Autumn is pumpkin time!

Every year, as soon as the first leaves turn yellow or red and the winds blows colder, I know it is finally time for pumpkin-based recipes. This bright orange vegetable is indeed one of my all-time favorites: I just love its mild sweetness and creamy texture! I enjoy pumpkin throughout all the colder season, but I like to cook it especially during gray and gloomy days, when I can stay inside watching the world passing by at the window. This roasted pumpkin and  Blue Cheese with Walnuts creates that perfect late-autumn cozy feel. 

Roasted Pumpkin and Blue Cheese in Italy

This roasted pumpkin recipe is a classic combination from northern Italy, enjoyed particularly in Piedmont and Lombardy’s country side. In fact, those northwestern regions are where the best pumpkins are harvested and where the most famous Italian blue cheeses are produced. Just to name one, this area is where Gorgonzola DOP originates. 

It’s a very simple dish, fast to make yet rather delicious. The natural sweetness from the pumpkin pairs perfectly with the salty and pungent flavor of blue cheese, and the crunchy walnut pieces are the icing on the cake. In fact, even though this roasted pumpkin is supposed to be a side dish, I love it so much that sometimes I eat it as a main! 

5 minutes of prep

If you don’t have a lot of time to spare, this recipe is perfect for you: it won’t take you more than 5 minutes to prepare, and then the oven will do the rest, I promise you!

For this recipe I’ve used Italian Gorgonzola Dolce because it’s exceptionally creamy and it melts beautifully, but you can use any kind of blue cheese that you like, from Roquefort, to Stilton, to Castelmagno. If you are not a great fan of blue-veined varieties, you could even replace them with other kinds of cheeses, like Camembert, Brie or even fresh goat cheese.

Enjoy!

Other traditional Italian recipes by Giorgia Fontana:

Grilled Eggplant Parmigiana

Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce – Spaghetti alla Portofino

Beans and Tuna Salad

Spinach and Ricotta Frittata

Risotto Radicchio and Gorgonzola

Roasted Pumpkin with Blue Cheese and Walnuts (Italy)

Roasted Pumpkin with Blue Cheese and Walnuts (Italy)

Giorgia Fontana
5 from 4 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 266 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 medium pumpkin, around 3.5 pounds (I’ve used delica variety)
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • Salt, to taste
  • Black pepper, to taste
  • 8 ounces Gorgonzola Dolce, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (less if you are using a more pungent blue cheese)
  • 1/4 cup walnut halves, roughly chopped

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven at 400 F.
  • Wash and clean your pumpkin. Remove seeds and skin (if you have an organic pumpkin you can leave the skin on, it’s really tasty). Cut into one-inch wedges.
  • Place pumpkin slices on the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and fresh thyme.
  • Cook for 25 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender. When it’s ready, you should be able to easily pierce the wedges with a fork.
  • Take the baking tray out of the oven, add blue cheese and walnut pieces, put it back to cook just 3 to 5 minutes, until the blue cheese is starting to melt.
  • Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 266kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 11gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 437mgPotassium: 891mgFiber: 2gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 19601IUVitamin C: 21mgCalcium: 253mgIron: 2mg
Have you tried this recipe? Tell us about it!Click here to rate this recipe in the comments section below.
About the Author: Giorgia Fontana
Giorgia was born in a small town on the Italian Riviera, half the way between Genova and the Cinque Terre, just a few miles away from where pesto was invented. She has a background in psychology and neuroscience and is now completing her training to become a licensed psychologist while working as a web writer. As most of the time happens in Italy, it was her lovely grandmother that taught her how to cook and enjoy every bite of simple and genuine food. Giorgia loves preparing meals for family and friends and her specialty are authentic Sicilian and Ligurian dishes. Other than cooking, her greatest passions are traveling and trekking. Her biggest dream is to be able to see (and taste!) as much of the word as possible.

4 Comments

  1. Tricia Balancio October 22, 2023 at 3:06 pm - Reply

    Will this work for butternut squash, cut the same way?

    • Winter LeBlanc October 27, 2023 at 12:55 pm - Reply

      Yes, I believe so!

  2. Jane A Mentzer October 12, 2020 at 8:11 pm - Reply

    How many does this serve as a side dish?

    • Bill Bradley, R.D. October 16, 2020 at 4:24 pm - Reply

      Depending on how hungry people are I would say 4-6. Four of us devoured it as a side dish, but that was just because it was so good!

5 from 4 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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