Roasted Pumpkin Salad with Orange Dressing

It's been two months since I proposed on the Hoan Bridge and honestly I still can't believe she said yes. I mean, she said yes before I even finished the question. I had this whole speech rehearsed and she just grabbed my face and said yes and the whole speech just evaporated. Which was probably for the best because I think I was going to start crying somewhere around sentence three.

We've been engaged for eight weeks now and the wedding planning machine is already in full gear. Megan has a binder. A physical three-ring binder with tabs. I didn't know people still made those. There's a tab for venues, a tab for catering, a tab for flowers, a tab for music. I told her I had one requirement for the food: pierogi at the reception. Not as an appetizer. As a main course option. She looked at me like I was slightly insane and then wrote it in the binder, which I think means it's happening.

This week at the brewery we brewed a new Märzen for the fall release. Märzen is one of those lagers that takes patience — six weeks of cold conditioning before it's ready to drink. There's something satisfying about a beer that demands you wait for it. While the tanks did their thing I was thinking about Babcia Helen's recipe cards, the ones she left me when she died in 2018. I pulled out the barszcz card this week and actually made it on Saturday. Red beet soup, deep purple-red, with a hard-boiled egg floating in it like a little planet. Linda always made it on Christmas Eve. I made it on a random Saturday in September because I felt like it. Megan tried it, made a face — she's not a beet person — but she took a second spoonful anyway, which I'm counting as a win.

Mom's doing great, by the way. Five months since they declared remission and she sounds more like herself every time I call. I still call every day. Some habits you just keep. She asked me if we'd set a date yet. We're thinking late spring or early summer 2024. She started crying, which made me start crying, which I will deny to anyone who asks.

Put up a new post on RecipeSpinoff this week — the barszcz recipe, obviously. Wrote about Babcia in the notes. Got more comments than anything I've posted in months. People really respond when you tell the truth about where a recipe comes from.

After spending Saturday with Babcia Helen’s recipe cards and a pot of barszcz on the stove, I didn’t want to leave that headspace — the one where cooking feels like something more than just making food. Sunday I wanted to stay in that same seasonal, unhurried mode, and this roasted pumpkin salad with a citrusy orange dressing was exactly right for a September afternoon in Milwaukee: deep harvest color, a little brightness, the kind of dish that makes a random weekend feel worth slowing down for. It’s not Babcia’s recipe, but it carries the same spirit she always brought to the table.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 cups sugar pumpkin, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1 small pumpkin)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
5 oz mixed greens or arugula
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 oz goat cheese, crumbled
For the orange dressing:
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Heat oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Toss pumpkin cubes with olive oil, salt, and pepper until evenly coated, then spread in a single layer on the prepared sheet.
Roast the pumpkin. Roast 22–25 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until the pumpkin is fork-tender and the edges are caramelized and slightly golden. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes.
Toast the pepitas. While the pumpkin roasts, add pepitas to a dry skillet over medium heat. Toast 2–3 minutes, stirring frequently, until they begin to pop and turn lightly golden. Transfer to a plate to cool.
Make the orange dressing. Whisk together orange juice, orange zest, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, and Dijon mustard in a small bowl or jar until emulsified. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Assemble the salad. Arrange greens on a large platter or in a wide bowl. Scatter warm roasted pumpkin over the top, followed by the red onion slices, dried cranberries, and toasted pepitas.
Dress and finish. Drizzle the orange dressing evenly over the salad. Finish with crumbled goat cheese. Serve immediately while the pumpkin is still warm.

Nutrition (per serving)

Roasted Pumpkin Salad with Orange Dressing — Babcia’s Kitchen, My Saturday Table