Try this Roast Pumpkin, Spinach and Feta Salad with Honey Balsamic Dressing for your next Sunday lunch! Terrific as a side or as a meal, this is a really magical combination of flavours.
Make-ahead winner: Roast Pumpkin, Spinach and Feta Salad
I want to regale you with tales of how I always make this Roast Pumpkin, Spinach and Feta Salad for lunch with the girls. How perfect it is for a lazy weekend get together because it’s make ahead and a crowd pleaser because it’s got enough oomph to be a meal in itself whilst still being healthy and gluten free too. (Who else needs to cater for varying diets at get togethers??)
I’ve even recommended this to numerous friends who have come to me asking for ideas for make ahead lunch recipes.
But truthfully, I have never made this for my friends. I can’t ever embellish about what I’ve made for friends because weirdly, some of them actually read my blog and they would call me out. Some of these friends are serious corporate types, jet setting around the world, taking important meetings and working on top secret projects. It amuses me no end that in between reading board papers and information memorandums, they read my posts as I dribble on about whatever deliciousness I’m sharing on that day and Dozer antics. Te he he!!!
Today’s deliciousness -> This Roast Pumpkin, Spinach and Feta Salad that I’ve never made for them.
This is a really terrific combination of flavours, and I think of this as quite a classic salad. I’m sure I picked it up from a Women’s Weekly magazine many years ago.
The roasted pumpkin is sweet and juicy, the feta adds pops of salty creaminess, the pine nuts add a warm, earthy crunch, the freshness from spinach, all lightly dressed with a Honey Balsamic Dressing. You really don’t need that much dressing for this salad, just enough to coat the baby spinach. Plus, I don’t know if it’s just Aussie baby spinach, but dressing just never sticks well to baby spinach.
So I really mean it when I say this salad is light on the dressing!
I know pine nuts are quite expensive so are a bit of an indulgence, but you don’t need much. You can substitute it with other nuts, but if you’re making this to impress guests, it’s worth using pine nuts. No other nuts have that same soft, creamy crunch and the distinct flavour of…. well, pine nuts. 😉
This is not a difficult salad to make but I have a few tips that I’ve picked up over the years, like roasting the pumpkin so it’s golden but still holds its shape rather than turning into mush.
I usually serve this at room temperature but it’s great warm too. Also, rocket lettuce (arugula for those on the other side of the pond) works well with this if you want a bit more of an edge to it. I like using baby spinach because the flavour and texture is quite soft, unlike other lettuces that are really crunchy.
Good way to kick off a new week, with a healthy salad! Giving myself a pat on the back. 😉 – Nagi x
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Roast Pumpkin, Spinach and Feta Salad recipe video! PS That pumpkin Dozer gets at the end is raw. RAW. 😳
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Roast Pumpkin, Spinach and Feta Salad
Ingredients
Pumpkin:
- 600 g / 1.2 lb pumpkin (after peeling), cut into 3cm / 1.25" cubes (Note 1)
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Dressing:
- 2.5 tbsp / 50 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- Salt and pepper
Salad:
- 1/4 cup / 35g pine nuts (Note 2)
- 150 g / 5 oz baby spinach leaves (4 handfuls)
- 60 g / 2 oz feta , crumbled (or more!!)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 220C/430F (standard) or 200C/390F (fan/convection).
- Toss pumpkin with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread on baking tray, bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, flip, then bake for a further 7 - 10 minutes until golden but not mushy. (Note 3) Loosen pumpkin with egg flip (it can adhere as it cools), then if serving salad at room temperature, leave to cool.
- Shake Dressing in a jar. Taste and adjust to taste. I like it a bit sharp because it balances out the flavours in this salad.
- Toast pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until light golden and it smells nutty. Remove pine nuts from skillet as soon as it's ready.
- Place Spinach in a bowl. Drizzle with a bit of dressing then toss.
- Add pumpkin, just a bit of feta and pine nuts, then GENTLY BRIEFLY toss just to disperse the feta. (If you toss vigorously, the feta can make it look messy).
- Transfer to serving plate. Sprinkle over remaining feta and pine nuts. Just before serving, drizzle with remaining dressing (dressing doesn't stay on baby spinach well, so worth drizzling at end). Serve!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
Contemplating whether this meatless meal is worth begging for.
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I’m not a fan of pumpkins but this salad tasted amazing, full of different textures and flavors. Plus it’s the 1st time I’ve had pine nuts! My hubby loved this dish so much he asked if we could have it again the following day. Thank you for sharing this dish xxx
Super easy and delicious. Even my pumpkin-hating husband loves this salad! Another winner. Thanks Nagi! 🙂
You’ve totally converted him Kirsty! N x
Absolutely love your recipes Nagi. Have made so many of them and I honestly can’t choose a favourite. They have all been full of flavour and loved by the whole family! Thank you
Wahoo, that’s great to hear! N x
I’ve made similar but can’t wait to make it using your recipe for the dressing. We substitute the pine nuts (due to but allergies) for Chang’s Oriental Fried Noodles so we still get some crunch. I also add beetroot. Thanks for sharing so many wonderful recipes x
Sounds great Janelle!! N x
Really easy and absolutely delicious! I used goats cheese instead of feta as it’s all I had and it worked well. This will be a regular one for me from now, thanks Nagi 🙂
Yum! I love goats cheese Chris!! N x
Delicious and easy recipe! Was a hit at lunch. I struggled with the roasting of pumpkin – still turned out a little mushy. Pine nuts were worth the splurge!
Delicious and easy recipe! Was a hit at lunch. I struggled with the roasting of pumpkin – still turned out a little mushy. Pine nuts were worth the splurge!
Loved this recipe – was a hit at Boxing Day lunch and have made it for dinner so many times since then. Delicious!
WOOT! Thanks so much for letting me know Michelle!
Hi Navi! This looks perfect for Christmas Day… am I able to make it the day before or does it congeal and go all soggy..?
Hi Vicrotia, it’s better to make salads fresh so they don’t go limp. But you could definitely have the pumpkin roasted and the dressing ready to go!
Hi nagi, thinking if this for Xmas. What feta do you use? I believe some can be too salty or too soft
Hi Jan, any kind of feta would work here, you could use greek or danish. I do like the smooth creamy feta though 🙂
Made this tonight for dinner. Also added roasted beetroot. Very simple but very delicious!!!
YUM! I absolutely love roast beetroot!
I make this with sweet potato and Maggie Beer’s Vino Cotto dressing – so yummy. Will try the honey balsamic dressing tonight!
Loved it
YESSSS!!! 🙌
Making this right now (well, my husband is, to take on a last minute 2 day fishing trip)… We didn’t even have to make a trip to the supermarket first, because I had half a block of feta and a bag of baby spinach already! No pinenuts unfortunately but subbed in some dry toasted pumpkin seeds, I’m sure they will be fine. Honey balsamic isn’t a combo I’d tried before but it’s delish, I added a few drops of hot sauce and a squeeze of lemon and he has the seeds and dressing in little ziplock baggies to chuck in the top of the bowl so he can assemble it all fresh tomorrow.
I’ve made a very similar one with roasted beetroot before but pumpkin is cheaper and less messy, so WINNER! 😀
Thanks!
Perfect idea Chris!!
I LOVE THESE SALADS!!!
Me too Stacy!
Delicious!!!! Love it so much!!! i have many times now!
Perfect!!
Delicious and simple but I had to go and buy another pumpkin as mine turned to mush. So I did the 2nd batch for only 20 mins and on fan bake at 20 mins. Probably could’ve done it for 17 or 18 mins to be perfect.
Went down well at Pot luck dinner tonight, thanks
Hi Erin, Sorry you had issues here, were you using a fan forced oven?
I love this dressing. I have a fanforced oven, followed the recipe, 200 C, for 20 minutes = absolute mush! So should I have left it half the time?
This was DELICIOUS! I made this last night and it was so quick and easy to make. LOVE your recipes 🙂
Thanks so much for the feedback ☺️