Roasted Pumpkin Salad
With over 100 5-star reviews, this Roasted Pumpkin Salad has been one of my top favorite holiday side dishes for years! I always include it in my Thanksgiving menu, but honestly I love it any time during the fall or winter. Savory roasted pumpkin combines with pomegranate arils, feta cheese, and candied nuts before being tossed with a sweet, zesty balsamic vinaigrette. It's a beautiful side salad, but it's also amazing with some rotisserie chicken on top as a main! There's so much to love about this easy recipe.
Servings 6 -8 Servings
Calories 291kcal
Equipment
- Rimmed Baking Sheet
Ingredients
Roasted Pumpkin
- 1 medium sugar pumpkin or 6-7 cups peeled * cubed pumpkin
- 3 Tablespoons avocado oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Candied Nuts
- 1/3 cup walnuts roughly chopped
- 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds also known as pepitas
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Dressing
- 5 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2-3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Salad
- 3 heaping cups kale steps removed and chopped (approx. 1 large bunch)
- 3 heaping cups baby arugula
- 1/2 cup pomegranate arils
- 1/4 cup feta cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and prepare a rimmed nonstick baking sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
- Cut the bottom and top off of the squash. Peel the entire squash. Cut in half and remove the seeds. Then, cut into medium cubes.
- Combine the cut pumpkin, oil, salt, paprika and pepper on the pan and toss together.
- Spread into an even layer and bake for 35-45 minutes. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before adding to the salad.
- While the pumpkin roasts, in a medium skillet, combine the walnuts, pumpkin seeds, maple syrup, oil, salt and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often as it bubbles.
- Turn off the heat, transfer the nuts to a parchment-lined plate and set in the fridge or freezer to cool.
- Whisk together the dressing in a medium bowl or shake in a jar.
- In a large salad bowl, toss the kale with 1 tablespoon dressing and massage by hand to soften the kale.
- Add the arugula, roasted pumpkin and remaining dressing & toss together. Top with the candied nuts, pomegranate arils and feta cheese.
Notes
- To save time, you can skip the kale massaging step in Step 8 and just add the kale early on in Step 9, but it won’t be as tender.
- Swap the pumpkin for 2 small butternut squash or 1 large butternut squash. Prepare the same way as the pumpkin.
Nutrition
Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 291kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 422mg | Potassium: 193mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1412IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 1mg