Roasted Pumpkin Salad Recipe

Roasted pumpkin, baby spinach leaves and toasted almonds are drizzled with a sweet balsamic vinegar and honey dressing, and then topped with crumbled feta cheese.

We use butternut pumpkin (butternut squash) in this salad, but a different variety of pumpkin could be used if preferred.

Over time, the dressing will cause the spinach leaves to wilt and the feta will take on colour from the balsamic vinegar, so add the dressing and top the salad with the feta just before serving.

We use a 20ml tablespoon and 250ml measuring cup for all of our recipes.

1.2kg pumpkin (we use butternut)
20ml (1 tablespoon) oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
16g (about 2 medium) garlic cloves, unpeeled
40ml (2 tablespoons) balsamic vinegar
40ml (2 tablespoons) olive oil
20ml (1 tablespoon) honey
100g (about 5 loosely filled cups) baby spinach leaves
75g (1/2 cup) toasted slivered almonds
100g feta cheese

Preheat oven to 220 degrees Celsius (190 degrees Celsius fan-forced). If you are not using a fan-forced oven, move the oven rack to the middle shelf position.

Cut pumpkin into slices about 1.8cm thick, and remove skin and seeds. Cut the pumpkin slices into pieces about 1.8cm by 4cm by 4cm.

Place pumpkin pieces on a large baking tray, drizzle with one tablespoon of oil and toss to coat. Spread pumpkin out in a single layer on the tray and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Cut a small amount off the end of each garlic clove (this helps prevent the garlic from bursting out of its skin when roasting) and put garlic on the tray with the pumpkin. © exclusivelyfood.com.au

Bake pumpkin and garlic for 20 minutes. Remove tray from oven and set garlic aside to cool. Turn the pumpkin pieces over and return to oven. Continue cooking pumpkin for about 15-25 minutes, until lightly browned and tender when tested with the point of a knife. Allow pumpkin to cool to room temperature.

Make dressing (see instructions below).

Arrange spinach leaves, pumpkin and nuts on a serving platter. Shake the dressing and pour over the salad. Crumble feta over the salad and serve immediately.

Dressing
Squeeze garlic from its skin into a bowl.

Mash garlic with a fork.

Place garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper in a screw-top jar (we use a clean jam jar).

Cover jar with lid and shake well to combine the ingredients. If it is a cold day, the honey will take a little longer to incorporate. © www.exclusivelyfood.com.au