Warm roasted pumpkin and farro salad with tahini lemon dressing
This is the kind of lunch that makes you feel quietly brilliant for having made it. Warm, hearty, beautifully coloured and genuinely sustaining. This recipe defies the usual winter trade-off between comfort and nourishment. Farro is an ancient grain with a wonderfully nutty chew and a nutritional profile that includes protein, fibre, zinc and magnesium.
Roasted pumpkin is sweet and deeply satisfying. The tahini dressing brings everything together with a richness that feels indulgent and is anything but.
This recipe serves 2 as a generous lunch or 4 as a lighter meal. Prep time: 15 minutes. Cook time: 35 minutes.
- 1 large red onion, cut into thin wedges
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 cup farro (pearled)
- 2 large handfuls baby spinach or rocket
- 3 tablespoons pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- small bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons pomegranate seeds (optional)
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons unhulled tahini
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 small clove garlic, finely grated
- 3–4 tablespoons warm water to thin dressing to your preferred consistency
- pinch sea salt
- Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan forced). Toss pumpkin and red onion with olive oil, cumin, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Spread on a lined baking tray in a single layer. Roast 30–35 minutes, turning once, until tender and caramelised at the edges.
- Meanwhile, cook the farro: bring a medium pot of salted water to the boil, add the farro and cook for 20–25 minutes until tender but still with a pleasant chew. Drain well.
- Toast the pepitas in a dry frypan over medium heat for 2–3 minutes until they begin to pop. Set aside.
- Make the dressing: whisk together tahini, lemon juice, garlic and a pinch of salt. Add warm water a tablespoon at a time, whisking until you have a smooth, pourable consistency.
- Assemble: spread the warm farro across a large plate or shallow bowl. Top with roasted pumpkin and onion, then scatter over the spinach or rocket, parsley, toasted pepitas, and pomegranate seeds if using.
- Drizzle generously with the tahini dressing and serve immediately while the grains and vegetables are still warm.
Hopewood tip: Farro can be cooked in bulk and stored in the fridge for up to four days, making this a very quick lunch to assemble on subsequent days. Any leftover dressing keeps refrigerated for a week and is delicious over roasted vegetables, in wraps, or spooned over poached eggs.
See our ‘lifestyle-Hopewood’s recipe for wellbeing’ for more recipes.
