Roast Pumpkin and Feta Salad with Honey Balsamic Dressing

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Roast pumpkin and feta salad is a classic salad that’s always a crowd-pleaser. Couple it with balsamic dressing for this popular BBQ side dish.

Roast Pumpking and Feta Salad
roast pumpkin and feta salad

Looking for a salad to take to your next BBQ? One that’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser?

Or the perfect side to a steak or some pan-seared chicken breast?

Maybe just a lunch salad that will fill you up and taste delicious?

This pumpkin and feta salad hits all the right notes. With its salty-sweet flavour combo, plus the crunch from the nuts, there’s a reason this salad is a favourite.

Notes on Pumpkin and Feta Salad Ingredients

Like most cooking, you can switch and substitute a lot of the ingredients in pumpkin and feta salad (except the pumpkin and feta, of course) depending on taste and the availability of ingredients.

Salad leaves: I’ve used baby spinach and rocket in my photo but you can use mixed leaves, ‘fancy’ lettuce or chopped cos. Any fresh greens will do.

The peppery flavour of the rocket contrasts nicely with the sweetness of the pumpkin but not everyone likes rocket.

Nuts: Pine nuts work perfectly with this dish but they can be expensive to buy. To save money on pine nuts, you can check out Aldi, where they are cheaper, or buy them from a bulk food store, where you can purchase just enough to make this dish.

Alternatively, you can use any nuts you have on hand. I’ve used walnuts in the salad pictured. Pecans, macadamias or slivered almonds would also work well.

For a nut-free version, you can choose to leave out the nuts, but then you lose the crunch which gives this salad texture. Or you can substitute with pepitas or sunflower seeds.

Feta cheese: You can use either Danish or Greek feta. Danish feta is more creamy, while Greek feta is drier and crumblier so choose the texture you enjoy the most.

You could also use goats cheese.

Best Pumpkin for Roast Pumpkin and Feta Salad

The best pumpkin varieties to roast for this salad are either Kent/Jap or Butternut pumpkin.

Both types have good texture, so they don’t get too soft when roasted. They also have a lot of flavour and are slightly sweet, which is a nice contrast to the saltiness of the feta.

How to Roast Pumpkin

Roast the pumpkin in a hot oven on a greased tray or one lined with baking paper for easy cleanup.

Toss pumpkin in a little olive oil to coat and season with salt and pepper.

Spread the pumpkin out on the tray so they aren’t touching. This prevents the pumpkin from steaming and going soggy.

Cook for 15-30 minutes or until cooked through, depending on the how big you cut your pumpkin pieces.

You might also like: Six Savoury Pumpkin Dishes.

Yield: 3 cups

Roast Pumpkin and Feta Salad

pumpkin and feta salad

A delicious salad that's filling and always a hit at barbeques.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup pumpkin, cut into bite-sized cubes
  • 2 cups salad leaves
  • 1/4 cup of pine nuts*
  • 1/4 red onion (optional)
  • 100g feta cheese
  • 60 ml olive oil + extra for roasting pumpkin
  • 3-6 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
  • 1-2 tsp. honey
  • 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F). Toss the pumpkin in some olive oil and salt and pepper. Bake for around 20 minutes or until browned and cooked through, tossing once during cooking. Set aside to cool.
  2. Lightly toast pine nuts or nuts of choice in a dry pan over medium heat and set aside.
  3. Wash and prepare salad leaves, drying them well.
  4. Build your salad by tossing a little dressing with the greens. Add the pumpkin, feta and onion if using, tossing slightly. Sprinkle with the pine nuts.
  5. Drizzle with a little more dressing and serve immediately.

Notes

You can use any salad leaves

While pine nuts taste great in this dish, they can be pricey, so substitute with any nuts you have on hand. I used walnuts in this photo. For a nut-free version, add pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds for crunch.

I've given approximate measurements for the dressing. Uses the smallest measurements first, taste and then adjust to suit your tastes.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 349Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 361mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 2gSugar: 18gProtein: 6g

Nutritional information is calculated automatically using the Nutritionix database. Nutrition information can vary for a recipe based on factors such as precision of measurements, brands, ingredient freshness, serving size or the source of nutrition data. We strive to keep the information as accurate as possible but make no warranties regarding its accuracy. We encourage readers to make their own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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2 Comments

  1. Thanks Melissa, I’ve printed out this recipe to try. It sounds like it would be delicious.

    Kaye

    1. It got good reveiws, but then family are biased! :) Hope you enjoy