This delightful pumpkin seed salad features roasted pumpkin, feta, and spinach and is ideal for a light main dish or side dish. It is a tasty salad perfect for the season or Thanksgiving dinner.
The roasted pumpkin seeds salad features tender pumpkin chunks, tangy feta cheese, and fresh spinach leaves. The homemade dressing and the crunchy pumpkin seeds make everything complete.
As mentioned before, we often enjoy roast pumpkin in autumn and winter. I roast a whole pumpkin regularly, store it in the fridge, and use it in various dishes. This salad with pumpkin seeds, baby spinach, feta, and creamy roast pumpkin is a favorite.
Check out the Best Roasted Pumpkin Wedges, too; they are truly the best roasted pumpkin recipe you will ever make! Or make another hearty salad, this simple and delicious Salad Russe.
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Recipe ingredients and substitutions
Pumpkin: Use a flavorful variety like Hokkaido, butternut, kabocha, or sugar pumpkin. Avoid giant, watery pumpkins like jack-o’-lanterns. Swap with roasted sweet potatoes if desired.
Pumpkin seeds: If they are not already roasted, roast them for extra flavor and crunch. Alternatively, use pepitas, pine nuts, almonds, or walnuts. Make this Pumpkin Ginger Soup with seeds, too.
Spinach: Fresh, crispy baby spinach works best. Alternatively, try arugula for a peppery contrast or other baby greens. If you have more baby spinach, try this incredible Turmeric Pasta.
Feta cheese: A block of Greek feta in brine is ideal. Avoid pre-crumbled feta; crumble it yourself for better texture. Substitute with goat cheese, blue cheese, or Parmesan if needed. Try the Raw Beetroot and Feta Salad, too.
Dressing: A vinaigrette with olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and honey. Swap red wine vinegar for balsamic or honey for maple syrup.
Optional additions: Pomegranate seeds, roasted sunflower seeds, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, dried fruit, fresh herbs, bacon bits, etc.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make pumpkin seed salad?
For a detailed blog post on roasting pumpkin halves, follow the link. To make the pumpkin salad, you will need about one-quarter of a roasted pumpkin (1 lb/ 450 g weighed before roasting). My pumpkin was relatively large; you might need half of it if yours is smaller.
Step #1: Halve or quarter the pumpkin or squash, depending on size. Remove the seeds. Place the pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper cut side down.
Step #2: Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, depending on its size and your oven; it should be fork-tender but not mushy.
Step #3: Leave to cool, then cut it into smaller pieces.
Step #4: Toast pumpkin seeds in a dry pan over medium heat, shaking often so they don’t burn. Once fragrant and golden, transfer them to a plate to cool; if left in the pan, they might get too dark and bitter.
Step #5: Make the dressing: Mix the ingredients in a jar or the salad bowl. Combine olive oil, vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper. Whisk well and adjust the vinegar to taste.
Step #6: Assemble the pumpkin seeds salad. Add spinach and sliced onion, tossing to coat with dressing. Gently fold in pumpkin, crumble feta on top, and toss lightly. Add the pumpkin seeds to the salad just before serving.
Good to know!
You can easily find pepitas, which are pumpkin seeds without the shell. These small, green seeds come from certain types of pumpkins and are ready to eat as they are. They have a mild taste and soft texture, perfect for snacking or adding crunch to salads, granola, or baking.
They are widely available in grocery stores, health food stores, and online. Look for them in the snack aisle, baking section, or bulk bins. If a package says "raw pepitas" or "shelled pumpkin seeds," they are ready to use.
Pumpkin seeds are the whole seeds you scoop out of regular pumpkins, and they have a white shell that needs to be removed. If you have whole seeds, you can clean and roast them, but pepitas are a convenient option if you want to skip that step.
Make ahead and store
You can prepare the pumpkin seed salad ingredients ahead of time and put them together just before serving. Keep the roasted pumpkin, crumbled feta, and dressing separate so everything stays fresh and crisp.
Storage: Once the salad is mixed, it's best to eat it within a few hours for the freshest taste and texture. If you need to store it, keep it in the fridge for up to 1 day. The spinach and feta may wilt or soften, but it should still be fine to eat. Avoid storing it longer, as the dressing can make the salad soggy.
How to serve?
The pumpkin seed salad can be served immediately. However, I had leftovers that were just as delicious in the evening.
The salad makes a beautiful side dish for a roast, chicken, or fish. Try it with Sauteed chicken breast, Cast-Iron Pork Tenderloin, or Thin-Sliced Chicken Breast. And maybe a bit unconventional but delicious: I've served the pumpkin salad with Romanian Macaroni and Cheese (or any mac and cheese) and loved it.
Pumpkin Salad with Pumpkin Seeds
Equipment
- Baking sheet
Ingredients
Salad:
- 1 lb pumpkin or butternut squash, Notes 1,2,3
- 2 tablespoons shelled pumpkin seeds or pepitas, Note 4
- 4 handfuls baby spinach 5.5 oz/ 150 g
- 1 small red onion
- 2 oz feta
Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar to taste
- 1 teaspoon honey
- fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Roast the pumpkin:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/ 200°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Prepare pumpkin: Halve or quarter the pumpkin or squash, depending on size. Remove the seeds using a spoon.1 lb pumpkin
- Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, depending on size and your oven. The roasted pumpkin should be fork tender but not turn mushy. Leave to cool and chop it into cubes, about 1.25 inches/ 3 cm.
Roast the pumpkin seeds:
- Toast the shelled pumpkin seeds or pepitas in a dry skillet or pan on medium heat until golden and fragrant. Transfer to a plate immediately. Leave to cool.2 tablespoons shelled pumpkin seeds
Pumpkin salad:
- Dressing: Place the dressing ingredients in a bowl. Whisk well.2 tablespoons olive oil + 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar + 1 teaspoon honey + fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Prepare ingredients: Wash and dry the spinach; if the leaves are large, chop them roughly. Halve the red onion and slice the halves thinly. 4 handfuls baby spinach + 1 small red onion
- Assemble salad: Place spinach and onion in the bowl and toss to coat with the dressing. Fold in the pumpkin cubes.
- Add the crumbled feta and toss briefly and very gently to combine. Add the pumpkin seeds before serving.2 oz feta
Notes
- Pumpkin: I usually use Hokkaido/red kuri squash or butternut squash, but other very flavorful pumpkins are also OK (kabocha squash or sugar pumpkin). Don’t use Halloween pumpkins.
- Amounts: I used a piece of already roasted pumpkin. You can roast more pumpkin than needed for just one recipe and use the leftovers for other recipes.
- Substitutions:
Sweet potatoes instead of pumpkin.
Use other seeds or nuts such as sunflower seeds, walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, or hazelnuts.
Use other baby greens, such as arugula or kale.
Substitute feta with goat cheese, blue cheese, or Parmesan shavings.
Make a balsamic vinaigrette. Or replace the honey with maple syrup.# - Pepitas are shelled pumpkin seeds, ready to eat with a mild taste and soft texture. They’re available in grocery stores, health food shops, or online. You can also use whole pumpkin seeds, but they need to be cleaned and roasted.
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