Roasted pumpkin with cranberries

If you need an interesting side dish, roasted pumpkin with cranberries is definitely the right choice. It is great for big family dinners or lunches with friends. You can make it with or without oil, as you like. The dish is simple, made from a small number of ingredients, yet incredibly tasty and goes wonderfully with many dishes. Will you give it a try?

Roasted pumpkin with cranberries is one of my favourite side dishes. Combined with the chosen spices, we often make it for Christmas. Most pumpkins need to be peeled before baking, as the skin is tough and hard to chew. Hokkaido pumpkin is one of those rare ones that doesn't need peeling. For this recipe I recommend either Hokkaido or butternut squash. The roasting time will depend on the size of the pieces. Larger pieces will need a little longer to become tender throughout. Keep this in mind when you cut the pumpkin into pieces of any size.

One more tip: before baking, you can soak the cranberries in warm water or any juice for 10-20 minutes. That way they will add even more juiciness and flavour to the dish. If you like, you can use some other dried fruit instead of cranberries, if you like the combination. These can be raisins, figs or goji berries.

Pecans will add some crunch to this dish. We mix them in only halfway through baking, as we want them to get that lightly toasted flavour but must not burn. If you don't have pecans to hand, you can also use pumpkin seeds, walnuts or chopped almonds.

Roasted pumpkin with cranberries can also be made with chestnuts. Personally, I think it's a superb combination. Halfway through baking, just add shop-bought roasted chestnuts to the dish so they crisp up a little. A perfect dish for autumn and winter days.