Smoky Pumpkin and Chickpea Traybake with Lemon Yoghurt

This pumpkin and chickpea traybake is a savoury way to bring pumpkin to the table without making another pot of soup. Chunks of pumpkin roast with red onion, smoked paprika, cumin and thyme, while chickpeas make it a more substantial dish. A spoonful of lemon yoghurt adds a fresh finish.
It’s the recipe idea accompanying episode 682 of the Veg Grower Podcast, where I’m talking about November sowing, clearing an allotment corner and saving seeds. Serve the traybake on its own, or add bread or rice if you’d like.
Editorial note — remove after testing: This is an original, untested recipe draft. Confirm the yield and cooking times before publication; no nutritional values or tested claims are supplied.

Recipe at a glance

Serves: 4, depending on appetite and accompaniments.
Preparation: Approximately 15 minutes.
Cooking: Approximately 40–45 minutes, or until the pumpkin is tender.
Total: Approximately 55–60 minutes.
Oven: 200°C / 180°C fan / gas mark 6.
Equipment: Large roasting tray or two smaller trays, chopping board, knife, mixing bowl and small dressing bowl.
Dietary note: Vegetarian with suitable yoghurt; use unsweetened plant-based yoghurt for a vegan version. Dairy yoghurt contains milk.

Ingredients

• 800g eating pumpkin, weighed after peeling and deseeding, cut into roughly 2cm chunks
• 2 medium red onions, peeled and cut into wedges
• 2 × 400g tins chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 150g plain yoghurt, or unsweetened plant-based yoghurt
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon, plus 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Optional accompaniment: bread or cooked rice

How to make pumpkin and chickpea traybake

1. Heat the oven. Preheat to 200°C / 180°C fan / gas mark 6. Have a large roasting tray ready, or use two trays so the vegetables have room to roast.
2. Prepare the vegetables. Peel and deseed the pumpkin, then weigh out 800g and cut into roughly 2cm chunks. Cut the red onions into wedges. Drain and rinse the chickpeas, then pat dry and set aside.
3. Season. Toss the pumpkin and onions with the olive oil, smoked paprika, cumin, thyme, salt and pepper. Spread in an even layer on the tray or trays.
4. Start roasting. Roast the pumpkin and onions for 25 minutes.
5. Add the chickpeas. Scatter them over the vegetables and turn everything gently. Roast for a further 15–20 minutes, until the pumpkin is tender when pierced and beginning to colour at the edges. If it is still firm, continue roasting and check again after a few minutes.
6. Make the dressing. Stir together the yoghurt, lemon zest and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
7. Serve. Divide the traybake between plates and spoon over the lemon yoghurt, or serve the dressing separately. Add bread or rice if desired.

Tips and variations

Keep the pieces similar in size. Roughly 2cm pumpkin chunks help the tray cook more evenly. Larger pieces will need longer.
Don’t crowd the tray. Split the mixture between two trays if needed, and swap their positions during cooking if your oven heats unevenly.
Try squash instead. Butternut squash can replace the pumpkin at the same prepared weight. Check tenderness rather than relying only on the timer.
Keep the dressing separate. Spoon the lemon yoghurt over at serving time so you keep the contrast between the roasted vegetables and the fresh dressing.
Make it plant-based. Use an unsweetened plant-based yoghurt that you enjoy; check the label for allergens.
Choose food ingredients. Use an eating pumpkin sold or grown for cooking, not a previously carved display pumpkin.

From the plot to the table

The recipe links in with this week’s episode about making sensible choices for November: sowing what suits the season, making the allotment easier to maintain and starting small with seed saving.
[Insert link to episode 682 once published.]
If you make this pumpkin and chickpea traybake, let me know how it turns out in the comments. What other savoury pumpkin dishes do you enjoy?