Why save pasta salad for summer grilling season when you can make it year-round? In this video, Nicole shows you how to make 3 easy fall recipes for fall harvest orzo pasta salad, sweet potato black bean pasta salad, and marinated fall vegetable pasta salad!
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00:00Three fall pasta salads.
00:03Delicious, sweet.
00:05Look at that, y'all, that is fall right there.
00:08Why save pasta salad just for grillin' season?
00:11You can enjoy it all year round.
00:13Makes the perfect side dish,
00:14makes the perfect party thing to bring
00:16that you can make ahead,
00:18but also makes an easy dinner.
00:20So, let's do it.
00:22This I'm calling my fall harvest orzo pasta salad.
00:26This one has all of those hearty fall vegetables
00:29that we love this time of year.
00:31Little brussel sprouts, some butternut squash,
00:34and then a delicious apple cider vinaigrette to go with it.
00:36I'm usin' orzo for this
00:38because a lot of times you see this type of salad,
00:40like fall salad, with a grain like farro,
00:44but since I'm doin' pasta salads,
00:47the orzo is tiny and that way you get,
00:50you can still get everything in one bite.
00:52I'm just gonna kinda like shave these brussel sprouts.
00:55So, I'm just slicin' it in half
00:56and then just kind of slicing it really thin.
01:00Hold up.
01:01I went ahead and cooked off some bacon.
01:03Bacon is going in this.
01:05You can totally leave it out
01:05if you wanna keep it vegetarian,
01:07but I thought it would kinda be
01:08a hearty little substantial thing.
01:10I like to cook it on the sheet pan
01:11that I'm going to use again
01:13because we're gonna use those bacon drippings
01:15and cook our butternut squash and red onion.
01:18So, we're gonna get that kind of caramelization happening
01:21by roasting our onion and butternut squash together.
01:24Okay, so I'm going to add this
01:26just straight to the pan that I cooked the bacon on
01:28so that it gets that salty, smoky bacon flavor.
01:32And then butternut squash.
01:34There are a few jobs in the kitchen
01:36that I just don't like
01:38and peeling and chopping butternut squash is one of them.
01:41So, I did that ahead of time.
01:44And by I, I mean my friend across the way.
01:49This is probably more than we need,
01:50but I will save any extra
01:52and just put it in salads and stuff.
01:54Okay, so I'm gonna toss it in the bacon grease.
01:57So, I'm gonna add in some olive oil
01:59and then just some salt and pepper.
02:04You could throw some fresh thyme in here if you have any.
02:08Okay, so everything's tossed and covered.
02:10This goes in until it's all caramelized,
02:12good, softened, delicious.
02:16All right, you definitely don't wanna overcook your pasta
02:18when you make pasta salad
02:19because it's going to continue to like soften up
02:22as it absorbs the dressings.
02:25Al dente, people, al dente.
02:27This is a time where I do shock the pasta in cold water
02:30just to again prevent that from over going.
02:33And if this one's ready, they're all probably ready.
02:37Facial.
02:45One more.
02:50Okay, back to business.
02:52Brussels sprouts, all done.
02:54You could also use kale or spinach or leave it out.
02:57You know, with all of these recipes, be flexible.
03:00Or trust me and just know that I know what I'm talking about
03:04and I promise these are gonna be bowls of perfect bites.
03:08And now we can go ahead and make the dressing
03:09while we wait on our veggies to cook.
03:12I'm gonna do like a maple mustard vinaigrette
03:15using apple cider.
03:16Apple cider is just the perfect vinegar for this.
03:19Blends that sweetness but also that super tanginess
03:22and because apples.
03:25It's fall, y'all.
03:26A typical vinaigrette is two parts oil to one part vinegar.
03:31I'm making this one just a tad more tart.
03:34And then I'm using a Dijon mustard, stone ground Dijon.
03:37I like the little bits of mustard seed in there.
03:41That's also going to emulsify the vinaigrette
03:43and bring it together.
03:45And then to sweeten it up, some maple syrup.
03:47This is also just kind of gives you that fall vibe.
03:50And I'm doing a little bit of garlic powder,
03:52salt and pepper.
03:56Anytime you make a vinaigrette,
03:57you want kind of that sweet, that salty, that tangy
04:00and then that fat.
04:02It's quite delicious.
04:04Cooked, delicious, sweet.
04:09So what happens when it's in the oven
04:10is that it has developed like some good sweetness.
04:13That butternut squash.
04:15There's nothing not to like about it.
04:17So now we just bring everything together.
04:19I'm gonna go in with my veggies first.
04:21I'm gonna add in our cooked orzo.
04:24The brussels.
04:26Throw that in also.
04:28And then I'm also going in with some toasted walnuts.
04:31I love the hearty crunch that it gives a salad.
04:34And then some dried sweetened cranberries.
04:37Get that little chewy sweetness.
04:39I'm just gonna pour the dressing right over.
04:43Toss.
04:44Yum.
04:46The veggies are still a little bit warm
04:47so they really absorb that dressing.
04:50Look at that.
04:50Y'all, that is fall right there.
04:53And then I'm just gonna top it with some of the stuff
04:55that we put inside like I always do.
04:57A little more bacon.
04:59Some of the walnuts.
05:01Some of the cranberries.
05:03Fall harvest orzo pasta salad.
05:07I mean, y'all, look at the perfect bite right here.
05:09Mm.
05:10You've got the little bites of pasta
05:12that just kind of fills you up, you know,
05:13but those little fresh shaved brussels sprouts
05:16just kind of add a little delightful crunch
05:18that's like super earthy.
05:20Then the walnuts, the little sweet cranberries,
05:23that dressing.
05:24Mm-hmm.
05:26Okay, for my next trick,
05:27I'm going a little Southwestern style
05:29but with fall flair.
05:31Sweet potato, black bean pasta salad.
05:34Listen, if you never put black beans
05:36and sweet potatoes together, you're missing out, okay?
05:40It's one of my favorite flavor combinations
05:41so I thought, why not put it in the pasta salad?
05:44For this pasta salad, I'm using a penne pasta,
05:46so something a little bit bigger
05:48so that the pasta's a little more of the highlight here
05:51and the other things going in it
05:54are kind of, you know, smaller than the pasta
05:56but the idea and the hope
05:58is that you still get a little bit of everything
06:00in every bite.
06:01Also love putting my sweet potatoes
06:03with something spicy and a little more savory.
06:06In case we hadn't met,
06:07my favorite thing is like sweet and salty.
06:09Okay, so I'm gonna get these going.
06:11A little olive oil, salt and pepper.
06:13I am keeping it simple again on this
06:15because you're gonna remember the dressing
06:17and it's one of like the most flavorful things ever
06:19that you need to be having on hand.
06:21Bringing back a little something from the past.
06:24All right, and then this just goes into the oven, 425.
06:30All right, so while that cooks,
06:31just, you know, get everything else ready.
06:33I did make the dressing ahead
06:35because we always keep this on hand
06:37and you've seen it before.
06:38This is the chipotle honey vinaigrette from Chipotle.
06:43I added the copycat dressing.
06:44It is so good.
06:45So you've got a little smoky, sweet, a little spicy.
06:51It's just the perfect dressing for the salad.
06:53So just make the dressing as is and then up the chipotle.
06:57This is going to play with that sweet potato
06:59just a little bit better.
07:01More of the liquid.
07:03That's what I'm talking about.
07:04And then because I've got the cooked and the savory,
07:07I want some crunch, some fresh crunch.
07:09So I'm gonna get that by adding in some chopped red onion
07:13and some cilantro.
07:14I'm just gonna shave the cilantro off the stem
07:17if a little stem gets in there, it's okay.
07:20All right, then for your black beans,
07:21you want to definitely drain and rinse these.
07:24Another little crunch factor, some pepitas,
07:27which are roasted pumpkin seeds.
07:30One more ingredient for the end,
07:32but I'll just wait on the sweet potatoes to cook
07:34and then toss it all together
07:35with our little smoky chipotle vinaigrette.
07:41They're perfect.
07:42They've held their shape.
07:43They're not like super mushy.
07:44They definitely have still a little bit of bite to it.
07:47Let them cool slightly and then into the pasta salad.
07:53Okay, so you've got our copycat chipotle honey vinaigrette.
07:57And look how much pasta salad this is
08:00for not a lot of money.
08:01Gonna add in some cotija cheese.
08:03This is a really crumbly kind of salty Mexican cheese.
08:08Oh, look at that.
08:10Oh, that little crunch from those pumpkin seeds.
08:13It's just good.
08:14Look at all that flavor.
08:15Some little sweet potatoes, the black beans.
08:18You see everything that's in it.
08:20Of course, gonna sprinkle with everything inside.
08:23A drizzle and a sprinkle and a crumble.
08:28Look at that.
08:29Southwestern sweet potato, black bean pasta salad
08:33for the win.
08:34I mean, just look at all that.
08:35Look at that.
08:37Look at that.
08:38That is delightful.
08:40I could eat this every day.
08:44This is one you haven't had before.
08:46Y'all are gonna like this one.
08:47Now, let's bring it on home.
08:52For my final trick today,
08:54marinated fall vegetable pasta salad.
08:57Now, this one is going to be like the fall twist
09:00on probably the most classic type of pasta salad.
09:04Typically, in those marinated pasta salads,
09:07you know, you've got like bell peppers, tomatoes,
09:10zucchini squash sometimes.
09:12We're going fall vegetables.
09:13Look at my array.
09:15You know, this one's gonna be your crowd pleaser,
09:18but with a twist.
09:19And I'm gonna start by marinating
09:21half of the vegetables going in
09:23because the other half doesn't need to be marinated.
09:25So to clean my mushrooms,
09:26I'm just taking a damp paper towel
09:28and wiping off all the surface.
09:30Sometimes if you wash them,
09:32they absorb too much of the water.
09:34I'm just gonna trim the stem a little bit,
09:35but leave it in, and quarter.
09:38And this is definitely a pasta salad
09:40that gets better with age.
09:41When you hear the word marinated,
09:43you want that to be soaking.
09:45This pasta's also gonna have like tons of textures going on
09:49because we've got our, you know, kind of meaty mushrooms,
09:52but then we're gonna get a lot of crunch
09:54from carrot and cauliflower.
09:56Okay, so for the carrots, I'm going to thinly slice them.
09:59Like the mushrooms, as they marinate,
10:01they're gonna get like soft and tender.
10:03The carrots are gonna stay nice and crunchy,
10:05so I'm gonna keep them nice and thin.
10:08Okay, and then the other part
10:09that's going in the marinade is the cauliflower.
10:12And I'm gonna keep this in really small pieces also,
10:15just so nothing is overwhelming
10:17because we're not cooking these ahead of time.
10:19You could blanch them if you want and then marinate them,
10:21but ain't nobody got time for that.
10:24So I just like little bits,
10:25and throughout the pasta salad,
10:26it's gonna be little crunchy little bites.
10:29You can also just pick them right off the stalk
10:31because they naturally have a place
10:34where they separate.
10:35Okay, the majority of the vegetables are prepped,
10:36so I'm just gonna make the marinade.
10:38I'm gonna start with a little bit of shallot.
10:41You're not gonna get little bites of onion,
10:42but this adds great flavor to the vinaigrette.
10:45And I'm gonna pop it into a bowl.
10:48I'm gonna do a red wine vinaigrette.
10:51So I'm gonna do two parts oil to one part vinegar.
10:55I'm gonna use extra virgin here
10:57since we're not cooking it or anything.
10:59I'm gonna go with a touch of brown sugar
11:01just to kind of balance everything out.
11:05A little Dijon.
11:08A little crushed red pepper.
11:10A little bit of dried oregano, just a pinch.
11:13A little bit goes a long way.
11:14And the OGs, a little garlic powder, a little salt and pepper.
11:22Whisk her up.
11:25All right, so in go the veggies.
11:28Told you this is gonna make a ton,
11:30so invite your friends over.
11:33All right, now I'm just going to cover this
11:35and let it marinate until those mushrooms are soft.
11:39But I'll report back.
11:43Okay, it's been about an hour.
11:46Mushrooms have softened a bit.
11:49And again, it'll just get better with age.
11:52Okay, now let's follify it even more.
11:56Kale.
11:57This is really just gonna add
11:58like a great little bite and texture to the pasta salad.
12:01I'm gonna take the stems off
12:03and then just chop it up pretty finely
12:05because we're not cooking it.
12:06You know, when you cook it, it cooks down like a ton.
12:11All right, before I add it in,
12:12I'm just gonna kind of give it the little kale massage
12:15that everybody does.
12:16It softens it and it just kind of doesn't make it
12:18so harsh to bite into, you know?
12:20It just needs a little waking up.
12:23All right, now we're just going to be
12:26tossing everything together.
12:27And then some marinated artichoke hearts.
12:30This isn't necessarily a fall vegetable,
12:32but it's marinated.
12:34I am draining off the marinade though
12:36because I don't want it to mess
12:38with my great flavor I made.
12:40Cut them in half just to make them a little more bite size.
12:43And then sun-dried tomatoes.
12:44This is like the perfect way to get
12:47that kind of burst of tomato when they're not in season.
12:50Okay, so that is going to give us a little juicy burst.
12:53And then for a little creaminess,
12:56smoked mozzarella.
12:57So this is a little something new,
13:00but when looking for something a little warm,
13:02a little hearty,
13:03I thought smoked mozzarella would be really good.
13:06All right.
13:09One more thing.
13:10A little parsley.
13:13It really is going to brighten up the marinade.
13:15It's not just for garnish.
13:18Kind of just brings things back to life.
13:21All right, time for the magic.
13:23I really want to get in here with my hands.
13:26I have to, y'all have to.
13:28I really want to make sure everything is coated
13:33in this dressing.
13:35This one, you have to let it sit for like four hours.
13:38After you make this,
13:39you're going to want to keep it stored
13:40in like a Tupperware with a lid
13:42or just some Ziploc bags.
13:44That way it can really marinate
13:45and then you can zhuzh it
13:46before you put it in your serving bowl.
13:49See how like the dressing and stuff gets caught
13:52in those little crannies of the bow tie?
13:55That is why I chose to use bow tie.
13:57It's all about that flavor.
13:59It's hard to say which one's the winner.
14:01This is really good.
14:02This has it all going on.
14:03I mean, it's got so much flavor
14:05from that vinaigrette that we made.
14:07And then all those veggies,
14:08you get a little bit of something,
14:09a little bit of everything.
14:10You get crunch, you get a little chewiness,
14:12you get the creaminess from the cheese and the pasta.
14:15It's perfection.
14:18We did it.
14:19They're beautiful.
14:20They're different and they're so full of flavor.
14:22I hope I've convinced you to try something new this fall
14:25and make a pasta salad perfect for any family gathering,
14:29the holidays, the tailgates, or just for dinner.
14:33I hope you try one of these.
14:35All the recipes will be linked below
14:36and let me know what you think.
14:39Happy fall, y'all.
14:43Determined to get a little on my shirt.
14:46Oh!
14:49Did you see that?
14:51Right after I said it, did you hear me?
14:52Time for a commercial break.
14:55Okay, we'll do that thing where it bleeps.