Roast Pumpkin and Feta Salad

My next door neighbour dropped over a pumpkin from his garden to me yesterday - such a nice gift!  It got me thinking about how versatile pumpkins are.  There are so many different things you can do with them (apart from having it with a roast meal, which is always delicious.)

From pumpkin risotto, pumpkin and ricotta pasta, soups, pumpkin pies and curries - the list is endless!  I did decide however, that since this was such a lovely homegrown pumpkin, it deserved to be the star of the show.  So I settled on a  warm roasted pumpkin, feta and spinach salad.

It’s nice to add something warm to a salad, especially as the weather gets colder.  I guess that way, you can still enjoy a tasty salad and the benefits of some raw foods without having to ‘chill’ your taste buds.

ready for roasting

Now I always, always put a protein with a meal, (if I were to this time I would add grilled lamb cutlets.)  But tonight, my pumpkin gift is going to shine by itself…. and it did!

This recipe is super easy and very versatile, as you could add to the salad what ever else takes your fancy.

Roast Pumpkin and Feta Salad

Warm Roast Pumpkin, Feta and Spinach Salad (for two)

Ingredients

500 gr of a ‘Queensland Blue’ pumpkin diced into even cubes

1 spanish onion sliced into wedges

4 garlic cloves peeled

2 sprigs of rosemary

2 sprigs of thyme

2 cups of baby spinach leaves

1/2 cup of your favourite feta cheese, crumbled

Olive oil

Balsamic

Seasoning

 Line a baking tray with baking paper and scatter the pumpkin, onion, garlic, rosemary and thyme evenly onto tray.  Roughly dress with olive oil and season.  Bake in a moderate oven for about 40 minutes or until the pumpkin is golden and tender.

Place baby spinach into a large bowl, add the roasted ingredients and toss with your fingers gently with balsamic and some more olive oil.  Season to taste.  Place onto a plate and crumble feta over the top of the salad.  Serve with some crusty bread and butter.