Lime, Chili and Roasted Pumpkin Quinoa Salad

A hearty and substantial gluten free and vegan quinoa salad of sweet caramelised pumpkin with lime zest, juice and chili. Serve at your next bbq or party and watch it disappear!

There are few things I love more than roasted butternut pumpkin, otherwise known as squash to my Northern Hemisphere readers.

Once roasted, butternut pumpkin becomes sweeter, tender, and almost caramelised on the edges. Paired with lime zest and juice, as well as chili it is an amazing combination.

It wasn’t a flavour combination I had tried before, that is until I stumbled upon it as I flicked through the pages of A Modern Way To Eat by Anna Jones.

Anna’s recipe uses a combination of pumpkin, lime, chilli and dukkah, which I absolutely love. However I like to bulk it up a little and transform it into a substantial salad with the addition of quinoa, herbs and lightly toasted sunflower seeds.

You can use whatever herbs or greens you like in this quinoa salad. I’ve used a combination of parsley and mint, but try rocket (arugala), watercress, or baby kale. I’ve tried them all, and they all work well.  I’ve also made this using chickpeas in place of quinoa, as I love chickpeas and add them to everything for a filling protein and fibre boost.

This Roasted Pumpkin Quinoa Salad also makes great left overs. Just make sure the pumpkin has cooled before you add the greens.

5 from 2 votes

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Lime, Chili and Roasted Pumpkin Quinoa Salad

Adapted from A Modern Way To Eat by Anna Jones.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 4 to 6

Author Jennifer Schmidt

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup white quinoa
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 medium butternut pumpkin squash
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• olive oil
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 1/2 cups mint and parsley leaves roughly torn
• 1 red chili deseeded and finely chopped
• zest and juice of 2 unwaxed limes
• extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

Instructions

1. Rinse the quinoa well under cold running water. Drain and place in a saucepan and cover with the water. If any quinoa has stuck to the sides of the saucepan use a pastry brush to brush it into the water. Place the saucepan over a high heat and bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to low. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes or until tender. I find the cooking times on Australian organic quinoa to pretty much always be 12 minutes on my stove top. Remove the saucepan from the heat and leave, covered, while the pumpkin is roasting.
2. Preheat the oven to 200 celsius (400 Fahrenheit). Peel and deseed the butternut pumpkin and cut into bite sized cubes. You can leave the pumpkin pieces larger if you prefer, however you will need to adjust the cooking time. Place the pumpkin on a large tray and toss with enough olive oil to coat and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, or until tender and slightly caramelised on the edges. Remove the pan from the oven and leave to cool.
3. Place a small frying pan over a low heat and add the sunflower seeds and toast, stirring occasionally. Leave to cool.
4. Fluff up the quinoa with a fork, season to taste, and place on a large serving plate. Top with the parsley and mint leaves, or whatever salad greens you like. Place the pumpkin on top, sprinkle over the chili, sunflower seeds. Finally, grate the lime over the top and finish with the juice of the limes and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.