Caramelised Roasted Pumpkin with Pesto and Chilli
Ingredients
Roasted pumpkin
- 1 small pumpkin
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasonings
Pesto
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup pine nuts or cashews (I used both)
- 1/4 cup hemp seeds (optional)
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast or vegetarian Parmesan
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
- chili oil, for serving
Preparation
Preheat your oven to 200°C.
Wash pumpkin and cut it into quarters. Remove the seeds and scrape out any stringy bits. Cut each quarter into smaller wedges.
Place the wedges on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with seasonings.
Bake in the oven for about 25-30 minutes or until it becomes tender and slightly caramelized.
Make the pesto. In a food processor, combine basil leaves, garlic, nuts, hemp seeds and nutritional yeast. Pulse a few times until the ingredients are roughly chopped.
Slowly add olive oil while the food processor is running, scraping down the sides with a spatula. Add lemon juice, and season to taste. Pulse once more to combine all the flavors.
Serve roasted pumpkin warm with dollops of pesto and a drizzle of chili oil.
Tips
This dish can be served as an appetizer, side dish, or light main course.
Enjoy it right away for the best flavor.
