Imagine sticky roasted pumpkin, tangy feta cheese, pan-fried chorizo & toasted pine nuts - tossed together with salad leaves and a honey balsamic vinaigrette. This warm roast pumpkin feta salad is a perfect balance of flavours!
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Total Time40 minutesmins
Course: Appetizer or lunch
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4(as a light lunch or side, 2 to 3 as a main)
Serve with toasted fresh bread and Greek yogurt or tsatziki (if you like).
toasted fresh bread drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt, Greek yogurt or tsatziki
Video
Notes
Pumpkin: Sometimes I cut it into smaller pieces, sometimes into larger pieces. It really doesn't matter. You just might have to adjust the cooking time slightly. 20 to 30 minutes should be enough for small pieces of pumpkin, but you might need more like 40 minutes for larger pieces to cook. Just keep checking! Use ready-cut pumpkin/butternut squash for ease. Even frozen works. The high heat of the oven will quickly evaporate the water as it roasts. Chorizo: It's worth using the best quality chorizo you can find for this recipe. For instance, I sometimes find locally made, nitrite-free chorizo at my local farmer's market! Supermarkets usually stock several good quality versions, however. Making ahead: I like to make this salad just before serving so it's a warm salad. However, it's fine to make the different elements ahead, cover them in the fridge, then toss everything together when ready to serve. Add the dressing at the last minute so the salad leaves don't go soggy.Ingredient amounts: Like any salad, the ingredient amounts don't have to be exact! Bear in mind though that chorizo and feta are both strongly flavored, so a little can go a long way!How to serve: I usually serve this as a simple lunch or dinner with 2-minute olive oil toasts or homemade focaccia bread if you have extra time. You can also serve with grilled or rotisserie chicken on the side.Variations: Switch out the chorizo for crispy bacon, rotisserie chicken (try air-fried!), pancetta, or another type of sausage. Add crunchy nuts or seeds instead of pine nuts. Try with goat cheese, blue cheese or shaved parmesan instead of feta, add spices to the pumpkin as it roasts such as cumin, paprika or za'atar. Stir cooked grains through the salad such as quinoa, couscous, brown rice or even pasta.