Roasted Pumpkin Wild Rice Salad

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Roasted Pumpkin Wild Rice Salad

Dressed in maple balsamic vinaigrette, this roasted pumpkin recipe has all the fall flavors with wild rice, kale, toasted walnuts and parmesan.

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Total Time1

Course: Salads

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Author: Paige Adams

Ingredients

For rice

1 cup wild rice
Water

For pumpkin

1 sugar pumpkin (about 3 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For vinaigrette

1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil

For salad

1 cup chopped kale leaves
1/4 cup finely chopped red onions
1/3 cup chopped toasted walnuts
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
For the rice, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the rice and continue boiling until the rice is tender, about 35-55 minutes. The rice should be tender with a chewy bite. Drain the rice and put it back in the pot. Then let it rest for 10 minutes and fluff it with a fork. (You can spread it across a plate to get it to cool down faster.)
On the prepared pan, toss the pumpkin with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Spread the cubes into single layer.
Roast the pumpkin for 30-35 minutes until it is tender in the middle and lightly browned on the edges.
To make the vinaigrette, whisk the garlic, maple syrup, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, balsamic vinegar and 1/4 cup olive oil in a small bowl.
In a large bowl, toss the rice and kale with half the vinaigrette.
Stir in the roasted pumpkin, red onions, walnuts, parmesan and parsley, drizzling in more dressing as desired.

Notes

Butternut squash or sweet potatoes are good substitutes for the pumpkin.

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

Also, you can make the vinaigrette up to 2 days in advance. Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge. Let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes and whisk it together. Wait to combine the dressing and the rice until you are about to make the salad to serve it.

Keep wild rice salad leftovers in one container and the dressing in another up to 3 days.

Nutrition