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Warm Pasta Salad with Butternut Squash, Apple, Goat Cheese & Pecans, plated

Mealime recipe · lives on in MealPot

Warm Pasta Salad with Butternut Squash, Apple, Goat Cheese & Pecans

  • 30 min
  • 2–6 servings
  • 689 kcal / serving
  • ★ 4.3 on Mealime

This warm pasta salad pairs roasted apples and butternut squash with creamy goat cheese and toasted pecans, delivering soft-to-crisp textures and a tangy dressing. It comes together quickly for a weeknight meal that still feels balanced.

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Pasta & Pizza

Ingredients

  • ½ smallbutternut squash
  • ½ small pkgfresh thyme
  • 1Gala apple
  • 1 clovegarlic
  • ½ (4 oz) loggoat cheese
  • ⅓ cuppecan halves
  • 5 ozrotini pasta
  • ½shallot
  • Gala apples
  • shallots

From the pantry: balsamic vinegar, black pepper, Dijon mustard, extra virgin olive oil, salt

Cookware

baking sheet pan · chef's knife · colander · cutting board · garlic press (optional) · measuring cups · measuring spoons · medium saucepan · mixing bowls · oven mitts · stirring spoon · tongs · vegetable peeler · whisk or fork

Directions

  1. Roast the apples and squash on a sheet pan with thyme, a light drizzle of oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper until tender and golden, about 20 minutes, stirring halfway.
  2. Meanwhile, cook the rotini in salted water until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes, then drain and rinse under cold water.
  3. Whisk olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper in a bowl to form the dressing.
  4. Peel and mince the garlic and shallot; stir them into the dressing and set aside.
  5. Roughly chop the pecans and keep them nearby for sprinkling later.
  6. When the pasta and vegetables finish, toss the hot pasta with the roasted apples and squash in the dressing until evenly coated, then fold in the goat cheese and pecans for serving.

Two tips

  • Roast the apples and squash ahead and refrigerate; rewarm with the pasta for a quicker finish.
  • If you like a sharper bite, whisk in a touch more Dijon or balsamic before mixing with the pasta.

Nutrition per serving

Calories
689 kcal
Protein
18 g
Carbs
86 g
Fat
33 g
Fiber
11 g
Sodium
119 mg

Estimates from the recipe's published nutrition data; they change with the version you pick above.

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Ingredient quantities, timing and nutrition are recorded from the original Mealime recipe ↗ (captured 2026-09-12). Photo: MealPot, an AI-rendered illustration of the finished dish. Description and directions written by MealPot.

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