Roast pumpkin salad

45 min
Roast pumpkin salad

This roast pumpkin salad combines the most amazing flavours and textures for a fresh and bright salad. Black beans, roasted pumpkin, and red bell pepper make for a mouth-watering meal or the perfect side dish. Garnish it with dark chocolate, roasted pumpkin seeds, coriander leaves, and lemon wedges. Enjoy the sweet and juicy salad with some crispy toasted tortillas on the side.

Ingredients

Marinade

Cooking cream, 8%
250 ml
Freshly squeezed lime juice
3 tbsp
Small, chopped garlic cloves
2
Coarse salt
¾ tsp
Cayenne pepper
¼ tsp
Peeled pumpkins cut into thin wedges, for example, Hokkaido
750 g
Pumpkin seeds
4 tbsp

Toasted tortillas

Whole wheat tortillas, approx. 20 cm in diameter
6
Water
Lightly crushed flake salt
1 tsp
Black beans (approx. 800 g)
2 cans
Red bell pepper in long strips (approx. 200 g)
1
Fresh coriander leaves
36 g
Lime fruit cut into wedges
1
Finely chopped dark chocolate (approx. 70% cocoa)
1 tbsp

Instructions

  • Mix all ingredients for the marinade. Adjust the taste if needed.
  • Turn pumpkin wedges with half the marinade. Place them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and bake them at the top of the oven for about 20 minutes at 200°C (convection).
  • Place pumpkin seeds in a small roasting pan and roast them at the bottom of the oven for about 7 minutes at 200°C (convection).

Toasted tortillas

  • Brush tortillas with water and sprinkle with salt. Cut them into quarters. Place the tortillas on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and toast them at the bottom of the oven for 8-10 minutes at 200°C (convection).
  • Pour black beans into a sieve and rinse with cold water. Toss the beans with the rest of the marinade.
  • Arrange beans, roasted pumpkin wedges, and red pepper in a serving dish. Garnish with coriander leaves and lime wedges on top.
  • Sprinkle with the roasted seeds and chocolate. Serve the roast pumpkin salad with the crispy tortilla pieces.
Recommended information

Serving suggestion

Lasagne
1 h
Lasagne
(0)
Enjoy!

Tips

When choosing between different pumpkins to use for the roast pumpkin salad, look for ones with a healthy, well-attached, dry stem. Examine the fruit carefully for any signs of decay, for example, soft spots, deep nicks, and bruises. Stay away from giant pumpkins that are merely meant for carving.

Tips

Scrub the fruit thoroughly with a stiff scrub brush to remove any dirt or debris. Once it is cleaned, you can pat it dry and peel the skin. We recommend you peel it before cutting into it. Grab hold of the stem and keep it steady as you peel it. But be careful because the skin can be quite tough.

Questions about roast pumpkin salad

A black bean and pumpkin salad is perfect for autumn when the flavourful fruits are in season, but with our roast pumpkin salad recipe with delicious, fresh, and light flavours, nothing is stopping you from enjoying it all year round. Read below to learn more about the delicious salad.

How to make pumpkin salad?

To make an easy roast pumpkin salad, toss pumpkin wedges with a marinade made with cooking cream, lime juice, garlic, salt, and cayenne pepper. Arrange the beans, roasted pumpkins, and red pepper on a serving dish and garnish with coriander, lime wedges, seeds, and chocolate. Serve the salad with crispy oven-baked tortilla pieces.

How to roast pumpkin for salad?

Combine the ingredients for the marinade and toss it with the pumpkin wedges. Place them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and roast them on the upper rack in the oven for roughly 20 minutes at 200°C until they are tender and lightly brown. Remember to keep an eye on them and check periodically to prevent them from burning.

Can you freeze roast pumpkin?

You sure can, as long as you wait for the roasted pumpkin to be fully cooled before freezing. Spread the roasted pieces out on a baking tray with none of the pieces touching each other and flash-freeze them for a few hours. Once they are solid, bag them up in a freezer bag or transfer them to an airtight container before placing them in the freezer for good.

How long will roast pumpkin salad last?

Though roasted pumpkin can keep fresh in the fridge for up to 5 days on its own, the salad as a whole only keeps well for 1-2 days before it turns mushy. Store the roast pumpkin salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator to retain taste and texture. If you store the salad items separately, they will last a bit longer, and you can mix them when you are ready to eat.

Nutritional values

Nutritional value, per

4193 Kcal

Fibre 72.1 gram fibers
Protein 174.4 gram
Carbohydrates 350.9 gram
Fat 232.8 gram

Roast pumpkin salad full of flavour

Experience the wonderful blend of textures and flavours with a simple roast pumpkin salad. The pumpkin is tossed with a creamy and refreshing lime marinade with cooking cream and garlic and baked at high heat, resulting in a caramelised savoury finish. It is served with beans, red pepper, coriander, lime wedges, and a generous sprinkling of roasted pumpkin seeds and finely chopped dark chocolate. The days of bland salads are no more. Enjoy the combination of sweet and savoury flavours with this bright and delightful salad. Serve it up as a meal on its own with toasted tortillas or as a side paired with roasted or grilled meat.

For more delicious oven-bake recipes, be sure to check out our chateaubriand with baked potatoes, classic meatloaf, and, for a delicious side dish, our potatoes au gratin.

Pumpkin seeds, black beans, lime, and coriander

We are keeping things exciting with exotic and palatable add-ins for our roast pumpkin salad. Do you love pumpkin seeds in salad as much as we do? Roasted pumpkin seeds offer a crunchy counterpoint to the soft roasted pumpkin with irresistible salty and nutty flavours. Freshly squeezed lime juice and coriander leaves brighten the flavour with a strong citrusy taste that is rounded off perfectly with creamy soft black beans. Black beans are a staple in Central and South America, and because of their mild, sweet flavour and earthy notes, they make a great addition to the roast pumpkin salad and fit right in with the other ingredients. 

Delicious dressing with lime and cream

What makes this pumpkin and bean salad so special is the sweet and tangy blend of flavours that leaves you wanting more. The combination of cooking cream, lime juice, garlic, and seasoning is used as a marinade for the pumpkin pieces, infusing them with delicious flavours and aromas. But you can do so much more with the aromatic blend. When tossed with the black beans, it acts as a dressing and adds a well-rounded and balanced flavour to the roast pumpkin salad. 

Choose the best pumpkin for roasting

Colourful, flavourful, and versatile pumpkins provide an excellent base for the roast pumpkin salad. But to get the best result, you want to pick the fruit with care. The best varieties are small and plump, making them easier to peel and prep. Sugar pumpkins, butternut squash, and Hokkaido are among the best suited for roasting. 

Hokkaido pumpkins have a delicate, sweet taste with a nutty accent and firm flesh, which harmonises well with intense flavours and spices.

Sugar pumpkins are small and round with a rich, buttery, sweet flavour and a smooth, dense texture that turns creamy when roasted.

With a similar taste and texture to sugar pumpkins, butternut squash is one of the most versatile options being pale on the outside and deep orange on the inside with a wonderful nutty aroma. Though butternut squashes are technically winter squashes, they taste like a cross between pumpkins and sweet potatoes when roasted, making for a deliciously sweet addition to our roast pumpkin salad.

Add your own touch

The wonderful thing about our roast pumpkin salad is that it is very easy to adapt, so you can use it as a base for all your favourite salad items. Top the salad with beetroot and creamy goat cheese. It is simple, colourful, and easy to prepare. Peel and cube the beetroot and toss the cut-up root with the marinade. Transfer it to a roasting dish and bake until soft and tender. Assemble the roast pumpkin salad with bits of beetroot on top. For a final touch, crumble goat cheese on top along with the chopped chocolate and seeds. It is an incredible combination of flavours and textures that needs to be savoured.

https://www.arlafoods.co.uk/recipes/roast-pumpkin-salad/