How to make roasted pumpkin so much more fabulous with very little effort? A dash of maple syrup for extra caramelisation. Kick of fresh chilli. Plus a sprinkle of feta and shower of walnuts! Serve as a side, a meal, pile on toast or crostini. It’s delicious any which way!
Maple roasted pumpkin with feta and chilli
Something magical happens to pumpkin when you roast it. It intensifies the sweetness and caramelises beautifully.
I’d happily eat it plain. But here, we step it up a notch with a few simple additions that work so well with pumpkin. A dash of maple syrup for extra caramelisation. Plus a hit of fresh chilli, soft nutty crunchy of walnuts and creamy pops of salty feta…..you know this is going to be good!
That’s dinner, right there. Or a mighty delicious side.
Ingredient you need
Here’s what you need to make this.
The roasting stuff
Pumpkin – Any eating pumpkin. I typically use Kent or Jap which are common varieties here in Australia. Do not use pumpkin intended for Halloween carving, it’s not very pleasant to eat.
Alternatives – Butternut pumpkin (called butternut squash in the States) or sweet potato!
Maple syrup – or honey.
Dried chilli flakes – also called red pepper flakes. I use the regular type you get from ordinary grocery stores but you could absolutely use Asian or other types of chilli flakes. Just be mindful of spiciness!
Red onion – substitute regular onion, eschalots (US: shallots) or the white part of green onions (I often have bunches in the fridge with the green parts unceremoniously hacked off for garnish purposes so am always looking for uses of the white part).
Walnuts – Or other nuts of choice. Almonds and pecans come to mind first. Pinenuts, pepitas and other small nuts/seeds would also work but I’d toss them in partway through cooking so they don’t burn into tiny little black (bitter) pellets.
Finishes
Chilli – This is optional because it’s more for visual than spiciness, because we get enough spiciness from the dried chilli flakes. Large chillis, like the cayenne pepper pictured, aren’t very spicy. Good life rule to remember: the larger the chilli, the less spicy it is!
Danish feta – This is the feta type that is a bit more creamy than Greek feta. Greek feta also works, though I do like the way Danish feta sort of smears as it semi-melts on contact with the hot pumpkin.
If you are making to really impress, go premium by using goats cheese!
Parsley – For pretty green finish.
How to make Maple Roasted Pumpkin with Chilli and Feta
This is a recipe that’s more about the finishes. The pumpkin is roasted with onion and walnuts, all tossed with maple syrup. Then once cooked, sprinkle with feta, red chilli and parsley. Then get stuck in!
Cut the pumpkin in 2.5cm / 1″ cubes. To do this I cut into 2.5cm / 1″ slices first. Using a rocking motion as you slice down helps make this easy.
Cut the skin off.
Then cut into cubes.
Pile onto a large paper lined tray with the onion slices and walnuts. Toss with olive oil, maple syrup, salt and chilli flakes then spread it out. The more space between the pumpkin, the better. If the pumpkin is too cluttered, it will stew and go mushy instead of caramelising.
Roast for 30 minutes, tossing once at the 20 minute mark, until the pumpkin is light golden and cooked through. You won’t get intense golden colour on the surface, not like plain roast pumpkin cubes (such as in this recipe), because the maple syrup will burn on the edges of the cubes before the surface goes completely golden.
Also, the onion will get quite dark brown. If you notice at the tossing point that it’s getting a little too brown, just push/pile them all together or bury under pumpkin. This will protect them!
Finishing – Give the pumpkin a gently toss to coat it in all the tasty tray juices. Then transfer to a serving platter – single layer is nice for even sprinkling coverage and neat presentation. Sprinkle with fresh chilli, feta and parsley, then serve!
Or – jumble and pile
I know I said a single layer presentation looks nice and neat. But actually, for maximum flavour-melding-more-rustic presentation (aka Nagi style), do most of the sprinkling on the tray, reserving some for garnish. Then transfer into a serving bowl. Flavour jumbling will occur during transfer and piling.
Finish with reserved feta etc to pretty it up.
Whichever way you go, single layer neatness or jumbled piled up rustic-ness, it still rates the same on the deliciousness scale. Which is, in case you hadn’t guessed, very, very high.
Tell me if you serve this as a side or inhale it as a meal! – Nagi x
PS In case you didn’t know I have a whole category of pumpkin side dishes as part of the vegetable and salad side dishes corner of this website! Mostly relatively low effort, like this one, with a scattering of show-offs for special occasions.
PPS This is not the first time I’ve combined pumpkin. See also here and here.
Watch how to make it
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Maple Roasted Pumpkin with Chili and Feta
Ingredients
- 2 lb / 1 kg pumpkin , peeled, cut into 2.5cm / 1" cubes (whole, unpeeled weight – Note 1)
- 1 red onion , peeled, halved, then cut into 1cm / 0.4" wedges
- 1/2 cup walnuts , roughly chopped (Note 2)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp maple syrup or honey (sub brown sugar Note 3),
- 3/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 1 – 1 1/2 tsp dried chili flakes , adjust to taste (Note 4)
Garnishes (Optional)
- 3/4 cup Danish feta (or Greek feta, or upgrade to goats cheese)
- 1 large red chilli (cayenne pepper), deseeded, finely minced
- 1 tbsp parsley finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F (180°C fan-forced).
- Toss – Place the pumpkin, onion and walnuts on a large, paper lined tray. Drizzle with olive oil and maple syrup, then toss to coat (hands really is best). Sprinkle with chilli and salt, toss again, then spread out on a tray. Don't crowd them else they will stew instead of roast!
- Roast for 30 minutes, or until the pumpkin is lightly browned and cooked through, tossing once at the 20 minute mark.
- Finishes – Remove from the oven. Gently toss again, then transfer to a serving platter in a single layer. Crumble over feta, sprinkle with parsley and chilli. Or do the sprinkling on the tray then pile into a bowl. Serve immediately!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Recipe update: This is an old recipe from 2015 that was in desperate need of spruced up photos, a recipe video tutorial and most importantly, recipe improvements! The same recipe, just tweaked to fix. 🙂
More delicious things to make with pumpkin
Life of Dozer
Don’t miss Dozer in today’s recipe video!! Did he get to taste test….??
I am so glad I found this recipe (and your site). It is delicious and a go to recipe for using kabocha or calabaza and it’s a veggie most of my house will eat. Thanks for offering such a great side dish. We love it!!
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed it Melanie, thank you for letting me know! N x
My husband and I have been invited to my boss’s house for a day-after-Thanksgiving dinner next Friday. I’m going to try this recipe out on my family and if we like it as much as I hope, I’ll bring it to my boss’s house. Maybe it’ll be so good she’ll give me a promotion!!!
Oooh! This is a good one to take to dinners, it is so unique! I’d keep the components separate and toss it together gently just before serving 🙂 Hope your boss loves it!
Well, it is now in the oven, been in for about 30 minutes. It isn’t caramelizing and there’s quite a bit of liquid in the bottom of the pan. I’ve drained the liquid and tasted it. At this point, it’s pretty bland. I’m going to add a little more maple syrup and raise the temp. It looks like I’m going to have to tweek this.
Hi Nagi this is happening to me too. I’ve tried twice now, with store bought kent. Any tips or ideas I could try next time? I really want to nail this 😉
The only thing I can think of is maybe my tray is overloaded as I used a whole pumpkin on two trays. maybe that too much.
Thanks
Hi BD! I’m sorry you had that problem. Overcrowding will cause that and also oven temp affects it too, do you know if your oven runs a bit cool?? Try turning it up. The pumpkin can take it!
Hi Tina! Gosh that sounds odd. The sugar + oil should most certainly caramelise. there is nothing in this recipe that should create liquid. Do you think your oven is weak? That’s the only thing I can think.
I think the problem was the pumpkin itself. It was from my garden and while it looked ripe on the outside, the flesh was pale yellow instead of orange. I think I’ll try the recipe again with a store-bought pumpkin and bring something else to my boss’ dinner. I’m determined to make this correctly! Have a wonderful day! ?
Just wanted to say what a delicious dish this is. I use honey instead of maple syrup. I also found by cutting up the pumpkin into smaller pieces this took about 15 minutes to cook. The secret is putting it into a well pre-heated oven. We grow pumpkins and squashes and have 35 kilos to get through this autumn. This recipe has become a weekly favourite. I also wanted to add (as it may not be obvious to everyone) that you can eat the skin of butternut squash and pumpkins; although the skin of large pumpkins might be too bitter for some tastes. Thanks for the recipes and I am keen to try more.
35 kg? That is SO COOL that you grow your own pumpkin and squash! Thank you for the tip. 🙂 I find that butternut squash skin is really yum, it caramelises beautifully! I’ve never been able to eat the skin of Jap pumpkins though.
I made this for dinner as a main dish. My husband, who loves spicy food, loved it. I, on the other hand, couldn’t handle the heat, and I only used 1/2 tbsp of chili flakes. I used sweet potatoes and sunflower seeds instead of pumpkin and walnuts. Other than being too spicy for me, the flavors were very nice. I do love the sweet/spicy combo especially with the feta cheese. Another great recipe! 🙂
Hi Rachel! I’m so sorry it was too spicy for you :(. I’m glad your hubby loved it though!! N x
This sounds so good. I love roasted pumpkin and butternut squash. I’m American and don’t love pumpkin pie, most people just don’t add enough spice to it…but one year my mom added whiskey, and it was awesome. I have now become the whiskey pumpkin pie maker, although it is still not my favorite pie. (and I add more spice than most American’s I think) I will be trying this very soon. I love the sweet and salty idea.
Whisky in pumpkin pie?! My ears just perked up. Because I must admit, pumpkin pie is not my favourite either! I hope you love this! It really does the sweet / salty well 🙂 N x
Yes! Bourbon whiskey is excellent in pumpkin pie….good in the whipped cream topping too! I’m going to try this roasted pumpkin recipe! I love feta and never thought of pairing it with roasted pumpkin or butternut. I been roasting mine with fresh rosemary and minced garlic!
Hmmm….I must remember that! Especially now that it’s pumpkin season!
Oh wow! Imake something similar with butternut squash and goat’s cheese. Yum
Wow Nagi, this looks delicious…I like the idea of adding walnut and a touch of chili…so many different textures and flavors…great photos!
Hope you are having a fabulous week 🙂
Hi Juliana! Thanks so much! I really love the different textures in this too 🙂 Hope you have a fabulous weekend! 🙂
These pictures are gorgeous!
I love your idea of creating meat free meals for carnivores. Even though I eat meat, and love it, I can only handle eating it a few times a week. The rest of the time I just love yummy veggies … like pumpkin! I could easily eat this and call it dinner. 🙂
I TOTALL have this for dinner!! Had it for lunch and dinner on the day I photographed it! 🙂
I love how creative you were in this recipe! I’d have never in my life mixed these ingredients just like you did!
Thank you Lily!! I experiment because I personally find that roasted pumpkin can be a bit “baby-food-ish” if you don’t add other stuff to it. Maybe that’s just me!!! 🙂 Hope you have a lovely weekend!
“Meat-Free Recipes for Carnivores” – YES!!! I think that’s a brilliant topic, Nagi. And you’ve certainly come up with a fantastic first dish for it. For me, the walnuts make it hearty enough to be a main. Yum!
HA!! OK, now I just need to figure out how to put it on my site!! It will be fun coming up with recipes for lessor known veggies like okra!
Yes, please! I love okra…
Although I am not a huge fan of pumpkin I am always experimenting with it because I want to love it. This recipe sounds very promising. Cant wait to try.
Hi Kathy! You know, I don’t get the whole US pumpkin-mad thing!! I don’t really like pumpkin pie or pumpkin bread. But I really love it roasted!! And soup too 🙂
I haven’t. But knowing our similar tastes, I’m sure I’d love his food! We should eat there when you come to LA!
DONE!!
Oh my gosh, these are the prettiest pumpkin dish I’ve ever seen! Only Nagi would have that power. Kudos to you!
Oh wow! I honestly have not seen any pumpkin recipe more beautiful than this! This might convert my pumpkin hating husband 🙂
Ha! YES! This is a converter for sure!! 🙂
Desserts don’t count? That’s disappointing, thought they did! 🙂 I love roasted pumpkin too, it’s one of my mom’s favorites and she used to roast pumpkin all the time. Funny thing is I haven’t had roasted pumpkin since I lived at home and now you’re making me homesick. And hungry! It looks fabulous and the colors are gorgeous!
No harm in bending the rules!!! 🙂
Very nice lighting in these photos! 😉 I was going to say that I can’t stand pumpkin but then thought, have I actually ever eaten pumpkin? I think I haven’t! I’m basing my aversion on purely on pumpkin pie, which I absolutely hate… I suppose I should give an actual pumpkin a try. 🙂
Actually canned pumpkin is hubbard squash, or maybe one of several other varieties of winter squash–hubbard is the variety known as “pumpkin” across most of Europe and Asia. So for this recipe, feel free to choose any of the hard winter squashes–I suggest Kabocha, if you can find it, butternut if you can’t. If you decide to go with a real pumpkin, pick a small one. I’ve been roasting winter squashes and sweet potatoes for years, and since they are all fairly sweet to begin with, you can skip any added sweeteners–I don’t like maple anyway. Instead, I use some fresh rosemary or sage, and a few whole cloves of garlic. Roasted fall veggies are one of my favorite parts of the season!
OK, so here’s the thing….I am not a huge fan of pumpkin pie either!! What is it with pumpkin pie madness in the US?? I don’t get it!!
I don’t get it either, not at all…. 🙂
Lovely Nagi. I make this all the time but I have never added the chilli. What an oversight. It is the perfect addition!
Hi Tania! Wouldn’t say an oversight :0 Just something different!! 🙂
Mmmm fabulous – Nagi – I love pumpkin and the combo of pumpkin and feta. I had to laugh as I am posting a recipe using it tomorrow:-)
WHY does that not surprise me at all?! Our tastes are so similar it’s scary!!
Such a clever recipe combination Nagi! I am not a big fan of roasted pumpkin because it is too sweet for my taste. BUT with the added salty taste from feta cheese and the punch from chili…OMG! I am making roasted pumpkin 🙂
Thanks Oana! Actually, to be honest, I find roasted pumpkin quite one dimensional and it reminds me of baby food!! So I always feel the need to add plenty of other flavours to really kick it up a notch 🙂
What a fabulous recipe, Nagi! I love the combination of sweet pumpkin and syrup with a dash of heat – such a wonderful balance of flavor! When Craig and I were living in DC, we ate a little Thai place that was converted from an old row-house. During the fall, they would make an entire 7 course menu with pumpkin used as a main ingredient in each. My favorite was pumpkin pad-thai… so good! Some of your flavor combinations of spicy and sweet, remind me of that incredible dish!
That is SO COOL! I heard about a similar restaurant in LA by an Australian Chef – Curtis Stone, have you heard of him??