Slightly sweet, sticky roast pumpkin with maple glaze and feta cheese. The perfect accompaniment to a Thanksgiving feast or Christmas dinner!
Oh hey Fall, except really it's oh hey Spring! Regardless, I have a butt ton of pumpkins in my house right now that I really needed to use up. Given that fall is approaching the US, I though it was the perfect time to bust out my favourite side dish - maple roast pumpkin with feta cheese and pepitas.
This is the most gorgeous dish for your Thanksgiving table. Although technically now I'm back in Australia, Thanksgiving doesn't mean as much here, but I'm still determined to maintain some of our American traditions, including celebrating Thanksgiving the way we used to!
This roasted pumpkin dish is so cosy and comforting, combing some of my all time favourite combinations - sweet maple syrup, crunchy pumpkin seeds and creamy feta. Brought together in the most beautiful and easy side dish you can image. So...
How to Roast Pumpkin
What Type of Pumpkin to Use?
Here in Australia we get a vast variety of pumpkins - Kent, Jap, Grey and Butternut. For this recipe I loved using Kent or Jap/Kabocha pumpkin because I love the sweetness and texture.
However, when I lived in the US I had a hard time finding anything other than butternut squash. Kabocha pumpkin is sometimes easy to find, but you could use acorn squash or butternut squash for this recipe with similar results.
What ingredients do I need?
To make this recipe you need the following;
- good quality olive oil
- real maple syrup
- feta cheese - like danish or Australian feta
- pepitas for serving
- chopped rosemary
- your choice of pumpkin
How Long Does Pumpkin Take to Roast
Large pumpkin wedges don't take as long as you probably think to roast. If you cut your pumpkin in similar sizes, cooking time should be between 30-40 minutes.
You want to roast your pumpkin until it starts to caramelise and go brown, without burning. You roast your pumpkin skin on and it's totally ok to eat the skin as well!
What Should I Serve My Pumpkin With?
This roast pumpkin recipe is so versatile that you can easily serve it with any dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas. I love roast pumpkin as a side with Turkey or my garlic and rosemary boneless lamb roast.
This dish is a gorgeous side to enjoy all year round, but especially lovely for the upcoming holiday season! If you're looking for a quick and easy, roast pumpkin dish then this maple roasted pumpkin is a must try!
Remember to leave a comment and star review if you've made this recipe, I love seeing and hearing from you!
Georgie
Want more gorgeous side dishes? Try these;
- Creamy mashed cauliflower (Keto friendly, gluten free)
- Homemade oven baked fries
- Harissa roasted carrots with Farro and pomegranate
- Honey butter brussels sprouts
Maple Roast Pumpkin
Ingredients
- 1 kg kent pumpkin (2lbs) cut into wedges
- 5 tablespoon maple syrup
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
- 100 g feta cheese (3.5oz)
- 2 tablespoon pepitas
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200C/400F and line a large baking tray with parchmant paper
- Cut pumpkin into wedges, or rounds if using butternut squash or acorn squash. Remove seeds. Skin can be kept on.
- Lay out pumpkin on your prepared baking tray
- Combine olive oil, maple syrup, rosemary and salt and pepper in a small bowl.
- Pour the olive oil mix over the pumpkin and use a silicone pastry brush or your hands to coat the pumpkin on both sides.
- Roast pumpkin for 30-40 minutes, flipping the pumpkin halfway. The pumpkin should be caramelised on top but soft enough in the middle to poke a knife into it.
- Remove the pumpkin from the oven, and crumble the feta cheese over the top and sprinkle with pepitas and some leftover rosemary for garnish. Serve immediately warmed.
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AK says
Just made these tonight my partner and I loved them! You must try this recipe and once you try it then you will be able to adjust to your liking next time! I paired it with barramundi fillets drizzled with a sauce that contained lime juice, fish sauce brown sugar ginger garlic chilli and finely sliced onions then topped with fresh mint and basil.
Thank you for the pumpkin recipe will definitely be making again!
Shelley says
Pretending today is Thanksgiving here in Australia; it's pouring rain and windy all along the southeast. I bought 2kg of kent pumpkin to make American pumpkin pie and then found a local source for a can of Libby's ! the pie looks lovely, but what to do with all this pumpkin ?! Will be giving your recipe a try 🙂 planning to toast the pepitas first though, to give some texture contrast. Yum ! maple syrup and rosemary sounds perfect for an autumn feast on a cold, wet spring morning ...
Georgie says
Oh awesome thanks shelley! I’m in melbourne it’s been so miserable! Enjoy your thanksgiving
Emese says
It looks like a perfect Thanksgiving side dish. I've never had kent pumpkin before, only butternut squash and Hokkaido. I wonder what they taste like.
Georgie says
I think butternut is the most popular in the US, you can also use acorn squash! I wonder if Hokkaido is similar to Kabocha?
Jeannette says
What a scrumptious, delightful meal! This is the perfect meal for winter! Thanks for sharing!
Georgie says
thanks Jeanette, it's the perfect fall/winter side dish for thanksgiving or Christmas!
Farah says
This looks so delicious! I love the flavor combination of pumpkin and feta and adding maple is genius!
Georgie says
the maple makes it so gorgeous and sticky!
Dannii says
That looks amazing. I love feta, but have never had it on pumpkin.
Georgie says
it's a game changer, so creamy!
Brian Jones says
This was delicious, so simple and the salty feta alongside the sweet pumpkin is lovely!
Georgie says
glad you loved it Brian!