Baked Pumpkin and Tempeh With Creamy Spinach and Mango Salsa
I can hardly believe it, but I've been vegan for 15 years now. And while many people think that means giving up lots of things, I actually feel like it's introduced me to so many ingredients I never would've discovered otherwise: tapioca starch, nutritional yeast, kala namak, liquid smoke, textured soy protein, aquafaba, tofu and yes, tempeh too.
What exactly is tempeh and what do you do with it?
Tempeh comes from Indonesian cuisine and consists of fermented legumes. Traditionally, that's soybeans, but you can also make it from lentils or other beans. The legumes are first cooked and then fermented with a special noble mold. Through fermentation, the beans or lentils bind together into a solid block that retains both the original flavor of the legumes and develops a characteristic slightly nutty taste. When cooking, you can probably use it for just about anything: chop it up, leave it whole, or crumble it. Sauté, bake, or bread and fry it until crispy. Many see it as an alternative to tofu and actually prefer tempeh because it tastes heartier, has more bite, and performs even better when it comes to protein. About 20 grams of protein per 100 grams of tempeh – for comparison: tofu, lentils, and chickpeas contain roughly half that amount.
We really love using tempeh from tempehmanufaktur, who handcraft their organic tempeh. And not just plain tempeh, but varieties like BlackBean Tempeh Tamari, Lupine Tempeh Wild Herbs and Sweet Chili, Soy Tempeh BBQ, Teriyaki and Curry, and a Mountain Lentil Tempeh that we used for today's recipe. You'll find tempeh in many organic markets, larger supermarkets, through grocery delivery services, and of course in the tempehmanufaktur online shop.
And what are we cooking with it today?
But enough tempeh theory – let's get cooking! On our blog, you'll already find recipes for vegan burritos with marinated, sautéed tempeh, a vegan breakfast sandwich with tempeh bacon, and lime rice with tempeh in nut sauce. On Instagram, we recently showed you a warm soba noodle salad with black bean tempeh gezeigt.
Today we're going autumnal, hearty, but also fruity – we're really bringing all textures and flavors to the plate. Besides the tempeh, pumpkin lands on the baking sheet and goes into the oven. Meanwhile, we'll whip up a creamy spinach bed, and everything gets topped with a mango-onion salsa and toasted pine nuts. Sounds unusual, tastes cozy yet fresh, and apart from the baking time, you only need 30 minutes for prep.
Baked Pumpkin and Tempeh With Creamy Spinach and Mango Salsa
Ingredients
For the baked pumpkin and tempeh:
- 500 g (1 lb) hokkaido pumpkin
- 370 g (0.75 lb) tempeh (e.g., 2 packages mountain lentil tempeh from tempehmanufaktur)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- salt
- pepper
For the spicy creamed spinach:
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 10 g (0.33 oz) parsley
- 300 g (10.5 oz) chopped frozen spinach
- 150 g (5.25 oz) vegan sour cream
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 lemon
- salt
- pepper
- nutmeg
- vegetable oil for cooking
For the mango salsa and topping:
- 50 g (1.75 oz) pine nuts
- 1 mango
- 1 small red onion
- 10 g (0.33 oz) parsley
- 1 tsp sumac
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt
- lemon juice
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200 °C/390 °F (convection). First, chop the pumpkin and tempeh into small pieces – for example, cut the pumpkin into wedges and the tempeh into triangles. Distribute both on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and maple syrup, and season with cumin, dried thyme, salt, and pepper. Bake in the oven for approx. 20–25 minutes.
Meanwhile, for the spicy creamed spinach, peel and finely dice the onion and garlic. Finely chop the parsley and set aside. Heat vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat and sauté both until the onion pieces become translucent. Add the chopped frozen spinach and heat until it's completely thawed and the liquid has evaporated. Then remove from heat and let cool. Mix with vegan sour cream, tahini, nutritional yeast, and chopped parsley. Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and lemon zest and juice to taste.
Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan until golden brown and set aside.
For the salsa, dice the mango and red onion into small cubes. Finely chop the parsley. Mix in a bowl with sumac, chili flakes, and olive oil, and season with salt and lemon juice to taste.
To serve, spread the creamed spinach on a large plate. Distribute the pumpkin and tempeh from the oven on top and finish with the mango salsa and toasted pine nuts.
