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Roasted pumpkin and chestnut salad with orange-cranberry vinaigrette

Roasted pumpkin and chestnut salad with orange-cranberry vinaigrette

7
Points®
Total Time
1 hr
Prep
30 min
Cook
30 min
Serves
6
Difficulty
Easy
This delectable salad screams fall, combining sweet chestnuts and pumpkin, rich and salty pecorino and the slightly bitter crunch of chicory. Microwaving the pumpkin before cutting makes getting a knife through the dense flesh much easier. Don’t toss the pumpkin seeds. Rinse, dry, season and roast for a tasty snack or salad topping. Great for a Thanksgiving salad, divide the servings in half and serve a whopping 16 people. Ready in under an hour, this main-dish salad can stand alone or top it with some roasted chicken breast for a heartier version.

Ingredients

Uncooked pumpkin (sugar or sweet pumpkin)

2 pound(s), fresh, whole sugar pumpkin (or kabocha squash)

Cooking spray

10 spray(s)

Uncooked European chestnuts

1 cup(s), halved, peeled frozen (or use water-packed jarred chestnuts)

Orange

1 small

Olive oil

2 Tbsp

Balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp

Dijon mustard

1 tsp

Dried cranberries

2 Tbsp, chopped

Table salt

½ tsp

Black pepper

¼ tsp, freshly ground

Lettuce

8 cup(s), chopped, torn, chicory variety

Grated Pecorino Romano cheese

1 cup(s)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil (or just coat with cooking spray).
  2. Microwave whole pumpkin (or squash) for 1 minute to make it easier to cut. Using a heavy-duty knife, cut stem end from pumpkin. Put pumpkin cut side down and halve lengthwise; remove and discard seeds (or save for other use). Cut unpeeled pumpkin into 1/2-inch wedges.
  3. Spread pumpkin wedges on prepared pans, cut side down, in a single layer; lightly coat both sides with cooking spray. Roast until lightly golden, about 15 minutes.
  4. Remove pan from oven; flip pumpkin wedges with a spatula. Add chestnuts to pans; roast until pumpkin is golden and just tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes more.
  5. Meanwhile, zest orange into a large bowl. Halve zested orange; squeeze to yield 2 Tbsp juice and add to bowl. Add oil, vinegar, mustard, cranberries, salt, and pepper to bowl; stir to combine.
  6. Add chicory, roasted pumpkin, chestnuts, and cheese to bowl: toss to combine. Divide among 6 plates and serve.
  7. Serving size: 1 1/2 cups salad with 4 pumpkin wedges

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