A salad recipe that’s full of delicious flavours!
This salad recipe is inspired by the wonderful flavours of Middle Eastern cuisine. It’s our favourite kind of food; we just love all the amazing spices! It’s the kind of dish that’s perfect for a colder day; it’s gently warming, but not too spicy! The sweet, earthy spiced pumpkin and lentils taste so good with the freshness from the rocket, mint, pomegranate seeds and vegan feta. These are just some of the delicious ingredients in this salad. It’s packed with so many tasty and colourful things. This salad is warming, fresh, spicy, and vibrant; what more could you want from a salad?!
If you’re wondering when to make this, you could enjoy this roasted pumpkin salad simply on its own for a lovely fresh lunch. It’s the ideal meal to pack up in a container and take to work or school, or have ready in the fridge for your quick WFH lunches. It would also make the perfect side dish for your next dinner party. Why not try serving it with our delicious dukkah spiced courgette fritters and our beetroot and white bean dip for a beautiful special occasion spread! This roasted pumpkin salad would also be a fab dinner on its own. It’s super nutritious; with tasty plant-based protein, carbs, and veggies.
This isn’t any side salad; this squash salad is super filling and warming.
When we can remember to get around to it, we do like to meal-prep lunches; it can make life so much easier to have something ready to go in the fridge. One of the easiest things to make and stow away is a salad. However, in these colder months, simply a mix of green leaves and some other bits like tomato and avocado can seem a bit lacking. I need a salad with a bit of substance! We created this recipe with exactly this in mind, and what we produced is filled with lots of warming Middle Eastern-inspired spices and flavours. The green lentils and the pumpkin make up most of the bulk of the salad, so you’ll feel full for hours!
Our delicious squash salad recipe is:
- Warming and filling
- Vibrant and colourful
- Full of flavour
- Vegan & gluten-free
If you enjoyed this, try one of our other delicious recipes:
- Butternut squash puff pastry tart
- Roasted butternut squash & red pepper soup
- Chopped Asian salad with gochujang tofu
Watch how to make it step by step:
Warming Winter Spiced Squash & Lentil Salad Recipe (Easy + Vegan)
Ingredients
For the roast pumpkins
- pumpkin peeled and cubed
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 1 & 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp chilli flakes
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
For the dressing (spicey orange vinegarette)
- 1/2 large orange juiced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp agave syrup
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
For the spiced lentils
- 1/2 tbsp oil
- 1 400 g can of green lentils drained
- 1 tbsp middle eastern spice blend Bharat
For the rest of the salad
- 1 60 g bag of rocket
- 1 small handful of mint leaves
- 85 g walnuts toasted
- 4 figs cut into quarters
- 50 g vegan feta
- 80 g pomegranate seeds
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
- Add the pumpkin to a baking tray and add the oil and spices (cumin, smoked paprika, chilli flakes, salt & pepper), toss together, then roast in the oven for 30 minutes until the pumpkin is soft.
- Whilst the pumpkin is roasting, make the dressing. Combine the orange juice, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, agave syrup, salt and pepper. Leave to one side.
- Now make the spiced lentils. Heat some oil in a pan, then add the tin of lentils. Stir briefly, then add the Bharat. Cook for around 5-10 minutes until the lentils are warmed through.
- Add the rocket, mint, toasted walnuts, fig quarters, vegan feta and pomegranate seeds to a large platter. Then add the warm roast squash and the lentils. Toss gently, then serve straight away with the orange vinaigrette drizzled all over.