Easy pasta salads are the saviors of weeknight cooking and this roasted butternut and brussels sprout pesto pasta salad is no different! It combines seasonal autumn vegetables with a quick pesto, cooked pasta, and brie to make a meal that is healthy and satisfying.
It’s never the wrong season for a pasta salad.
And by pasta salad I absolutely DO NOT mean a gloopy mayonnaise-y mess. I like my mayo exactly one way and that is in a sriracha-tinged drizzle on top of my sushi. Putting it on any other form of complex carb just seems wrong to me (yes, including bread. I’m weird about my condiment usage.)
BUT a pasta salad that is actually A SALAD with vegetables and cheese and (yes!) carbs?!?! I can get behind that. Always.
Okay, if we’re being serious, this pasta is actually pretty good for you and it includes all of the best flavors of right now.
SO: roasted caramelized butternut, crispy roasted brussels sprouts, BRIE, a fresh and zesty lemony pesto, anddidimentionthebrie.
And mmaaayyybbeee if your kid is less fastidious than mine is, they will actually EAT the vegetables instead of pick them out as if their life depends on it. Joke’s on you Remy because the beauty of the roasted butternut is that some of it kind of melts into the pasta folds AND GETS INTO EVERY BITE.
MWAHAHAHA.
Tricking your kid into eating her vegetables. Such a good feeling.
Alllmoosssttt as good as biting into one of those chunks of brie. Almost.
- 2 cloves of garlic
- Juice of one lemon
- 1 jalapeño pepper, stemmed and seeded
- 1 large bunch of basil
- ½ bunch of parsley
- ½ cup roasted pistachios
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into ½-inch dice
- 12 oz brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 lb fusilli pasta
- 8 oz brie, diced
- 2 oz arugula
- Combine the garlic, lemon juice, and jalapeno in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add the herbs and pistachios. Pulse again until the herbs are broken down into tiny pieces. Add in the olive oil, parmesan cheese, salt, and black pepper. Pulse until pureed. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Set aside.
- Heat oven to 400F.
- Toss the olive oil, butternut squash, and brussels sprouts together on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Roast until tender, about 25-30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving ½ cup of pasta water, and set aside.
- Once the veggies are cooked, combine them with the pasta in a large bowl. Add in the pesto, brie, and arugula and stir to combine. Add in the reserved pasta water if needed to thin the pesto. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Yum! Great flavors, textures, and colors in the pasta salad.
My kids don’t even know about the mayonnaise type of pasta salad! Just the kind with some olive oil and vinegar!