Hearty & Flavorful Autumn Delight: The Ultimate Roasted Pumpkin, Potato, and Tomato Traybake Recipe
Embrace the cozy spirit of autumn with this incredibly delicious and vibrant Pumpkin Traybake featuring roasted potatoes and juicy cherry tomatoes. This easy sheet pan meal brings together the best of fall produce onto a single baking tray, creating a symphony of flavors and textures that’s both satisfying and visually appealing. Whether you’re looking for a simple weeknight dinner or a delightful side dish, this recipe is a perfect celebration of seasonal ingredients. Get ready to discover a hassle-free cooking experience that delivers maximum taste with minimal cleanup!
Pumpkin Traybake: A Colorful and Delicious Autumn Recipe for Everyone
As the days grow shorter and the leaves begin to turn, there’s no better way to usher in the magic of fall than with a heartwarming meal that truly embodies the season. This pumpkin traybake is a delightful medley of sweet, earthy pumpkin, tender yet crispy potatoes, and burst-in-your-mouth cherry tomatoes, all roasted together to caramelized perfection. Each ingredient contributes its unique texture and flavor, harmonizing beautifully with aromatic herbs and spices. Beyond its incredible taste, the dish is a feast for the eyes, boasting a rich palette of autumnal colors that brightens any dinner table.
Traybakes, also known as sheet pan dinners, are celebrated for their simplicity and efficiency, making them an ideal choice for busy weeknights or relaxed weekend gatherings. This particular recipe stands out as a perfect family meal, offering a wholesome and balanced plate of vegetables that even picky eaters will love. Alternatively, it serves as an excellent, robust side dish that complements roasted meats or grilled fish. Preparing this dish is not just cooking; it’s an experience of welcoming the season’s bounty into your home, filling your kitchen with irresistible aromas of roasted vegetables and fresh herbs. Enjoy the quintessential flavors of autumn with this incredibly satisfying and easy-to-prepare pumpkin traybake!
Gather Your Ingredients for This Irresistible Roasted Potato, Pumpkin, and Tomato Bake
To create this magnificent Pumpkin and Potato Traybake, you’ll need a selection of fresh, high-quality ingredients that truly shine when roasted. The beauty of this dish lies in its simplicity, allowing the natural flavors of the produce to come through. Below is a detailed breakdown of the components, along with helpful tips for choosing and preparing them. You can find the precise quantities required in the comprehensive recipe card located at the bottom of this page, ensuring you have everything perfectly measured for success.
- Potatoes: For a successful traybake, a waxy potato variety is highly recommended. These potatoes, such as Red Adirondack, French Fingerling, or Red Bliss, hold their shape well during roasting and develop a wonderfully creamy interior with a slightly crisp exterior. Starchy potatoes tend to fall apart, making waxy ones ideal for this application.
- While the skin adds texture and nutrients, feel free to peel the potatoes before cooking if you prefer a smoother consistency.
- Alternatively, you can opt for small baby potatoes. These require less prep, as you only need to halve them, and their tender skins roast beautifully.
- Butternut Pumpkin: Also widely known as butternut squash, this autumn gem boasts a naturally sweet, nutty flavor and a creamy texture, making it an absolute star for roasting. Its firm flesh caramelizes beautifully, adding a rich depth to the dish.
- If butternut squash is not available, you can substitute it with another orange pumpkin variety. Be aware that some other pumpkins can be significantly more challenging to peel due to their thicker, tougher skin.
- For convenience, frozen pumpkin cubes can be used. Ensure you allow them to thaw completely and pat them thoroughly dry before adding them to the traybake to prevent excess moisture, which can hinder proper roasting.
- If pumpkin isn’t your preference or is out of season, carrot cubes offer a sweet and earthy alternative that roasts equally well, maintaining the dish’s vibrant colors.
- Cherry Tomatoes: These small, juicy tomatoes are crucial for both flavor and visual appeal. Seek out the freshest and tastiest cherry tomatoes you can find; their natural sweetness intensifies wonderfully when roasted, creating delightful bursts of flavor. They also add a bright, acidic counterpoint to the rich pumpkin and potatoes, making the dish truly balanced and an eye-catching element.
- Red Onions: With their mild, sweet flavor, red onions caramelize beautifully when roasted, adding a subtle sweetness and aromatic depth without overpowering the other ingredients. Quartering them allows them to become tender and slightly charred, enhancing their natural flavors.
- Thyme: This aromatic herb is a classic pairing for roasted vegetables. This recipe calls for a combination of dried and fresh thyme to maximize its earthy and slightly floral notes. Dried thyme integrates well during the initial seasoning, while fresh sprigs added later infuse the dish with a vibrant, herbaceous aroma as it finishes cooking.
- Olive Oil: The foundation of any good roasted vegetable dish. Use a high-quality extra virgin olive oil to coat the vegetables. It helps them crisp, carries the flavors of the herbs and spices, and contributes a fruity, peppery note that elevates the entire dish.
- Paprika Powder: Sweet paprika powder is used here to add a warm, slightly spicy flavor and a beautiful reddish hue to the vegetables. It contributes a subtle umami depth that makes the dish even more satisfying. For a smoky twist, you could even consider smoked paprika.
- Garlic: An indispensable seasoning for roasted vegetables. Whole garlic cloves, especially when roasted in their skin, become incredibly sweet, mellow, and spreadable, adding a profound aromatic foundation to the traybake.
Expert Tip: Mastering Roasted Garlic
For an unparalleled depth of flavor, roast the garlic cloves with their skin on. The skin protects the cloves from burning and allows them to steam gently within their papery casings, transforming them into soft, sweet, and wonderfully mellow garlic paste. After baking, simply squeeze out the softened garlic from each clove. You can then easily mash it with a fork and spread it directly over the roasted vegetables, or mix it into the traybake for an explosion of rich, caramelized garlic flavor. This simple trick elevates the entire dish to a new level!
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📖 Recipe
RECIPE CARD
Andréa
Pin Recipe
10 minutes
45 minutes
55 minutes
Dinner, Side Dish
Other
4
persons
416
kcal
Prevent your screen from going dark
Ingredients
- 2 pounds potatoes, waxy
- 1 butternut pumpkin
- 2 red onions, skinless, quartered
- 1 bulb garlic, cloves separated
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, extra virgin
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika powder
- 10 sprigs fresh thyme
- 4 sprigs cherry tomatoes
All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.
US Customary
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 390 °F (approximately 200°C) or 350 °F (175°C) if using a convection oven, preparing it for optimal roasting.
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Carefully cut your chosen waxy potatoes into uniform wedges, aiming for pieces of approximately the same size. Consistency in size is key for ensuring all potatoes cook evenly and achieve that desirable crisp texture.2 pounds potatoes
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Bring a large pan of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the potato wedges and cook them for exactly ten minutes. This par-boiling step helps to soften the potatoes slightly, ensuring they cook through evenly in the oven and develop a wonderfully fluffy interior. Once cooked, thoroughly drain the potatoes and set them aside.
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Peel the butternut pumpkin, remove the seeds and stringy bits, then cut it into similar-sized wedges or blocks as your potatoes. For thicker sections of the pumpkin, it’s best to cut them into smaller, more manageable blocks to ensure they roast at the same rate as the potatoes.1 butternut pumpkin
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Arrange the par-boiled potatoes, pumpkin pieces, red onion segments, and whole, unpeeled garlic cloves evenly in a single layer over a large baking tray. Ensure there’s enough space between the vegetables for proper air circulation, which helps them roast rather than steam.2 red onions, 1 bulb garlic
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Drizzle the extra virgin olive oil generously over all the vegetables on the tray. Use your hands or a spatula to gently toss and mix everything thoroughly, ensuring each piece is lightly coated with oil for optimal roasting and flavor absorption.4 tablespoons olive oil
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Evenly season the vegetables with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, dried thyme, and sweet paprika powder. Toss again to distribute the seasonings evenly, ensuring every component is infused with these delicious flavors.1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon sea salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 tablespoon sweet paprika powder
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Carefully place the baking tray into the preheated oven and roast for an initial 25 minutes. During this time, the vegetables will begin to soften and develop lovely golden edges.
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Remove the tray from the oven and carefully give the vegetables a gentle stir to ensure even roasting. Now, evenly scatter the fresh cherry tomatoes over the semi-roasted vegetables and tuck half of the fresh thyme sprigs among them.10 sprigs fresh thyme, 4 sprigs cherry tomatoes
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Return the baking tray to the oven and continue to bake for another 20 minutes, or until all the vegetables are perfectly tender and beautifully caramelized. To verify doneness, gently pierce a piece of pumpkin and a potato with a fork; it should slide in easily with minimal resistance, indicating they are cooked through and ready to enjoy.
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Once cooked to perfection, carefully remove the traybake from the oven. Discard the roasted garlic skins if desired (or squeeze out the soft garlic as per the expert tip). Scatter the remaining fresh thyme sprigs over the hot vegetables for a final burst of aroma and serve immediately as a delightful main course or a hearty side.
Notes
- For the best texture in a traybake, always opt for waxy potato varieties such as Red Adirondack, French Fingerling, or Red Bliss. Their low starch content ensures they hold their shape and develop a creamy interior.
- Baby potatoes with their skins left on are also a fantastic, low-prep choice. Just halve them before roasting for beautiful caramelization.
2. Pumpkin Variations:
- While butternut squash is ideal, feel free to substitute with other orange pumpkin varieties. Be prepared, however, that some types may have a tougher skin, making them more difficult to peel.
- For ultimate convenience, frozen pumpkin can be used. Remember to allow it to thaw completely and then pat it very dry with paper towels to prevent excess moisture from steaming the other vegetables during roasting.
- If pumpkin is not available or desired, sweet potato or carrot cubes make excellent substitutes, offering similar sweetness and beautiful color to the dish.
3. Boosting the Proteins and Flavors:
Make this traybake even more hearty and nutritious by:
- Adding protein: Incorporate slices of chicken breast, Italian sausage, or even vegetarian meatballs during the last 20-25 minutes of baking for a complete meal.
- Adding cheese: For a cheesy, golden crust, sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan cheese or shredded Mozzarella over the traybake during the last 10 minutes of baking, allowing it to melt and become bubbly.
- Adding crunch: Before serving, sprinkle roasted pine nuts, chopped walnuts, or even toasted pumpkin seeds over the traybake for an added layer of texture and nutty flavor.
4. Other Vegetable Additions: This versatile traybake is incredibly adaptable. Feel free to incorporate or substitute other seasonal vegetables. Zucchini, bell peppers (various colors for extra vibrancy), green beans, or even Brussels sprouts can be added according to your preference and what’s in season. Ensure they are cut to a similar size to promote even cooking.
5. Storage and Reheating Tips:
- Refrigerator: Store any leftover pumpkin and potato traybake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. It makes for a delicious lunch or quick reheat meal.
- Freezer: Due to the texture of roasted potatoes and tomatoes, this dish is not recommended for freezing, as it can become mushy upon thawing and reheating.
- Reheat:
- Oven: For best results, place the leftovers in an oven-safe dish, cover loosely with aluminum foil to prevent drying, and bake for about 15 minutes at 350 °F (175°C) until thoroughly heated.
- Microwave: For a quicker reheat, place a portion in a microwave-safe dish and heat in 30-second intervals, stirring occasionally, until it’s warmed through. Note that the vegetables may not retain their crispness when microwaved.
Nutrition
Carbohydrates: 69g
Protein: 8g
Fat: 15g
Saturated Fat: 2g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g
Monounsaturated Fat: 10g
Sodium: 615mg
Fiber: 11g
Sugar: 8g
Vitamin A: 20945IU
Vitamin C: 93mg
Iron: 4mg
a traybake recipe, roasted vegetables, autumn dinner
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