Name: RecipeTin Eats’ favourite Christmas pumpkin salad will become your go-to side dish
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 8-10 as part of a banquet
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Ingredients: ½ small red onion,peeled and finely sliced; 125ml (½ cup) apple cider vinegar; ½ tsp cooking salt; 1 tsp white sugar

RecipeTin Eats’ new favourite Christmas pumpkin salad.Rob Palmer STYLING:Emma Knowles

easyTime:30 mins - 1 hourServes:8-10 as part of a banquet

I’ve given my old faithful roast pumpkin salad the boot in favour of this jazzed-up version. It’s a stellar combination of flavours and looks so festive. Pomegranate molasses gives the dressing a lovely tart-sweet edge. But if you can’t find it,a similar amount of balsamic glaze will work just as well.

Make-ahead tips

The day before serving,pickle the red onions,roast the pumpkin and make the dressing. Measure out all the salad ingredients and keep them in separate containers. This will make assembly on the day a breeze.

Ingredients

Pickled red onion

½ small red onion,peeled and finely sliced
125ml (½ cup) apple cider vinegar
½ tsp cooking salt
1 tsp white sugar

Roast pumpkin

700g pumpkin (any type),peeled and cut into 2.5cm cubes
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
¼ tsp salt
⅛ tsp cracked black pepper

Pomegranate dressing

3 tbsp pomegranate molasses
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1½ tbsp red wine vinegar
½ tsp cooking salt
¼ tsp cracked black pepper

Salad

200g baby spinach leaves
35g (¼ cup) pine nuts,toasted
1 fresh pomegranate,arils only
120g crumbled goat’s cheese or Danish feta

Method

Step1
To pickle the red onion, toss all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Set aside for one hour,until the onion is bright pink and wilted. (You can do this up to two days ahead.) Drain,lightly squeezing out excess vinegar.
Step2
To roast the pumpkin, preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional). Line a roasting dish with baking paper. In a medium bowl,toss the pumpkin with the oil,salt and pepper to coat,then spread out in the roasting dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes until softened,tossing at the 20-minute mark. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature in the roasting dish (about 30 minutes).
Step3
To make the pomegranate dressing,whisk the ingredients together in a jug until well combined. (This can be made up to four days ahead.)
Step4
To assemble the salad,place the baby spinach in a large bowl. Pour over half the dressing and toss to coat. Toss through most of the pickled onion. Transfer into a serving bowl. Pile on the pumpkin and scatter over more pickled onion. Drizzle with the remaining dressing and finish with a shower of pine nuts,pomegranate arils,and crumbled goat’s cheese or feta.