Roasted Pumpkin Wild Rice Salad

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This roasted pumpkin recipe is both a salad and a side dish. This is how I always approach salads when they have more grains than leafy greens.

With roasted pumpkin, kale and rice, this salad has a wonderful mix of flavors and bites. Toasted walnuts and chopped red onions also give it good texture to go with everything else and the maple balsamic vinaigrette.

Wild rice salads are very hearty and filling. Rice is a gluten-free, all-purpose pantry ingredient that works in sides and main dish salads. You can serve rice recipes warm, at room temperature or cold.

The Ingredients

This is what you need:

• Pumpkin: For savory and sweet recipes, you should use a pie pumpkin, also known as a sugar pumpkin. Look for one that’s about 3 pounds and doesn’t have any soft spots.
• Wild rice: When you cook it just right, the rice should have the same kind of bite like al dente pasta. It’s nutty and chewy. Buy wild rice and not a blend.
• Kale: You can use lacinato kale, also known as tuscan kale, which has very dark green leaves. Curly green kale will work too. Tear the leaves off the thick stems before you chop them.
• Red onions are a nice contrast with the cooked grains and roasted pumpkin. They are pleasantly sharp and add some crispness.
• Walnuts: Toast the chopped walnuts on a baking sheet in a 350-degree F oven for 5-7 minutes. This will bring out their nuttiness.
• Parmesan: I stir grated parmesan cheese into the salad to add a little salty, umami flavor that works perfectly with the balsamic dressing.
• Parsley: I finish everything with chopped parsley. Fresh herbs are an important addition to salads.
• Maple balsamic vinaigrette: This is a fall version of the classic Italian dressing with maple syrup, minced garlic, whole grain mustard, balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper. You will also need oil, salt and pepper for roasting the pumpkin.

How To Cut A Pumpkin

Before you start prepping your pumpkin, it helps to microwave it first. This will soften the skin, so it is easier to peel. Here is how I cut a pumpkin:

1. Prick the outside of the pumpkin all over with a fork.
2. Microwave the pumpkin for 4-5 minutes. It will soften slightly.
3. Cut the pumpkin in half lengthwise, avoiding the stem. 
4. Scoop out the seeds.
5. Cut the halves into quarters and peel off the skin. You can do this with a vegetable peeler or a sharp chef’s knife.
6. Slice the peeled pumpkin into 1-inch cubes.

Serving

You can serve this wild rice salad as a main dish or a side dish. It’s a good choice for make-ahead lunches and meal prep or for a fall potluck. Also, this salad/side is a great choice for Thanksgiving dinner especially because you can make the rice and vinaigrette ahead of time, and you can serve it at room temperature.

Make-Ahead Tips, Leftovers & Storage

You can make the rice 2 days in advance. Allow it to cool to room temperature before you put it in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator.

Also, you can make the dressing up to 2 days ahead of time. Store it in a mason jar in the fridge. Then let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before you use it. This will let the oil to turn to liquid again if it has hardened in the cold temperature of the refrigerator.

If you have leftovers, store the rice salad in one container and extra dressing in another up to 3 days. So they aren’t as cold, give them a little time out of the fridge before you serve leftovers.