Honey-roasted squash and goat’s cheese salad with chickpeas – recipe

Honey-roasted squash and goat’s cheese salad with chickpeas. Photograph: Laura Edwards/The Guardian. Writer and food stylist: Esther Clark. Prop stylist: Anna Wilkins

This hearty salad has a sweet and spicy side, so makes for a wonderfully moreish dish. It’s topped generously with grilled discs of Tesco Finest Kidderton Ash goat’s cheese, which is beautifully creamy with a rich, earthy edge. The squash (you could use pumpkin here, too) is roasted in lots of Tesco Finest Spanish forest honey – which has a rich, malty flavour – and a slick of Tesco Finest Sicilian olive oil for a sticky finish. Make sure you use a seasonal eating squash or pumpkin rather than any leftover, decorative carving pumpkin – they lack flavour and texture. I like to add a handful of roasted hazelnuts or pecans to this if I have them in the cupboard – it brings added crunch but the salad works well without them, too. This really is the perfect transitional dish to make as the seasons change from summer to autumn.

Prep 20 min
Cook 40 min
Serves 4

1 large squash/ pumpkin, cut into chunky wedges
2 tbsp Tesco Finest Sicilian extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp Tesco Finest Spanish forest honey
¹⁄₂ tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained
150g Tesco Finest Kidderton Ash goat’s cheese, thickly sliced

For the green dressing
Handful mint
Handful coriander
2 tsp red wine vinegar
¹⁄₂ tsp sugar
1 green chilli, thinly sliced
70ml Tesco Finest Sicilian extra-virgin olive oil

Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/gas 6. Toss the squash with the olive oil, honey, chilli flakes, coriander seeds and a good scrunch of sea salt. Add the chickpeas and roast for 25-30 minutes or until the squash is tender and charred at the edges.

For the dressing, blitz together the mint, coriander, vinegar, sugar, chilli and oil with a good pinch of salt until you have a smooth, bright green dressing. Taste for seasoning.

Place the goat’s cheese slices on a grill-proof baking sheet and grill under a high heat for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown.

Arrange the chickpeas and squash on a plate with the goat’s cheese and dressing drizzled over. Finish with a little mint and some extra chilli, if you like.

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