Roasted Pumpkin Salad with Goat's Cheese, Pomegranate and Honeyed Walnuts

I couldn’t help but get excited when I saw pomegranates on special this week. They looked just gorgeous and I still haven’t got over drinking cups and cups of freshly pressed pomegranate juice in Jerusalem. So I picked one up and knew I’d be adding the jewels to salads. I love their pops of sweetness in savoury dishes!

All the flavours in this roasted pumpkin salad are just heavenly. Creamy goat’s cheese, refreshing mint, sweet caramelised pumpkin, salty sweet walnuts and those gorgeous pops of pomegranate. Seriously yum!

It’s amazing served warm because the goat’s cheese just softens into this gorgeous oozy mess that coats all the ingredients and adds a layer to the dressing that’s just scrumptious!

I hope you enjoy this one, I absolutely LOVE it and can highly recommend serving it with some roasted chicken with a sprinkle of sumac.

Happy cooking,

Mel x

Roasted Pumpkin Salad with Goat's Cheese, Pomegranate and Honeyed Walnuts

Serves 4 as a side

Ingredients

1/2 butternut pumpkin, peeled and cubed

1/2 cup mint leaves

Jewels of one pomegranate

80g goat's cheese or 3 large cubes

3/4 cup walnuts

2 tbs pepitas

2 tbs honey

1/2 tsp sea salt flakes

Extra virgin olive oil for dressing and roasting

Juice of one lemon for dressing

1 tbs sumac for dressing

Salt and pepper to taste for dressing

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C. Dice pumpkin into small cubes. Arrange on a baking paper lined tray and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 30-40 minutes until tender and golden.

While pumpkin is baking, heat walnuts and pepitas in a small saucepan and add honey and sea salt flakes. Stir while honey bubbles for 2 minutes or so.

Remove from heat then spoon out nuts and seeds onto a clean sheet of baking paper to harden and cool.

Combine a long drizzle of olive oil, lemon juice, sumac, salt and pepper in a small cup for the dressing.

Arrange roasted pumpkin on a serving plate, top with mint leaves, goat's cheese, honeyed walnuts and pepitas and pomegranate jewels. Pour over dressing and sprinkle with extra sumac. Serve.