The roasted pumpkin beetroot salad can offer the perfect roast, caramelization, spiciness, umami flavors, and more. You can serve this salad with feta, parsley, and honey dressing. It’s an ideal addition to any meal, especially when fall and winter come; this simple roasted salad can brighten your dinner and warm your soul.
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Pumpkin and beetroot go very well together; they are elegant, colorful, well-presented, delicious, and nutritious. Do you agree with me? I love this simple roasted pumpkin beetroot salad because it’s a perfect addition to any savory meal. You can add rice or couscous with another source of protein (fish, legumes, etc.), and you get a complete and nutritious meal.
Fall is my favorite season of the year when it comes to cooking. We still get to eat harvested vegetables from our garden, and we enjoy pumpkin, which has a lot to offer. Pumpkin is highly nutritious (read more here), meaning our body is grateful and happy when consumed. When it comes to cooking, pumpkin performs impressively, too; the variety of meals and ideas you can think of is endless. I already posted a few recipes with pumpkin as a main character; you can check them below this post.
In today’s post, you will learn
- The nutritional value of beetroot
- How to make roasted pumpkin beetroot salad step-by-step
- How to roast beetroot, so it’s nice, tender, and tasty
- Unique spice combination that works well with everything
Beetroot is a functional food with substantial health benefits
I am always trying to add some nutritional value to the main ingredients used in a recipe because it’s very informative for you to know why it’s essential to consume this particular food and realize how powerful it is. This simple food can be a supportive ” natural medicine” for your body. Today, we will take a look at beetroot. It’s very familiar to everyone, yet sometimes it needs to be appreciated more. Beetroot has a lot of health benefits. Recently, studies have shown its enormous potential.
The science says, ” Today, with the development of preclinical trials, consumers have increased knowledge about the biological activity of beetroot. Beetroot has been found to possess the potential of treating and preventing multiple diseases. According to the database displays in the US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service, beetroot is not only rich in proteins (1.68 g), carbohydrates (9.96 g), fat (0.18 g), amino acids (1.216 g), fatty acids (0.119 g), phytosterols (0.025 g), minerals (0.483 g), and fibers (2 g) per 100 g of wet weight, but also contains a lot of biologically active phytonutrients.”
” These bioactive phytonutrients have been proven critical for treating some chronic diseases, including cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases. For instance, betalains (mainly betanin) are an effective antioxidant extracted from beetroot. Several lines of evidence have shown that betalains might reduce the risk of cancers, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and liver and kidney damage. ”
“Many consumers tend to take oral fresh beetroot juice to supplement nitrate and thus to positively affect the physiological reaction, reduce the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases (Webb et al., 2008). The beetroot is now widely used as a common vegetable for athletes to replenish energy. ”
Wow, that’s incredibly interesting. I love discovering and learning something new daily. I hope this was informative and helpful for you. If you want to dive further to learn about beetroot’s potential, visit this website. Let’s jump into the roasted pumpkin beetroot salad recipe right now, shall we?
Everything you need to make roasted pumpkin beetroot salad
- Pumpkin (Hokkaido works best)
- Beetroots (try to choose good quality, I found oblong beets are tastier)
- Walnuts (toasted)
- Olive oil
- Smoked dried paprika
- Cumin
- A pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
- Salt
FOR DRESSING
- Honey (or maple, agave syrup)
- Organic light dijon mustard (optional, if you do not want to use it, you can use tahini)
- Olive oil
- Lemon juice
- Salt & herb pepper to taste
How to make roasted pumpkin beetroot salad; step-by-step
STEP 1:
Ideally, the day before, cook three medium-sized oblong beets in salted water. You can add bay leaves when cooking beetroots; this adds great flavor. When beets are tender, remove the excess water, leave them in a pot, cover with a lid, and leave overnight. Do not peel them.
Cooking beets the day before saves you time. However, you can do it the same day; when beets are tender, remove the excess water, let them cool down a little, and peel them. The beetroot skin will peel off nicely. Cooking in the skin will make beets much tastier and keep more nutrients inside them.
STEP 2:
Wash and peel about 1/2 part of Hokkaido pumpkin. Then, cut it into thinner cubes. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celcius.
It is the best spice mix that works for everything, literally
Let’s talk quickly about the spices used in this roasted pumpkin beetroot salad recipe. These two (plus dried coriander) are my favorite, and I can’t imagine my cooking life without them. Smoked dried paprika and cumin. Separately, these spices perform amazingly in a kitchen, but once you combine them… This is heaven. This spice mix will make every dish more interesting, flavorful, and aromatic. It can bring any dish to the next level.
When I worked in Montenegro this summer, my friend and I used this smoked paprika. We roasted vegetables, made patties and burgers, stewed cabbage, cream soups, bean stews, and more. It was fun to experiment, but if you do not use this spice, please get it ASAP!
STEP 3:
Prepare baking tray, and line it with parchment paper. Place pumpkin cubes on the baking tray separately. Brush them with olive oil and add spice mix. Then season every pumpkin pieace generously. Make sure every piece is nicely coated in oil and spices. You can do in in a bowl, it will be faster. Place the baking tray in the oven and roast pumpkin for about 20-30 minutes.
STEP 4:
Peel cooked beets, cut them into oval cubes, and repeat the same process as with pumpkin—season with olive oil and spices. Place them in a preheated oven and roast for 20-30 minutes.
The reason why we cooked beets before is that sometimes it’s hard to roast them nicely. You never know the quality of beetroot, the time it will need to be roasted, and the taste. By cooking it first in the skin, you have complete control over the tenderness of beetroot, and it’s still tasty and nutritious because you have it in the skin. If your saltwater is enough, beets will be delicious already.
STEP 5:
Check vegetables in the oven, and if needed, turn the tray around and roast for another 10 minutes to get caramelization and a nice roast. Every range is different, so check it now and then. Be careful not to overroast them; they can become dry.
If afer 30 minutes you think veggies are done, then finish roasting.
STEP 6:
Once vegetables are roasted in the oven, prepare toasted walnuts. You can do it in the range or on a dry fry pan. Once they are nicely toasted, blend them or chop them fine. When vegetables are done with roasting, combine them, add chopped walnuts, and mix everything well.
While preparing the dressing, keep vegetables in the turned-off oven to remain warm.
STEP 7:
For the dressing, combine honey, mustard, and lemon juice. Whisk to combine, then slowly add olive oil and continue whisking until the texture is smooth—season with salt and herb pepper.
FINAL STEP:
Assemble your roasted pumpkin beetroot salad with feta cheese (use the vegan option to keep this dish fully plant-based), chopped parsley, and honey dressing. Enjoy it!
How to serve roasted pumpkin beetroot salad
- Choose and add favorite grains (rice, couscous, bulgur)
- Add source of protein (lentils, beans, fish, tofu, etc.)
- Serve with this freshly parsley yogurt dip
- Serve with these fantastic meatballs
- Serve it with freshly made Greek salad
More pumpkin recipes for you here
Creamy Pumpkin Millet Porridge
Creamy Red Lentil Pumpkin Soup You Will Love (Spicy and Cozy)
Smoky Roasted Pumpkin With Tahini Sauce (Yummy!)
Gluten-Free Buckwheat Pancakes (Kid’s friendly)
I hope you will enjoy this pumpkin millet porridge recipe and get inspiration from today’s post. Let me know in the comment section below if you tried it and liked it. If there is anything I can do for you, please don’t hesitate to write me. I would love to connect with you and help you even more!
Domi
Spiced Roasted Pumpkin Beetroot Salad With Feta & Honey Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/2 (500g) Hokkaido pumpkin
- 3 medium size oblong beetroot (cooked in salted water)
- 2 tbsp toasted walnuts (chopped/ blended)
- 4-5 tbsp olive oil for roasting (half for pumpkin, and the other half for beetroots)
Spice mix
- 1 heaped tsp smoked dried paprika
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
Honey dressing
- 1 tbsp organic light Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp honey (or maple, agave syrup)
- 1/4 part of lemon (juice)
- 80 ml olive oil
- salt & herb pepper to taste
To serve with
- feta cheese (vegan or regular)
- chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Ideally, the day before, cook three medium-sized oblong beets in salted water. You can add bay leaves when cooking beetroots; this adds great flavor. When beets are tender, remove the excess water, leave them in a pot, cover with a lid, and leave overnight. Do not peel them.
- Wash and peel about 1/2 part of Hokkaido pumpkin. Then, cut it into thinner cubes. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celcius.
- Prepare a baking tray, and line it with parchment paper. Place pumpkin cubes on the baking tray separately. Brush them with olive oil and add spice mix. Then, season every pumpkin piece generously. Make sure every detail is nicely coated in oil and spices. You can do it in a bowl; it will be faster. Place the baking tray in the oven and roast pumpkin for about 20-30 minutes.
- Peel cooked beets, cut them into oval cubes, and repeat the same process as with pumpkin—season with olive oil and spices. Place them in a preheated oven and roast for 20-30 minutes.
- Check vegetables in the oven, and if needed, turn the tray around and roast for another 10 minutes to get caramelization and a nice roast. Every range is different, so check it now and then. Be careful not to overroast them; they can become dry.If after 30 minutes you think veggies are done, then finish roasting.
- Once vegetables are roasted in the oven, prepare toasted walnuts. You can do it in the range or on a dry fry pan. Once they are nicely toasted, blend them or chop them fine. When vegetables are done with roasting, combine them, add chopped walnuts, and mix everything well. While preparing the dressing, keep vegetables in the turned-off oven to remain warm.
- For the dressing, combine honey, mustard, and lemon juice. Whisk to combine, then slowly add olive oil and continue whisking until the texture is smooth—season with salt and herb pepper.
- Assemble your roasted pumpkin beetroot salad with feta cheese (use the vegan option to keep this dish fully plant-based), chopped parsley, and honey dressing. Enjoy it!
Notes
- The reason why we cooked beets before is that sometimes it’s hard to roast them nicely. You never know the quality of beetroot, the time it will need to be roasted, and the taste. By cooking it first in the skin, you have complete control over the tenderness of beetroot, and it’s still tasty and nutritious because you have it in the skin. If your saltwater is enough, beets will be delicious already.
- SMOKED DRIED PAPRIKA + CUMIN– Let’s talk quickly about the spices used in this roasted pumpkin beetroot salad recipe. These two (plus dried coriander) are my favorite, and I can’t imagine my cooking life without them. Smoked dried paprika and cumin. Separately, these spices perform amazingly in a kitchen, but once you combine them… This is heaven. This spice mix will make every dish more interesting, flavorful, and aromatic. It can bring any dish to the next level.
