Roasted Pumpkin with Curried Tahini Sauce
Ingredients
Pumpkin:
- 1 sugar pumpkin (pie pumpkin), seeded and sliced into 8 wedges (see note)
- 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- Salt and pepper
Tahini sauce:
- ¼ cup tahini
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 1 ½ teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- Salt and pepper
- 4 tablespoons water or as needed (see note)
Optional for serving:
- Chopped pecans, toasted if desired (see note)
- Pomegranate arils
- Cilantro leaves
- Mint leaves
Instructions
Prepare roasted pumpkin:
-
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and spread pumpkin wedges skin side down on a rimmed baking sheet. Brush the pumpkin flesh with grapeseed oil, coriander, salt, and pepper.
-
Roast 20 minutes, flip pumpkin pieces and roast an additional 20 minutes, or until the pumpkin is soft and beginning to brown in places.
-
Serve on the rind or use a spoon to scrape off the pumpkin flesh from the skin if desired.
Prepare curried tahini sauce:
-
In the meantime, whisk tahini, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, cumin, coriander, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and pepper.
-
Gradually whisk in water one tablespoon at a time until sauce is thin enough to pour and desired consistency is reached.
Serve:
-
Transfer roasted pumpkin wedges to a serving dish. Drizzle with tahini sauce and top with pecans, pomegranate arils, cilantro, and mint if desired.
Recipe Notes
Sugar pumpkins (also known as pie pumpkins) are small, round varieties that are different than the larger pumpkins you’d use to carve a jack-o’-lantern. You may substitute most types of winter squash for the sugar pumpkin in this recipe. Note that cooking times will vary depending on the size and type of squash that you use.
The amount of water needed to thin the sauce depends on how thick your tahini is. Add the water gradually and stop once the sauce is thin enough to pour. This sauce tends to thicken in the refrigerator, so you may need to thin with additional water immediately before serving if you make it ahead of time.
To toast pecans, spread chopped nuts in a dry cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, 3 minutes, or until the nuts are aromatic and start to brown.