Salad with pearl couscous and roasted pumpkin

Growing up I was convinced that pumpkin was something you couldn’t eat. Those big weird and orange things which people used to cut out faces for Halloween. That didn’t seem to be a thing you could really eat right? In those days I had a friend whose parents had a farm and they also had a patch where they grew pumpkins or actually the decorative ones which I’m pretty sure you can’t eat. So I figured all similar pumpkin like products where the same.

In those days I still lived with my parents and we never ever would have had a pumpkin in the house. Not so weird considering my mothers hatred for cooking. She mostly stuck to safe potatoes, vegetables and a piece of meat.

Something weird like pumpkin would not make it into the kitchen. And thinking back on what we díd eat I don’t get much further as the cauliflower (with one of those disgusting white sauces), green beans, witlof, green peas, carrot, brussels sprouts, kale and macaroni. But it could be my memory… We never ate anything with my grandparents (it’s weird I know…) so what they ate I just don’t really know. Probably something similar to what my parents had and so no pumpkin there either. When did I find out that you could eat pumpkin? If not mistaken I once was visiting a friend and her mom made us pumpkin soup. No, I didn’t like it at all… Sweet soup… Yuck.. But over the course of time I spend lots of time reading  blogs and especially in the US you saw lots of pumpkin pie and that was intriguing to say the least.

To make a long story short: I can’t imagine an autumn or winter without pumpkin. I love pumpkin! I use it a lot in desserts and other sweet dishes but also such as here in a roasted form in this salad. The recipe is adapted a little from a recipe by Jamie Oliver. I added pearl couscous to give it a bit more body and changed the dressing but otherwise it’s the same. Check here for some other recipes with pumpkin

Print recipe Pin Recipe Save as favorite Saved!

No ratings yet

Salad with roasted pumpkin and pearl couscous

Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 100 gram pearl couscous
• 1/2 pumpkin roasted in the oven
• 50 gram feta
• 50 gram hazelnuts
• 50 gram pumpkin seeds/ sunflower seeds
• arugula
• Dressing
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 el Sangiovese vinegar balsamico is a good replacement
• juice of  1/2 citroen
• salt
• pepper

1x2x3x

Instructions

• Cook the pearl couscous according to the package instructions, drain and leave to cool.
• Roast the hazelnuts and the seeds in a dry pan and cut the roasted pumpkin in course pieces.
• Put some of the rocket on a plate and add some pieces of pumpkin. Sprinkle some of the pearl couscous over de top and the half of the roasted seeds and nuts.
• Make the dressing by combining the ingredients  and stir well. Drizzle some over the salad or give separately

Disclaimer

The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.

Did you make this recipe?Mention @simoneskitchen or tag #simoneskitchen!

Sharing is caring!