This cauliflower pumpkin chickpea salad combines roasted pumpkin, cauliflower, and crispy chickpeas with a maple balsamic dressing for a flavourful, hearty dish. Enjoy it as a satisfying side or a wholesome main, served warm or cold.
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Why you'll love this recipe
Versatile Serving Options. Enjoy this salad on its own or pair it with some leftover Turkey, Chicken or Pork for a more balanced meal prep meal.
Meal Prep friendly. This salad is a great meal prep, but make sure to check out my guide to meal prepping salad for all the tips and tricks.
Fall. If you're digging the fall pumpkin vibes, try adding in pumpkin chia pudding and pumpkin baked oats without banana to your meal plan.
Ingredients
Pumpkin. I use butternut pumpkin or kent pumpkin which is very common in Australia. You could swap for any type of pumpkin depending on your preferences (or even sweet potato for something different).
Chickpeas. When you roast the chickpeas with the pumpkin and cauliflower, they become crispy.
Leafy Greens. I use spinach quite a bit, but you could use any variety of greens.
Cumin. I personally think pumpkin and cumin were made for each other and they work really well when roasted. You can use any spices you wish here.
Dressing. I use a balsamic maple dressing, but you could try a honey mustard without mayonnaise or even a Satay Sauce for something a little different.
Please check the recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantity.
How to make roast pumpkin salad
Step 1: Spread pumpkin, cauliflower florets, and chickpeas on a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, pepper and cumin, and roast for 25-30 minutes, or until golden and tender. Toss/turn halfway through for even roasting.
Step 2: In a large bowl, arrange your leafy greens (spinach, arugula, or mixed greens) as the base.
Step 3: Top the greens with the roasted pumpkin, cauliflower, and chickpeas. Sprinkle fresh blueberries and crumbled feta over the top.
Step 4: Drizzle your favourite dressing-like a maple balsamic vinaigrette or a simple olive oil and lemon juice mix-over the salad. Toss gently to combine.
If you're not eating it right away, wait to put the dressing on.
My Top Tips
Season the veggies. Add spices like cumin (which I recommend as a minimum) and paprika, garlic powder etc. to the pumpkin, cauliflower and chickpeas before roasting. It'll amplify the flavour of the salad.
Extra crispy chickpeas. The chickpeas act like protein-packed croutons in this roast pumpkin salad and to get them super crunchy, I recommend patting them dry and having them on a separate baking tray.
Meal prepping salad
Meal prepping salad does not have to be boring. The roasted veggies keep this interesting with a bit of crunch and flavour, the chickpeas add some protein (although I do recommend buffing it out with Leftover Roast Chicken, Leftover Roast Turkey, Baked Ham, tofu, or hard-boiled eggs for a complete meal) and you have the pumpkin as a carb source.
Storing
Store the salad components separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3-4 days to keep them fresh. Keep the leafy greens and dressing apart from the roasted veggies and chickpeas until just before serving to prevent sogginess. You could use a "layering" technique where the dressing is placed at the bottom and then adding heaviest to lightest ingredients (like pictured)
If you want more meal prep information, check out my Meal Prep for Beginners post and my Meal Prep Basics E-Book.
FAQs
When stored properly with dressing and greens separate, this salad can last up to 3-4 days in airtight containers. The longer the roasted pumpkin cauliflower salad is stored for, the more impact it will have on the texture and taste.
You can use goat cheese, or even brie cheese like in the Cranberry Turkey Couscous Salad, or omit it entirely for a vegan-friendly version of this roasted pumpkin and cauliflower salad.
Store roasted chickpeas separately and add them to the salad just before serving to maintain their crunch.
Other salad recipes you'll like
Or, you can have a browse through my salad recipes for more delicious eats.
I hope you enjoy this as much as I do - Love & Pasta, Lauren x
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Recipe
Roasted Cauliflower Pumpkin Chickpea Salad
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Equipment
Ingredients
Roast Pumpkin, Cauliflower, Chickpea Salad
- 500 g (1 lb) pumpkin, approx.¼, See note 1
- 500 g (1 lb) head cauliflower, approx.1
- 400 g (14 oz) chickpeas, 1 tin, drained and pat dry
- 15 ml (1 tablespoon) olive oil
- 5 g (1 tablespoon) cumin
- 5 g (1 tablespoon) garlic powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 200 g (7 oz) spinach, or leafy greens
- 100 g (½ cups) blueberries
- 50 g (¼ cups) feta
Maple Balsamic Dressing
- 30 ml (2 tablespoon) balsamic vinegar
- 30 ml (2 tablespoon) olive oil
- 15 ml (1 tablespoon) maple syrup
- 5 g (1 teaspoon) dijon mustard
- 3 basil leaves, finely diced
- 1 garlic cloves, finely diced or crushed
Instructions
Prepare
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F)
- Thinly slice 500 g (1 lb) pumpkin. Cut 500 g (1 lb) head cauliflower into florets.
- Dice: 3 basil leaves and 1 garlic cloves. Mix together with 30 ml (2 tablespoon) balsamic vinegar, 30 ml (2 tablespoon) olive oil, 15 ml (1 tablespoon) maple syrup, 5 g (1 teaspoon) dijon mustard until combined.
Roast
- Arrange 500 g (1 lb) pumpkin, 500 g (1 lb) head cauliflower, 400 g (14 oz) chickpeas on a baking tray. Drizzle with 15 ml (1 tablespoon) olive oil, 5 g (1 tablespoon) cumin, 5 g (1 tablespoon) garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Roast for 25-30 minutes, turning halfway. Allow to cool slightly.
Assemble
- In a large bowl, layer 200 g (7 oz) spinach as the base for the salad. Top with 500 g (1 lb) pumpkin, 500 g (1 lb) head cauliflower, 400 g (14 oz) chickpeas, 100 g (½ cups) blueberries, 50 g (¼ cups) feta
- When ready to serve, drizzle your dressing over.
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