This Roasted Pumpkin with maple syrup, chilli and feta is my new favourite way with pumpkin. Extra caramelisation from a dash of maple syrup combined with the kick of chili. And finished off with the sharp saltiness of feta and crunch of walnuts. I’ll happily have this any night of the week as the main!
I’m on a mission to post a meat free dish every single week. (Desserts don’t count!) In fact, I think I’m going to create an entire section on my blog, dedicated to Meat-Free Recipes for Carnivores. If I do that, then there will be more accountability. I’ll be more motivated to regularly come up with meat-free recipes that are so delish that even carnivores like myself won’t miss meat.
I think that’s a good little project! I’ll work my way through the A – Z of veggies and create a recipe that “stars” each vegetable.
So pumpkin is well and truly ticked off with this recipe! This Roasted Pumpkin with Maple, Chilli and Feta is really meaty and seriously addictive. Something magical happens to pumpkin when you roast it. It intensifies the sweetness and caramelises beautifully. But I’ve stepped it up a notch by adding a dash of maple syrup which makes the caramelisation and sweetness even more intense.
Then to add an interesting twist, I’ve added a very generous amount of dried chili flakes. The kick of chili is such a great contrast to the sweetness of the pumpkin! Finish it off with a crumble of salty, sharp feta and prepare for a bite of heaven.
Mmmmm….
Oh wait! I forgot! I also tossed in some walnuts for crunch, as well as the pumpkin seeds (why waste them?!). I like the slight bitterness of walnuts but honestly, you can use whatever nuts you have. Almonds, pistachios, pine nuts and pecans would go especially well. But even peanuts will work! You just want something to add a bit of crunch, otherwise it’s a bit one dimensional. 🙂
I made this with Kent pumpkin (aka Jap pumpkin) because it was on sale at just $0.99/kg ($0.99/2lb)! I’ve been eating pumpkin A LOT this past week. 🙂 But you can make this with any type of pumpkin or even squash.
Do you have a favourite way to prepare pumpkin? – Nagi
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Maple Roasted Pumpkin with Chili and Feta
Ingredients
- 2 lb / 1 kg pumpkin or squash or sweet potato (whole, unpeeled)
- 1 red onion , peeled, cut into wedges
- 1/2 cup walnuts , roughly chopped (Note 1)
- 3 tbsp maple syrup, or honey or brown sugar (Note 2)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 – 1 1/2 tsp dried chili flakes , adjust to taste
- 3/4 tsp cooking salt (kosher salt(
Garnishes (Optional)
- 1/4 cup feta cheese
- Fresh red chili finely diced
- Parsley finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 220C/425F (200C fan).
- Peel and dice the pumpkin into 1"/2.5cm cubes (no need to peel if using squash or butternut pumpkin).
- Place the pumpkin, onion and walnuts onto a large baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and maple syrup, then use an egg flip to toss the pumpkin so it is evenly coated.
- Sprinkle the pumpkin with the dried chilli flakes and salt.
- Roast for 30 minutes, or until the pumpkin is browned and cooked through. Toss once at around 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, crumble over feta and garnish with fresh chili and parsley, if using. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes:
Sweet, spicy, delicious!
This was so delicious and will definitely become a regular in our household.
Well, that was winner, thanks Nagi. Made today and have now added to the menu for Xmas. I can never get my pumpkin to brown tho, had to use the grill for a bit, so a little later, it was a bit too charred, but a bit of selective plating, and all worked out.
We had a pumpkin & sweet potato feast and served this along side the Honey-cinnamon pumpkin lentil salad. A tad too much chilli for me – but I just added extra feta to my serve! 2 teenagers & husband all gave thumbs up – to both dishes!
Nagi, this was so, so good! I love roasted pumpkin/squash & I never would have thought to add nuts (I used pistachios) or find another use for feta! Two thumbs way up!
I added sliced pears to this roasted with the pumpkin and served it as part of my first ever completely vegetarian dinner party and it was very well received, and so quick and easy.
Woo hoo!! I’m glad you all enjoyed i t Clare! N x
This was delicious and we’ll make it again. Used cashews instead of walnuts, otherwise followed recipe. Not huge pumpkin fans but knew the “Nagi treatment” would yield great results.
I’m so glad you gave it a go Emjay!! N x
Yummo!! Never been a big fan of pumpkin but this is really good. Didn’t have walnuts si used pine nuts…did have to cook it 20mins longer to get onion more caramelised. What an awesome dish…feels like eating dessert. Another hit Nagi, thank you once again🙏
I used sweet potatoes for this dish and the results were delicious. Loved the use of the maple syrup and especially the feta.
Wahoo, sounds perfect Nancy! N x
Amazing! I added almonds, pepitas and sunflower seeds. A hit with my husband and kids.
Fantastic Elissa! N x
I have never been a big fan of pumpkin.. but this converted me and I think i’ve made it three times in the last week! I’m a big fan of pine nuts so I used those instead and have used blue cheese at the end when I didn’t have feta handy. Yum! Highly recommend
So yummy, but I don’t like walnuts so sprinkled with toasted pine nuts at the end, also tossed through some baby spinach. I’ve also made it with sweet potato. Great with BBQ pork or chicken but super as a vego dish.
Sounds perfect Heather!
Hi Nagi
Would this recipe work with sweet potato? Would you please advise. If not I will need to go to supermarket. Thanks for your help. Just love your recipes. Have signed up to have recipes delivered to email.
Hi Tania – it will absolutely work with sweet potato! Perfectly – exactly as written 🙂 N x
Made this wonderful dish for a party and then had to fight off the hordes to get some. Every one is away at the moment so I am making a batch just for myself. In the unlikely case that there is some left over I am going to try to freeze it.
I love this Kat!!
I was just wondering if you think this would go well with some pesto pasta?!
Yes definitely!!
Made this recipe yesterday for large gathering of almost septuagenarians. Everyone loved it! I made as per recipe (double quantity hoping to have leftovers 😏 but no luck there🤣) …will definitely make again and have sent link to others who also enjoyed it. Thanks Nagi.
Wahoo! You nailed it Elizabeth!
It’s beautiful autumn here in New England. What better dish to bring to a potluck than pumpkin with maple syrup? I found your blog while searching for a recipe–this sounds fabulous! Such an interesting combination of flavors. Is it OK to use melted butter instead of oil? Since I’ll have to make it ahead of time, how good will it be if I can’t reheat it at the party? How long should I reheat it if I’m able to? I also wanted a stuffed cheesy bread recipe and found yours,so I’m making that for dinner tonight. Thanks Nagi!
Hi Chris! Butter is always a fab option but I’d add some oil too because it has a lower smoke point than oil 🙂 Unfortunately I don’t recommend reheating because it can go quite soggy!
Hi Nagi, If I;d seen your response before I bought the squash, I might have made something else because it had to be served cold. But I took this to the potluck today and it was a hit! I had a couple of apples so I threw them in too. I loved it, and I’ve always hated butternut! But that salve-y quality was gone. And from now on when I roast onions I’m adding some maple syrup! PS: it took at least 45 minutes to caramelize, and that was after turning the heat up to 450.
I’m so pleased to hear that Chris! Thanks for sharing your feedback! N x 😊
I made this tonight. Despite halving the amount of dried chilli it was still too hot for us but the flavours were lovely enough for me to want to try the recipe again sometime. On the first turning I noticed that some liquid was accumulating and it was all starting to look soggy. I felt the baking tray was overcrowded so split everything onto 2 trays. The wetness dried up and the pumpkin caramelised and browned up nicely after that. I tried this recipe because it is similar to a favourite of mine: Pumpkin, chorizo & feta salad by Scrummy Lane. Not meatless but low meat and good for a main! 🙂
I’m glad you were able to sort it out Donna. And Scrummy Lane is fantastic! Helen is a wonderful cook!
We had the leftovers for lunch today. Overnight the chilli decreased and the flavour increased and it was better.
Oooh I love leftover roasted pumpkin!! N xx
I am so glad I found this recipe (and your site). It is delicious and a go to recipe for using kabocha or calabaza and it’s a veggie most of my house will eat. Thanks for offering such a great side dish. We love it!!
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed it Melanie, thank you for letting me know! N x
My husband and I have been invited to my boss’s house for a day-after-Thanksgiving dinner next Friday. I’m going to try this recipe out on my family and if we like it as much as I hope, I’ll bring it to my boss’s house. Maybe it’ll be so good she’ll give me a promotion!!!
Oooh! This is a good one to take to dinners, it is so unique! I’d keep the components separate and toss it together gently just before serving 🙂 Hope your boss loves it!
Well, it is now in the oven, been in for about 30 minutes. It isn’t caramelizing and there’s quite a bit of liquid in the bottom of the pan. I’ve drained the liquid and tasted it. At this point, it’s pretty bland. I’m going to add a little more maple syrup and raise the temp. It looks like I’m going to have to tweek this.
Hi Nagi this is happening to me too. I’ve tried twice now, with store bought kent. Any tips or ideas I could try next time? I really want to nail this 😉
The only thing I can think of is maybe my tray is overloaded as I used a whole pumpkin on two trays. maybe that too much.
Thanks
Hi BD! I’m sorry you had that problem. Overcrowding will cause that and also oven temp affects it too, do you know if your oven runs a bit cool?? Try turning it up. The pumpkin can take it!
Hi Tina! Gosh that sounds odd. The sugar + oil should most certainly caramelise. there is nothing in this recipe that should create liquid. Do you think your oven is weak? That’s the only thing I can think.
I think the problem was the pumpkin itself. It was from my garden and while it looked ripe on the outside, the flesh was pale yellow instead of orange. I think I’ll try the recipe again with a store-bought pumpkin and bring something else to my boss’ dinner. I’m determined to make this correctly! Have a wonderful day! ?