A balanced but hearty vegan roast dinner! Earthy flavors from the pumpkin and walnuts contrast nicely with the sharp, salty tofu feta and balsamic walnuts.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Balanced and filling, with the right mix of protein from tofu feta, colorful veggies of pumpkin and spinach, plus healthy fats from walnuts and olive oil.
- Simple to make and perfect for meal prep.
- The best combination of savory-sweet flavors and soft-crunchy textures!
How to Make This Recipe
The great thing about this recipe is that you can prepare all the separate components ahead of time, then pop them together when you’re ready to eat! Ideal for meal prep. There are detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but here are some high level step-by-step instructions:
Step One: Roast pumpkin with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Step Two: Make the tofu feta by combining dressing ingredients with pressed tofu and leaving it to absorb.
Step Three: Make the balsamic walnuts.
Step Four: Wilt spinach, and serve it all together!
Substitutions
- Experiment with different nuts for varied textures.
- If you can’t find verjuice, swap it for white wine vinegar or lemon and a teaspoon of sugar.
Storage Instructions
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- I don’t recommend freezing as the walnuts and tofu won’t have the same texture when thawed. You could freeze the roast pumpkin and spinach though if you’d like!
I hope you enjoy this recipe of Roast Pumpkin with Balsamic Walnuts and Tofu Feta. It is a great balance of protein, veggies and healthy fats from walnuts. Let me know what you think in the comments below, and if you’re looking for more balanced vegan meal ideas, be sure to try my Cauliflower Salad, Mushroom Stroganoff or even swap the pumpkin in this recipe for Roasted Cabbage (it is surprisingly, sweet and works instead of pumpkin!). For even more delicious and sweet vegan recipes, check out chocolate pumpkin cake
Hearty Roast Pumpkin with Balsamic Walnuts and Tofu Feta
Ingredients
Roast Pumpkin
- 1/4 kent pumpkin (medium size, enough for 6 wedges)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
Balsamic Walnuts
- 300 g walnuts
- 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1.5 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp salt
Tofu Feta
- 450 g firm tofu
- 1 tbsp miso paste
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1/4 cup verjuice*
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp minced parsley
To Serve
- 200 g spinach, wilted
- balsamic glaze
- olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C.
- Press tofu. To do this, drain tofu, then wrap it in paper towel or a non-fluffy (and clean!) tea towel. Place the wrapped tofu in between two chopping boards, and weigh it down with a heavy object (I use a cast iron pot or some big cooking books).
- While tofu is pressing, slice pumpkin into 6 wedges. In a roasting tray, coat each slice in olive oil, then season with salt and pepper.
- Roast for 45 minutes, until soft and with some brown highlights.
- Mix miso paste with white wine to form a smooth paste.
- Combine miso and wine mixture with all other tofu feta ingredients to form a marinade. Pour into a large shallow tray.
- Remove tofu from under weighted chopping board, and dice into 2cm cubes.
- Add tofu cubes to marinade. Stir the tofu so all sides are coated before leaving it in one single layer. Leave to absorb for around 30 minutes. You can also make this the night before if preferred – more time, more flavour.
- To make the balsamic walnuts, combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Pulse a few times until it has broken down into chunks.
- When pumpkin is almost done, wilt spinach in a large saucepan with a lug of olive oil.
- Serve out spinach, then add pumpkin, crumble the feta across the top, add walnuts.
- Finish with a drizzle of balsamic glaze and olive oil.
Tiffany Castle says
Wow, this feta is going to be going everywhere for me.
Lynne says
Really really good, definitely going to make again!
Liz Douglas says
Love anything with pumpkin
Hong Nguyen says
Canāt wait to try this