Eating the same kind of salad every day can become boring very quickly. This is why cooking seasonally can be a convenient way to spruce up your meals, particularly your greens. This pumpkin salad recipe is one of our favorite ways to incorporate fall flavors into a healthy, satisfying salad.
This roasted pumpkin salad is made with butternut pumpkin, cooked in the oven until slightly charred and tender. The sweet pumpkin is a wonderful addition to the slightly bitter spinach, adding a pleasant flavor to the mix.
The pumpkin also pairs beautifully with the honey-lemon vinaigrette that’s created for this salad recipe. The vinaigrette is made with olive oil, lemon juice, honey, and whole grain mustard for both a little sweetness and tanginess.
We love adding pine nuts and feta cheese to our salad for some crunch and a touch of salty goodness, but you could also add walnuts, pecans, or goat cheese as other tasty garnishes. This pumpkin salad recipe will serve about 6 people so if you’re serving this as a part of fall entertaining, we recommend tripling the amount, depending on how many guests you’re hosting.
For more fall recipes, check out our collection here.
Summary |
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Cook time: 30 minutes
Prep time: 10 minutes
Idle time: 30 minutes
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Servings:
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Ingredients
- 1-1 1/2 lb butternut pumpkin deseeded, peeled, cut into wedges
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 tsp honey
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
- for the dressing:
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp wholegrain mustard
- salt to season
- pepper to season
- for the salad:
- 5 oz baby spinach leaves
- 2-3 tbsp toasted pine nuts
- 2 oz crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper. Combine the pumpkin with the oil and honey in a large bowl. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, then toss to combine well.
- Spread out the pumpkin onto the prepared baking sheet and roast the pumpkin for 25 minutes, turning the baking sheet once halfway through.
- Sprinkle sesame seeds over all the pumpkin wedges, then roast in the oven again for another 5 minutes until the seeds are toasted. Remove the pumpkin from the oven and cool for 30 minutes.
- To create the vinaigrette, add the vinaigrette ingredients to a mason jar and seal the lid shut. Shake the jar until everything is well-combined, then season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper.
- To a large serving bowl, add the spinach, cooled pumpkin, vinaigrette, and pine nuts. Toss everything to combine, then garnish with the feta cheese crumbles.
Additional information
Recipe adapted from taste.com.au
