Roasted Pumpkin Salad with pistachios
Let’s give ’em pumpkin to talk about
What is Roasted Pumpkin Salad?
Bold, bright, and packed with flavour! This Roasted Pumpkin Salad with pistachios and a zesty grapefruit sumac dressing brings all the colour and crunch.
You’ll love it if…
…you want a vibrant, nutritious, flavour-packed salad but upgraded for autumn. *Chef’s Kiss*
Confusion Strikes
It is amazing how some vegetables get added in the dessert category. When I first came across sweet corn ice cream in Singapore, it blew my mind. Then it started to make sense, it literally has sweet in the name. It is worthy of a cold creamy dessert.
Pumpkin has an identity crisis
Pumpkin is one of those vegetables – not having grown up in the US, I don’t identify pumpkin as a dessert. When I tasted my first pumpkin pie (in university no less) it was confusion before my mind cleared. Of course! Roast pumpkin is actually very sweet! With nutmeg and cinnamon this was perfectly acceptable as a sweet pie.
Is this a salad…or is this dessert?
Don’t let the pumpkin fool you, this is a salad. Yes the roasting of the pumpkin does a lot to bring out the natural sweetness. And pistachios are traditionally found in desserts. However just when you think you should bring this out at the end of the meal – the zesty, bright lime and grapefruit dressing with sumac kicks in. The onions and beans temper the sweetness with their acidity and mellowness. This is not a dessert, your brain thinks. This is a beautiful, flavour-packed, vibrant, salad.
This salad is all of the things – its sweet, its savoury, its punchy, its perfect.
A wise man once said “Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.”
Gather the Ingredients
Cook the Vegetables
In an oven at 180℃ (350℉) roast large chunks of pumpkin or butternut squash. Par boil the beans and char the onions and beans in a pan on high heat.
Dry roast the pistachios in a pan.
Cook the roasted pumpkin pieces in butter and sage.
Make the Dressing, Mix All Ingredients
Combine all the dressing ingredients and adjust seasoning to taste.
Combine all the vegetables and pistachios and mix the salad dressing in.
Serve and Enjoy!
- You can swap with pumpkin butternut squash or sweet potatoes, adjust the time in the oven accordingly.
- If you don’t have sumac, you can use lemon zest or lemon pepper, or omit it entirely. If you are using substitutes adjust them to taste as they are stronger than the more subtle sumac flavour.
- You can use blood oranges instead of grapefruit in the dressing.
Roasted Pumpkin Salad with pistachios and zesty grapefruit dressing
Equipment
- oven for roasting pumpkin
- large mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 500 grams pumpkin or butternut squash
- ½ cup red onion petals *the chef has used Spanish red onions
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in halves
- 1 cup green beans cut into 1 inch batons
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- ½ cup pistachios
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage leaves, chopped or whole
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 teaspoons cooking oil any type
For the Dressing
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of ½ a grapefruit
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine all the dressing ingredients and adjust seasoning to taste.
- Dry roast 1/2 cup of pistachios in a pan with a pinch of salt until browned. Set aside.
- In an oven at 180℃ (350℉) roast large chunks of 500 grams pumpkin or butternut squash with 1 teaspoon cooking oil and a pinch of salt. This will take 45 minutes in the oven. Once roasted, remove from oven and cool. Cut into bitesize cubes.
- Par boil 1 cup green beans in boiling water for 5 minutes and strain. Optional step to retain the green colour plunge them into cold water immediately and leave for a couple of minutes.
- In a smoking pan on very high heat add 1 teaspoon cooking oil and add ½ cup red onion petals and the beans. Sauté for a minute until the beans and onions are slightly charred. Set aside to cool.
- In the same pan on high heat, add 1 tablespoon butter, 1 teaspoon chopped garlic and 1 tablespoon fresh sage leaves. Add the roast pumpkin cubes and sauté for a couple of minutes until the pumpkin is slightly browned.
- Let the vegetables cool. In a large mixing bowl add the pumpkin, beans, onions, 1 cup cherry tomatoes halves and the roasted pistachios.
- Pour the dressing over the vegetables and gently but thoroughly mix the salad and the dressing.
- Serve and enjoy!
Video
FAQ
Can I use other nuts instead of pistachios?
Absolutely! Walnuts, almonds, or pecans would all work well and add a different crunch to the salad.
What dishes pair well with roast pumpkin salad?
This salad can be eaten as a main but it also pairs beautifully with roasted chicken, grilled fish, or even a hearty grain like quinoa. It’s also great as a side for festive meals. The chef paired it with simple grilled prawns for a balanced meal.
Can I make this salad vegan?
Yes! Simply use maple syrup or agave instead of honey in the dressing and use olive oil instead of butter.
