Honey Roasted Pumpkin, Cannellini Bean and Feta Salad

Everyone needs a few killer salad recipes up their sleeves – and this Honey Roasted Pumpkin, Cannellini Bean & Feta Salad is gorgeous! The combo of sticky sweet caramelised honey pumpkin, salty feta and tart balsamic vinegar are a dreamy match.

Enter pumpkin – the star of the show

Not only is pumpkin delicious, but it’s super versatile. While ideal in savoury dishes, whether roasted, in soups or mashed, it’s sweet flavour makes it work well in desserts too – think classic spiced pumpkin pie (which I tried for the first time last month while travelling in the US – so darn good!).

Pumpkin is a bit of a mission to clean, but emphasis on the ‘a bit’ – don’t let that deter you. When working with a butternut pumpkin, as I did here, simply (and carefully) slice the whole pumpkin in half, remove and discard the inner seeds and then place the sliced wedge flesh-side down on a chopping board. Here, simply slice off the skin, and then dice the flesh into bite-sized pieces – easy peasy!

Roses are red, pumpkins are orange…

The lovely deep orange hue of pumpkin is due to the plant based pigment beta-carotene, which is converted to vitamin A in the body. Studies have shown vitamin A to be a key player in immunity, healthy eye sight, immunity and skin health, working as a powerful antioxidant helping to neutralise free radical damage (1).

Get a little creative in the kitchen…

…by toasting your nuts! This salad includes toasted pine nuts and, while you can skip this step, toasting helps intensify the flavour of the pine nuts and adds a glorious crunch to each mouthful.

It’s really simple to do – just place the nuts in a dry frypan over a medium-low heat and stir frequently until they begin to colour a light golden brown. Toasting using a pan is quicker than an oven, although the downside is the nuts may quickly burn if you don’t keep an eye on them – so in other words, don’t multitask!