Roasted Pumpkins? Yes please!

If you are one of those people who carves up the old pumpkin just for the decoration, then I am here to tell you, that you are missing out on some serious delish!

I have talked about doing this a lot, but never actually taken the time to take document the steps I take to use the best parts of a pumpkin. I am here to tell you that roasted pumpkin puree is SOOOO much better than canned pumpkin. And have I mentioned how yummy the seeds are?

So before I get to the how to, I have to share a story….

I have been asked to teach a class to a group of women on cooking with pumpkin. So of course, I wanted to showcase a recipe on cooking with ACTUAL pumpkin that I roasted myself. I brought home a couple of sugar pumps and stuck them in the oven. I was in the kitchen cleaning the seeds when my daughter came in the room and asked what I was doing… I told her I was cleaning the seeds so I could roast them. She sort of bounced off to her room for a bit… fast forward an hour….

She came back into the kitchen as I was pulling the roasted pumps out of the oven. She asked what I had done. I explained to her that I roasted the pumpkins. She stood there with a dumbfounded look on her face and asked how I did that… I said that I put them in the oven and turned it on. She then proceeded to ask me what happened to the seeds…..  Apparently she thought I put the seeds in the oven and somehow turned them into pumpkins!

Now I am not talented enough to turn seeds into pumps just by sticking them in the oven… in fact, I am not even talented enough to turn seeds into pumpkins by sticking them in the GROUND… But I do have a bit of a talent into turning a pump into yummy puree and the seeds into a yummy healthy snack!

You will want to start with a 2-4 lb sugar pumpkin (they work best for roasting because they are smaller than carving pumps, but really, any old pumpkin will do!)

Cut it in half (if it has a stem, cut the stem off first so you don’t have to cut through it)

Then scoop all the seeds and stringy stuff out and lay them face down on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  (I try to separate the seeds from the stringy stuff as I pull it all out of the center).  Set seeds aside.

Place the cookie sheet in the oven at 350-375. Depending on the size of the pumps, it will take 45-60 min to roast. You will know when they are done because the skin of the pump will get wrinkly. If you can easily stick a fork in it, then it’s probably done. You want it to be soft, but not gooey.

Set aside until it’s cool enough to handle, then peel the skin off the pumpkin and put the cooked flesh in the blender to puree. This works the blender pretty hard, so it’s not for a wimpy blender. It works best if you start it on a slower speed until the bottom part starts to puree, then gradually increase the speed until you get to the puree setting. Let it run until it is really smooth. At this point, you can use it for your favorite recipe or save it for later. I usually pack 2 cups (most of my recipes call for a large can, which is pretty much 2 cups) in a pint size mason jar and freeze it. You could actually can it yourself, but I use mine up before the holidays are over, so I don’t go to that much trouble. It will keep for a few days in the fridge, but if you need it to last longer than that, just pop it in an airtight container or freezer bags and stick it in the freezer for a few months.

While your pump is roasting, rinse the seeds until there is no more pumpkin goo on them, pat them dry and set on a cookie sheet overnight to dry. They roast better if they are dry when you stick them in the oven. When ready to roast, toss them with a tablespoon of olive oil and some garlic salt, spread them back on the cookie sheet, as thin as possible and roast for about 15 min at 350*. Don’t over-cook them or they will taste like burnt popcorn. They are done when they START to turn brown. Break one open to check. You don’t want the centers to be brown because they are a little too done at that point.

From 4 3lb sugar pumpkins, I got a sandwich bag full of seeds and 10 pints of puree and paid about $10. That is equivalent to 5 small cans of pumpkin. 

Enjoy!