at 400 F until fork tender. Roasting time will depend on how thick you cut your veggies but mine typically take 20-30 minutes.
Then you simply prepare your desired pasta as indicated on the box, add in the apple, pumpkin seeds, greens & feta if using & drizzle all of that with the maple balsamic dressing & you are good to go! It is a great side to have prepped for busy weeks as it makes delicious leftovers!
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Fall Pasta Salad [with Roasted Vegetables and a Maple Balsamic Dressing]
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: pasta salad
- Method: stove
- Cuisine: sides
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
We are taking a summertime favourite & making it now perfect for fall with this fall pasta salad! You are getting perfectly roasted vegetables, crisp apple, pumpkin seeds, & freshly cooked pasta all drizzled in a rich maple balsamic dressing!
Ingredients
Fall Pasta Salad
- 3 cups prepared pasta of choice (I used this chickpea one for added fibre & protein, but any will work)
- 2 cups roasted veg of choice, diced (I used carrots & parsnips but sweet potato would also be great here)
- 2 handfuls of spinach, or greens of choice such as, spring mix or arugula (~2 cups)
- 1 apple, diced
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, optional
- 1/2 cup feta cheese or dairy-free cheese of choice, optional
Maple Balsamic Dressing
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (or avocado oil)
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 3–4 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
- Pink salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl add the ingredients for the dressing together, mixing well & then set in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the pasta salad.
- Prepare the pasta as indicated on the box, drain & let cool while you prep the other ingredients.
- Roast your veggies of choice in your preferred oil at 400 F until a fork can easily pierce them, roasting time will depend on the size of your diced veggies.
- Slice & dice all of the other add-in’s & then mix them with the cooled pasta & drizzle with the dressing.
- Mix well, store in the fridge & serve cold. Enjoy!
Keywords: pasta salad, fall
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