Pumpkin Seeds Salad with Roasted Pumpkin and Spinach

5 from 2 votes

This pumpkin seed salad with roasted pumpkin, feta, and spinach is perfect as a light main or side dish, ideal for the season or Thanksgiving dinner.

Prep Time20

Cook Time45

Total Time1 5

Course: Salads

Cuisine: American

Servings: - 4 servings

Calories: 145kcal

Author: Adina

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.

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

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

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.