Description
This vibrant roast pumpkin salad combines aromatic spices, crispy roasted vegetables, and a creamy tahini-yogurt dressing for a flavorful and healthy dish. Featuring tender pumpkin, sweet red onions, crunchy kale, and protein-packed chickpeas, it’s a perfect salad for lunch or a light dinner, finished with optional feta for added creaminess.
Ingredients
Scale
Roasted Vegetables
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 500g pumpkin, seeds removed and wedged
- 2 red onions, wedged
- ½ x 400g tin chickpeas, drained
- 150g kale
- 50g feta (optional)
Dressing
- 100g natural yogurt
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1 lemon, juiced
- A small bunch coriander
- 4 tbsp water
Instructions
- Prepare and roast vegetables: Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. In a bowl, combine olive oil, ground coriander, cumin, smoked paprika, chilli flakes, and some seasoning. Add the pumpkin and red onion wedges and toss well to coat evenly. Spread the mixture over a large baking sheet with space around the pieces to ensure crispiness. Bake for 30 minutes.
- Add chickpeas and continue roasting: Remove the baking sheet from the oven, add the drained chickpeas, toss everything thoroughly to mix and turn, and then return to the oven for another 20 minutes until the pumpkin is cooked through, golden, and charred at the edges.
- Make the dressing: While roasting, place natural yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, coriander, and 4 tbsp water into a food processor. Blend until smooth and green, resulting in a thick but drizzle-able dressing.
- Massage kale: Place the kale in a large bowl, add half of the dressing, and massage it into the leaves using clean hands. Leave to marinate for 20 minutes, giving it another massage halfway through to soften and flavor the kale properly.
- Combine roasted veggies with kale: Once the pumpkin mixture has cooled slightly for about 5 minutes, tip it into the bowl with the marinated kale and mix well to combine all the flavors evenly.
- Serve: Plate the salad onto individual serving plates. Drizzle with the remaining dressing and sprinkle crumbled feta over the top if desired for added creaminess and tang.
Notes
- Ensure you have enough space on the baking sheet for roasting; overcrowding can result in soggy vegetables.
- Massaging the kale softens its texture and reduces bitterness.
- You can substitute kale with other sturdy greens like spinach or Swiss chard if preferred.
- Feta is optional and can be omitted to make the dish vegetarian and lower in fat.
- Leftover dressing can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 280 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 9 g
- Cholesterol: 10 mg
