Pumpkin & Chorizo Quinoa

I’ve made a couple of versions of this recipe in the past but using butternut squash instead of pumpkin. Either work well, so use whichever you prefer. Roasting is another really delicious way to cook pumpkin and its mild, sweet flavour works really well with bolder flavours like sage and chorizo. If you want to make it vegetarian then use halloumi. I love chorizo, but it can be quite high in fat. Frying it until crisp and then scooping it out the pan with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat behind makes it slightly healthier. Leaving it for a couple of minutes on kitchen roll helps to absorb any that might have been transferred with the slotted spoon. Its a tasty comforting meal that still contains plenty of nutrition.  

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Pumpkin & Chorizo Quinoa

Keyword

Chorizo, Pumpkin, Quinoa, Spinach, Tomatoes

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

30 minutes

Servings

people

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 300 g pumpkin approx.
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2-3 sprigs sage
• 4 small cooking chorizo sausages approx 200g
• 125 g quinoa
• 300 ml boiling water
• 200 g cherry tomatoes
• 100 g spinach
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Keyword Chorizo, Pumpkin, Quinoa, Spinach, Tomatoes Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 30 minutes Servings people Ingredients 1 tbsp olive oil 300 g pumpkin approx. 1 onion 2 cloves garlic 2-3 sprigs sage 4 small cooking chorizo sausages approx 200g 125 g quinoa 300 ml boiling water 200 g cherry tomatoes 100 g spinach 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees celsius.
2. Peel and thinly slice the onion.
3. Scrape out the pumpkin seeds and cut the flesh away from the skin.
4. Slice the pumpkin flesh in to bite sized pieces.
5. Add the onion and pumpkin to a roasting tray and drizzle over the oil.
6. Crush the garlic and shred the sage leaves.
7. Add them both to the roasting tray and mix well.
8. Place in the oven for 20 minutes.
9. Weigh out the quinoa in to a small, lidded saucepan and pour over 300ml of boiling water. Leave gently simmering on the hob for 15 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave until ready to eat.
10. Peel off the casing on the chorizo and slice in to rounds the thickness of a pound coin.
11. Add them to a dry frying pan and heat over a high heat.
12. Fry for 5-8 minutes, stirring regularly, until they go crisp round the edges.
13. Scoop out the chorizo with a slotted spoon and lay on kitchen roll to absorb any excess fat.
14. Once 20 minutes are up on the pumpkin, remove the tray from the oven and stir.
15. Add the cherry tomatoes to the tray and return to the oven for a further 8 minutes.
16. Weigh out the spinach.
17. Once 8 minutes are up, remove the tray again and add the spinach. Stir well and return to the oven for a final 2 minutes or until the spinach has wilted.
18. Tip the cooked quinoa and crispy chorizo in to the roasting tray with the vegetables and stir well.
19. Pour over the balsamic vinegar.
20. To serve, divide between 2 bowls and enjoy.

Recipe Notes

If you make this, let me know how it goes and share your photos.  I’d also love to hear how you adapt it to suit yourself.