PantsDownApronsOn

  • About
  • Recipes
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
×
Home » Salads

Delicious Roasted Pumpkin Salad With Goat's Cheese And Pecans

Modified: Apr 5, 2021 · Published: Oct 21, 2020 by Charlé Visser · This post may contain affiliate links · 1 Comment · 2024 words. · About 11 minutes to read this article.

Share this recipe!

↓ Jump to Recipe

This delicious pumpkin salad is one of my favorite ways to use this delicious Autumn squash. It's packed full of flavor, healthy and full of wonderful textures.

The sweet nuttiness of the roasted pumpkin works amazing with the light creamy Goat's cheese, crunchy leaves and homemade balsamic glaze.

It can easily be a light lunch, dinner or served as a side for a juicy ribeye steak, for those with a healthy appetite;)

And while you're at it, you might as well make this delicious pumpkin bread or pumpkin cake with pumpkin cream cheese for dessert too.

Roasted pumpkin salad on white plate.
Autumn on a plate
Jump to:
  • What is it
  • Why it works
  • Ingredients
  • Instructions
  • Roasting the pumpkin
  • Pumpkin salad dressing
  • Roasting the nuts
  • Goat's cheese sauce
  • Balsamic reduction
  • Variations
  • Serving suggestions
  • Frequently asked questions
  • Useful equipment for this recipe
  • Related recipes
  • Recipe
  • Comments

What is it

Pumpkin salad usually consists of a few basic ingredients that sing rock anthems when combined.

The most common being the following:

Roasted pumpkin, some sort of cheese like feta, mozzarella, stracciatella, goat's cheese or creamy blue cheese.

Salad leaves in any good form. Like baby spinach, rocket, lamb's lettuce, or baby gem works well. Never iceberg, I don't even know how iceberg can be called food.

Roasted nuts of pretty much any kind. Pecan, walnut, pine nuts, hazelnuts, they've all made an appearance at one point or another in the many versions I've made over the years.

Finally, a dressing that compliments the pumpkin. This will always be a sweeter dressing in the form of honey and lemon dressing, balsamic glaze, maple dressing, orange dressing or something along those lines.

Why it works

Sweet, salty and sour. That's all you need to remember.

The pumpkin is sweet, the cheese is salty and the dressing is sour.

This combination works wonders. The cheese also adds creaminess and the nuts some crunch and.... well, nuttiness.

Follow that up with a little bit more sweet and sour dressing and we have ourselves the perfect flavour combination for the perfect autumn salad.

Ingredients

For this particular version of my pumpkin salad, I found some great creamy young goat's cheese and decided to make a light creamy goat's cheese salad cream with it instead of chunks of cheese.

The result is a salad where every bite has a little bit of creaminess instead of dotted around the salad randomly.

ingredients for making pumpkin salad
  • Pumpkin - Use a good type of pumpkin. Like Crown Prince Green or Hokkaido. Also, a must when making the ultimate pumpkin puree.
  • Cheese - I used soft goat's cheese for this pumpkin salad recipe but, you can use anything like feta, stracciatella, blue cheese or something else creamy.
  • Garlic - For the marinade when roasting the pumpkin. Use tender, juicy good quality fresh garlic.
  • Rosemary - Young fresh and non-flowering.
  • Maple syrup - For the marinade when roasting the pumpkin.
  • Olive oil - Used for the marinade and dressing. Extra virgin cold-pressed is what you want to use.
  • Seasoning - Salt and pepper.
  • Balsamic glaze - Use store-bought, or make this homemade balsamic glaze. It's the absolute gold standard.
  • Salad - Anything like baby spinach, baby gem, rocket or lamb's lettuce. Stay away from flimsy salads or watery ones like iceberg.

These are the ingredients I used but, I will give you some alternatives in the variations section so that you can make your unique pumpkin salad if you wish.

Instructions

For your convenience, I break this up into three simple steps. It's a salad recipe, but it needs to be understandable and easy to put together.

The steps are as follows:

  1. Roasting the pumpkin
  2. Making the salad dressing
  3. Roasting the nuts
  4. Making the creamy goat's cheese
  5. Making the balsamic glaze
  6. Putting it all together

Here are detailed recipes for roasted pumpkin and balsamic glaze. You can also check out my pumpkin stock recipe for using up the pumpkin trimmings instead of throwing them away.

Roasting the pumpkin

This is where the magic happens and doing this right sets you up for pumpkin salad success every time. Don't skip it.

We will be roasting it covered so if you want some caramelisation on the pumpkin colour it in a pan first.

I cook it this way so that it does not dry out and so that we can use the juices to make a dressing. It's double the flavour for the same price. Intelligent cooking.

Many recipes just chuck the pumpkin into the oven open and it just sits there and dries out while no juices are left for a dressing. Not very clever.

Picture steps how to roast pumpkin.
  1. Turn your oven to 220 degrees Celcius or 428 degrees Fahrenheit, and line a roasting tray with parchment.
  2. Cut the pumpkin into wedges and make the marinade. The skin will be tender when cooked if the pumpkin is young. Apart from decorative type little pumpkins. Their skins will be like leather. My favourite is Hokaido pumpkin when in season.
  3. Place everything onto the tray and cover tightly with aluminium foil.
  4. Roast for about 15 to 20 minutes depending on the size of your pumpkin and how your oven cooks. The pumpkin should be tender but not mushy.
  5. Remove the pumpkin from the roasting tray and set aside.
  6. You need the roasting juices left in the pan for the following step.
Roasted pumpkin on a baking sheet.

Pumpkin salad dressing

How to make dressing for pumpkin salad picture steps.
  1. Collect the pan juices left over from roasting the pumpkin and discard the hard rosemary stalks but keep the garlic and tender rosemary leaves.
  2. Pour the liquid into a blender and blend until smooth.
  3. Reserve until needed.

Roasting the nuts

Pecan or walnuts on silver baking sheet.
  1. Roast at 160 degrees Celcius or 320 degrees Fahrenheit for about 8 minutes. Take care not to burn them.
  2. Once done, let them cool down before using.

Goat's cheese sauce

If you want you can just dot the goat's cheese around the salad but, making a smooth light dressing ensures that you get a bit of creaminess with every bite.

  1. Simply mix the soft goat's cheese or curd with a touch of water, milk or cream.
  2. Season with a bit of salt and pepper and stir until the mix is homogenous, smooth and the consistency of drinking yoghurt.

Different types of cheese will require different amounts of liquid to become runny so add bit by bit until you are happy with it.

Balsamic reduction

Making this balsamic reduction recipe will set you apart from your friends big time. You can also use it in a million and one other dishes so go make it. It's worth it.

making balsamic glaze
  1. Place all the ingredients into a suitably sized saucepan.
  2. Reduce down slowly by exactly 55%.
  3. This means that if you start with a weight of 887 grams in the pot. You need to remove it from the stove when the weight of the contents reaches 400 grams. Kitchen scales are a must.
  4. Cooldown before using or storing for later use.

Assembling the salad

Layers. What it's all about. Don't toss it all together. It will be a huge mess.

Instead, layer it alternating between the ingredients.

Start by dressing the leaves and the pumpkin with the pumpkin dressing.

Start building up the salad as shown in this short video below.

How to assemble pumpkin salad.

Variations

  • How you cut and cook the pumpkin - You can peel the pumpkin if you want but, the skins will be soft and edible if the pumpkin is young. Cut the pieces into cubes before roasting if you want smaller bite-sized pieces. I also like cooking this salad by wrapping the pumpkin in three layers of aluminium foil and cooking it in hot wood embers.
  • Cheese - Most matured cheese like well-aged parmesan, cheddar or compté work well. Other creamy milky cheeses are great too like fresh stracciatella, buffalo mozzarella, creamy blue cheese and of course feta. Avoid rubbery tasteless cheeses except for grilled halloumi. That is a whole different level of tasty.
  • Nuts - My favourites after peans are walnuts, pine nuts, and hazelnuts.
  • Dressing - You can use any simple oil and acid-based dressing. Caesar dressing works wonderfully well as do green herby dressings like chimichurri and salsa verde.
  • Make it vegan - This pumpkin salad is already vegetarian but if you are strict on using products of animal origin you can simply omit the cheese. Use a vegan cheese or make a coconut cream dressing to provide the much-needed creaminess.
  • Make it Keto - Remove the maple syrup from the marinade and also remove the added sugar from the balsamic glaze.
  • Add protein - Add grilled fish, duck breast, venison fillet, chicken or shrimp to make it a meaty salad.
Roasted pumpkin salad on white plate.

Serving suggestions

Works great as a stand-alone salad for lunch or dinner. Works even better when you serve it as a side dish with the following:

  • Ribeye steak
  • Bavette steak
  • Roasted Chicken Breast
  • Chicken Kiev
  • Bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin
  • Pan-fried salmon fillet
  • Whole fire-roasted fish
  • Persian lamb koftas
  • Moroccan pastilla chicken pie on a white plate.
    Pastilla — Moroccan Chicken Pie (Video)
  • Denningvleis on yellow rice with green chili.
    Denningvleis - Traditional Cape Malay Meat Stew (Video)
  • Moroccan lemon chicken in gravy with olives and bay leaves.
    Moroccan Lemon Chicken Tagine With Olives (Video)
  • Bacon jam in a white ceramic dish on a wooden board.
    Bacon Jam Recipe (Bacon Chutney)

Frequently asked questions

How long does it keep?

Best eaten straight away because the salad has dressings. The individual roasted pumpkin can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days stored airtight.

Is it gluten-free?

This recipe for pumpkin salad is naturally gluten-free unless you add bead croutons or other forms of gluten.

Which pumpkin is best for pumpkin salad?

My choice is Crown Prince Green or Hokkaido squash. They both have the best texture and flavour for roasting, baking or making pumpkin puree.

Useful equipment for this recipe

wooden chopping board

Wooden Chopping Board

BUY NOW
Japanese Chefs Knife

Gyuto Japanese Chefs Knife

BUY NOW
baking sheets

Baking Sheets

BUY NOW
immersion blender

Immersion Blender

BUY NOW

Related recipes

If you like seasonal cooking and delicious salads then you will find the following recipes useful:

  • Roasted Romano peppers
  • Classic Caesar salad
  • Authentic Greek salad
  • Creamed spinach
  • Tahini and lime coleslaw
  • Moroccan baked eggplant zaalouk
  • Persian olivieh salad with chicken served on a white plate with pickles, olives and flat bread.
    Salad Olivieh - Persian Potato And Chicken Salad (Video)
  • Garlic and herb brioche croutons in a bowl.
    Easy Garlic And Herb Seasoned Brioche Croutons
  • Kimchi in a glass vessel.
    Easy Korean Kimchi Recipe (Video)
  • Moroccan spiced couscous in a traditional dish.
    Moroccan Spiced Couscous

This site contains affiliate links. I may earn a tiny commission on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. By bookmarking these links you help support the upkeep of this site.

If you found this post helpful or have learned something, comment, subscribe, and follow me on social platforms for more tasty recipes.

Recipe

Roasted pumpkin salad on white plate.
5 from 3 votes
Print Pin Recipe Save Saved!

Roasted Pumpkin Salad With Goat's Cheese And Pecan Nuts

This delicious pumpkin salad is one of my favorite ways to use this delicious Autumn squash. It's packed full of flavor, healthy and full of wonderful textures.
The sweet nuttiness of the roasted pumpkin works amazing with the light creamy Goat's cheese, crunchy leaves and homemade balsamic glaze.
Author Charlé Visser
Prep Time 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes minutes
Total Time 35 minutes minutes
Servings 2 portions
Course Appetizer, Dinner, Entree, Lunch, Salad
Cuisine American, European, International
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  • 500 g (4 ¼ cups) roasted pumpkin
  • 70 g (⅓ cups) soft goat's cheese or goat's curd
  • 30 g (3 tablespoon) pecan nuts - roasted
  • 20 g (1 ⅓ tablespoon) balsamic glaze
  • 50 g (3 ⅓ tablespoon) pan juice dressing - see instructions in post
  • 30 g (½ bunch) salad leaves of your choice
Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

Roasting the pecans and making the goat's cheese cream

  • Roast at 160 °C or 320 °F for about 8 minutes. Take care not to burn them.
  • Once done, let them cool down before using.
  • Simply mix the soft goat's cheese or curd with a touch of water, milk or cream.
  • Season with a bit of salt and pepper and stir until the mix is homogenous, smooth and the consistency of drinking yoghurt.

Roasting the pumpkin

  • Turn your oven to 220 °C or 428 °F and line a roasting tray with parchment.
  • Cut the pumpkin into wedges and make the marinade. The skin will be tender when cooked if the pumpkin is young. Apart from decorative type little pumpkins. Their skins will be like leather. Advised not to use as they lack flavor and texture too.
  • Place everything onto the tray and cover tightly with aluminium foil.
  • Roast for about 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of your pumpkin and how your oven cooks. The pumpkin should be tender but not mushy.
  • Remove the pumpkin from the roasting tray and set aside.
  • You need the roasting juices left in the pan for the following step.

Making the dressing

  • Collect the pan juices left over from roasting the pumpkin and discard the hard rosemary stalks but keep the garlic and tender rosemary leaves.
  • Pour the liquid into a blender and blend until smooth.
  • Reserve until needed.

Making the Balsamic reduction (or Buy it)

  • Place all the ingredients into a suitably sized saucepan.
  • Reduce down slowly by exactly 55%.
  • This means that if you start with a weight of 887 grams in the pot. You need to remove it from the stove when the weight of the contents reaches 400 grams. Kitchen scales are a must.
  • Cooldown before using or storing for later use.

Putting it all together

  • Dress the salad and pumpkin with the pan juice dressing.
  • Start layering the salad by alternating ingredients.
  • Serve straight away.

Notes

  • Make sure the pumpkin has chilled down a bit to not wilt the leaves
  • If you are making ahead, keep the dressings separate.
  • Can be stored in the fridge for 2 days sealed airtight
  • You can use other types of creamy cheese instead of goat's cheese.
  • Make it vegan by using vegan cheese.
  • This recipe is naturally gluten-free.

Nutrition

Serving: 300g Calories: 1742kcal Carbohydrates: 46g Protein: 83g Fat: 150g Saturated Fat: 28g Polyunsaturated Fat: 53g Monounsaturated Fat: 47g Trans Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 16mg Sodium: 998mg Potassium: 2066mg Fiber: 18g Sugar: 7g Vitamin A: 560IU Vitamin C: 8mg Calcium: 194mg Iron: 21mg
Keywords:autumn salad, pumpkin salad, roasted pumpkin
Save RecipeSaved!
Did you make this?Tag @pantsdownapronson or hashtag #pantsdownapronson so I can see your hot skills!

More The Best Salad Recipes

  • Coleslaw with tahini dressing in white bowl on marble background.
    Red Cabbage Creamy Coleslaw
  • plated caesar salad on white plate
    Classic Caesar Salad With Whole Leaves
  • cucumber and tomato salad.
    Georgian Summer Salad With Walnuts (Video)
  • Zaalouk in a white bowl served with flat bread and dukkah.
    Zaalouk | Moroccan Tomato And Eggplant Dip

Share this recipe!

Comments

    5 from 3 votes (3 ratings without comment)

    Leave a review or ask any question Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Richard says

    October 26, 2020 at 9:33 am

    Made this yesterday and now having it for lunch. Amazing salad recipe and super seasonal!

    Reply
Charle Visser the chef.

Hey, I'm Charlé!

I'm a professional chef with over 20 years of experience, cooking in some of the best kitchens in the world for some of the most famous people on the planet.

Eating and cooking well contribute majorly to a happy life, and it doesn't have to be hard.

I'm going to teach you how to be a great cook and have a fantastic time.

The best thing?

It's free. Forever.

More about me

Latest recipes

  • Sour cherry jam in a glass jar.
    Sour Cherry Jam Recipe (No Pectin)

  • Chicken biryani with herbs and crispy onions in a bowl.
    Chicken Biryani | Indian One-Pot Rice And Chicken (Video)

  • Syrniki cheese pancakes with cherry jam on a white plate.
    Russian Syrniki Recipe (Cottage Cheese Pancakes)

  • Cheese curds, farmer's cheese or tvorog in a brown bowl.
    Homemade Cottage Cheese — Tvorog(Farmer's cheese)

  • Chakalaka in a pan.
    South African Chakalaka - Traditional Spiced Relish (Video)

  • Pastel de nata sprinkled with cinnamon.
    Pastéis De Nata - Authentic Portuguese Custard Tarts (Video)

Most popular recipes

  • Individual apple, meat and cabbage Russian piroshki on marble background.
    Traditional Russian Pirozhki Recipe (Hand pies) - Complete Guide And Video

  • Hainanese chicken and rice served on a white plate with all the classic condiments.
    The Ultimate Hainanese Chicken Rice Recipe (Video)

  • Perfectly cooked bavette steak
    Bavette Steak - What Is It And How To Cook It

  • flaxseed meal sourdough bread cut in half on striped kitchen towel
    Flaxseed Meal Sourdough Bread

  • oven roasted chicken breast with thyme butter
    Juicy Oven Baked Chicken Breast

  • butter chicken in a white bowl
    Authentic Indian Butter Chicken Recipe (Murgh Makhani)

  • crispy pork belly
    Pork Belly Braai | Slow-Roasted Over The Fire

  • stack of barley koji in raku ceramic bowl
    How To Make Koji (Video)

  • red lentil soup in white bowl
    Red Lentil Soup

  • Georgian adjika paste on a wooden spoon.
    Adjika - Authentic Georgian Spice Paste

Subscribe

My favorite recipes

  • Cherry tomato and mozzarella pasta in a white pasta bowl.
    Cherry Tomato And Fresh Mozzarella Pasta

  • hand holding strips of cured meat on a wooden board
    Ultimate South African Biltong Recipe (Video)

  • Cooked ribeye steak sliced on a white plate.
    Ultimate Guide For Cooking Beef Ribeye Steak At Home (Video)

  • mashed potatoes in a bowl
    Luxuriously Creamy Mashed Potatoes (Video)

  • chicken fried rice in a bowl
    Perfect Fried Rice

  • salsa verde
    Italian Salsa Verde - The Ultimate Green Sauce

  • Thai spiced beef koftas with sesame, spring onion, soy and lime
    Easy Thai Spiced Beef Koftas

  • Greek salad in white bowl.
    Authentic Greek Salad Recipe

  • semi dried tomatoes in a white container.
    Semi Dried Cherry Tomatoes

  • Beef adobo in white ceramic bowl.
    Beef Adobo | Famous Filipino Streetfood

youtube subscribe link

Footer

↑ back to top

Legal stuff

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.