Favorite Pumpkin Recipes ♥

Favorite Pumpkin Recipes
Just in time for "pumpkin season" – that's October and November in the northern hemisphere – my favorite pumpkin recipes, sweet and savory and everything in between.

BUT FIRST, A FEW FACTS
Pumpkins are for jack o' lanterns, sure -- and Cinderalla carriages and moonlit nights awaiting the Great Pumpkin.

But best of all, pumpkins are for eating! But don't try eating pumpkins grown for Halloween carvings, they'll be watery.

Instead, for cooking, choose anything except a carving pumpkin. In fact, my favorite "pumpkin" is called a kabocha squash (more information below). No surprise, though, pumpkins are part of the squash family.

In 2009 and again in 2011, pumpkins are in short supply. I've been reading about shortages of canned pumpkin purée.

When buying canned pumpkin, be sure to buy "100% pumpkin purée" which is 100% pumpkin and not "pumpkin pie mix" which is pumpkin mixed with spices and other ingredients.

It's easy to make your own pumpkin purée from scratch (recipe below) but canned pumpkin is more economical and, honestly, our taste buds have been trained to "like" canned pumpkin.

Pumpkin seeds are called "pepitas". I've had good luck cooking them, see Spicy Sweet Pumpkin Seeds.

Once upon a time, a reader from Australia told me that I needed more pumpkin recipes. I sent her some links but no, she said, That's not pumpkin. She sent me a photo of what she called pumpkin -- lo and behold it was what Americans call "winter squash". So if you're Australian and looking for "pumpkin recipes" you might try my Favorite Winter Squash Recipes.


WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE PUMPKIN RECIPES? I roasted a huge kabocha squash yesterday and would love your ideas on how to use it! (And me being me, I'm especially interested in savory pumpkin recipes, if that helps!) Leave a note in the comments! (Shy e-mail readers: Yes, that's you, right? Feel free to just hit 'reply' to your e-mail, I'll add the comment for you, using just your first name.)


How to Roast a Whole Pumpkin

COOKING WHOLE PUMPKINS

First, how in heavens do we cook a pumpkin? They're unwieldy to handle. They're tough to cut into.

Tip Number One: If you absolutely-totally-must cut into a whole pumpkin, say for a jack o' lantern, put it into the microwave to cook for a minute or two -- all the more reason to go for small Halloween pumpkins, not gigantic ones.

Tip Number Two: Leave the pumpkin whole! It is so easy to roast a whole pumpkin, just throw it in the oven and be done with it. After an hour or so, it'll cut open like butter.

How to Roast a Whole Pumpkin
Kabocha Squash Pumpkin Purée

MAKE PUMPKIN PURÉE FROM SCRATCH

In 2011, there's a shortage of pumpkins and even canned pumpkin purée. For awhile now, I've had mixed results making homemade pumpkin pur´e, some times it was good, some times it was watery and tasteless. I finally figured out the trick: make pumpkin purée from squash, specifically a squash called the kabocha squash.

I'll post this recipe on Kitchen Parade tomorrow! (A Veggie Venture readers, you do know about Kitchen Parade, my food column, don't you? All the recipes there are "fresh and seasonal recipes for every-day healthy living and the occasional indulgence". Sign up for a free e-mail subscription, that way you'll never miss a recipe!)

Kabocha Squash Pumpkin Purée
from Kitchen Parade
Autumn Pumpkin Bread

BAKING WITH PUMPKIN - SO MANY FAVORITES!

Autumn Pumpkin Bread

This is my very oldest pumpkin recipe and oh! it's a good one. It's extra moist and laced with autumn spices, almost elegant in its simplicity.

Autumn Pumpkin Bread
from Kitchen Parade
Perfect Whole-Wheat Pumpkin Muffins

Perfect Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins

This is my newest pumpkin recipe and oh! it's a good one too! Readers love this pumpkin muffin recipe, wait until you read the reviews. The beauty is how easily this pumpkin muffin recipe adapts to your own tastes. I've even developed a "healthy makeover" of the Starbucks Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffin!

Perfect Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins
from Kitchen Parade
Pumpkin Bars

Pumpkin Bars

(pictured here, Pumpkin Tea Cakes)

Thanks to all the readers who left comments reminding me how good these pumpkin bars are! This is such a simple recipe, you probably have all the ingredients on hand. And as baking recipes go, these are "healthy pumpkin bars" too with easy additions like nuts and dried fruit. And it's definitely "cake" -- not a muffin, not a cupcake, cake.

Pumpkin Bars
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

For a sweet creamy treat, my Auntie Gloria's recipe for cheesecake bars really hits the spot. I love the sprinkle of cinnamon and the old-fashioned "cherry on top"!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
from Kitchen Parade
Honey Pumpkin Pie

Honey Pumpkin Pie

Fall tables, especially Thanksgiving tables, are incomplete without pumpkin pie. This one is special not only because it's luscious good -- but also because it's sweetened with honey NOT processed sugar.

Honey Pumpkin Pie

I'm also really fond of this combination pie, half pumpkin, half pecan. It's a reader favorite too.

Pumpkin Pecan Pie
from Kitchen Parade
Light & Fluffy Homemade Whole-Grain Bread & Buns

Light & Fluffy Homemade Whole-Grain Bread & Buns

But truth be told, the one thing I bake most often with pumpkin -- whoops -- doesn't even have pumpkin in the name. It's just one ingredient, the one that provides moisture and pretty color. These rolls have become a part of my rhythm, what I make when there's some leftover pumpkin pur´e, what I make when my family is driving in from out of town, what I make on lazy Saturday mornings. This is an "every day" recipe, one to live by and live with.

Light & Fluffy Homemade Whole-Grain Bread & Buns
from Kitchen Parade
Fall Stew Baked in a Whole Pumpkin

STUFFED PUMPKINS!

Fall Stew Baked in a Whole Pumpkin

Stunning! That's the power of presentation when food is cooked and served in a whole pumpkin, often small pumpkins for individual servings. How dramatic, yes?

This stew is vegetarian (and oh-so-easy to convert to vegan) and fabulous for a fall meal, for Thanksgiving, even.

Fall Stew Baked in a Whole Pumpkin
from Kitchen Parade
Stuffed Pumpkin with Apple & Cranberry

Stuffed Pumpkin with Apple & Cranberry


This recipe I've had two ways, once served as a side dish, another time served for dessert. Either way, it's a show-stopper.

Stuffed Pumpkin with Apple & Cranberry
Whole Pumpkin Baked with Custard

Whole Pumpkin Baked with Custard


Y'think I love whole pumpkins? I do! This one is entirely dessert, there's a custard baked right inside the pumpkin, it's meant for sharing.

Whole Pumpkin Baked with Custard
Pumpkin Hummus with Honey

PUMPKIN IN SURPRISING PLACES

Pumpkin Hummus with Honey

The hummus we love, just prettier, healthier and with a drizzle of honey, a little sweeter? Heck yeah.

Pumpkin Hummus with Honey

Another one to like? Another one easy-easy to make?

Pumpkin Dip
Supper Casserole with Pumpkin & Green Chile Cornbread Topping

Supper Casserole with Pumpkin & Green Chile Cornbread Topping

My recipe for Pumpkin Corn Bread inspired this recipe, it's an everyday casserole (choose your own) but then is topped with hot cornbread with a little kick. And even the kick is optional! This is easy fall cooking at its easiest.

Supper Casserole with Pumpkin & Green Chile Cornbread Topping
Favorite Pumpkin Recipes

THANKS!

I hope this list of favorite pumpkin recipes is inspiring. But if you still haven't found the one recipe you're looking for, yes, there are more!

~ more pumpkin recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture

~ more pumpkin recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade

~ A-Z of Vegetables ~

Don't forget to leave me your own favorite way to cook pumpkin, especially if it's a "savory pumpkin recipe"!



READER FAVORITES:
YOUR TOP TEN PUMPKIN RECIPES
(our favorites are mostly the same! * not included above)
~ How to Roast a Whole Pumpkin ~
~ Weight Watchers Pumpkin Smoothie * ~
~ Autumn Pumpkin Bread ~
from Kitchen Parade
~ Perfect Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins ~
from Kitchen Parade
~ Spicy Sweet Pumpkin Seeds * ~
~ Whole Pumpkin Baked with Custard ~
~ Fall Stew Baked in a Whole Pumpkin ~
from Kitchen Parade
~ Stuffed Pumpkin with Apple & Cranberry ~
~ Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars ~
from Kitchen Parade
~ Pumpkin Bread Pudding * ~
from Kitchen Parade
~ more pumpkin recipes ~


A Veggie Venture is home of pumpkin lover and 'veggie evangelist' Alanna Kellogg and the
famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.
© Copyright Kitchen Parade 2011


Alanna Kellogg
Alanna Kellogg

A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

Comments

  1. I have always made puree from my Jack-o-lantern pumpkins. After trick or treat just take "Jack" and stick him in the oven. I once bought a small baking pumpkin to cook with because everyone said that they were so much better, but I didn't taste an appreciable diference. Maybe that is because I always put the puree in a bowl in the fridge over night with a big hole dug into the center, then the next day I siphon out the liquid. will yield about 10-16 cups of pulp.

    P.S. Don't do this unless you carved "Jack" on the same day. No rotting pumpkins at my house!

    ReplyDelete

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Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe, whether a current recipe or a long-ago favorite. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. ~ Alanna