Pumpkin Recipes

GillianLF
GillianLF Posts: 410 Member
in Recipes
Hey MFP friends,
I love this time of year and I might even see if I'm any use at carving a pumpkin. :)
I have to admit in the past I would have bought the fake ones as a real pumpkin would end up in the bin but I'm excited to actually eat it!
Can I pick your brains for pumpkin suggestions or recipes? I'm already thinking I'll spice up the seeds and roast them but all other idea are so welcome....
Come on guys, make pumpkin shopping worth it :smiley:

Replies

  • dawnmcneil10
    dawnmcneil10 Posts: 638 Member
    I like taking pumpkin, roasting it and then mixing that with sage, garlic, cream and parmesan cheese for a nice pumpkin alfredo sauce. Really fabulous to have with cubed zucchini and summer squash mixed with tortellini or ravioli and grilled chicken breast.

    Also pureed pumpkin and applesauce make great substitutions for oil in baking recipes.
  • GillianLF
    GillianLF Posts: 410 Member
    Pumpkin alfredo sauce? That sounds delicious. Oh my mouth is watering, I might have to try that.

    Also loving the idea of an oil substitute! Thanks :)
  • bcf7683
    bcf7683 Posts: 1,653 Member
    dawnmcneil10 wrote: »
    I like taking pumpkin, roasting it and then mixing that with sage, garlic, cream and parmesan cheese for a nice pumpkin alfredo sauce. Really fabulous to have with cubed zucchini and summer squash mixed with tortellini or ravioli and grilled chicken breast.

    Also pureed pumpkin and applesauce make great substitutions for oil in baking recipes.

    This sounds absolutely delicious! Nice to see something other than "pumpkin-spice" everything in one of these threads! :) What temp/time/method do you use for roasting your pumpkin?
  • kristydi
    kristydi Posts: 781 Member
    edited October 2015
    The big carving pumpkins aren't really meant for eating. I mean they're edible, but they're bland, watery, and stringy. I put my Jack-o-lantern pumpkins in the compost.

    The smaller pie or sugar pumpkins are the ones you'd want for eating. I have roasted them, but I usually just buy the canned puree.

    Whichever you choose Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread is my favorite pumpkin recipe. You can replace up to half the oil with unsweetened applesauce if you like. And I double the cloves.
  • GillianLF
    GillianLF Posts: 410 Member
    kristydi wrote: »
    The big carving pumpkins aren't really meant for eating. I mean they're edible, but they're bland, watery, and stringy. I put my Jack-o-lantern pumpkins in the compost.

    The smaller pie or sugar pumpkins are the ones you'd want for eating. I have roasted them, but I usually just buy the canned puree.

    Whichever you choose Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread is my favorite pumpkin recipe. You can replace up to half the oil with unsweetened applesauce if you like. And I double the cloves.

    See, I did not know this. I really like the idea of pumpkin bread. I prefer savoury foods :smile:
  • kristydi
    kristydi Posts: 781 Member
    GillianLF wrote: »
    kristydi wrote: »
    The big carving pumpkins aren't really meant for eating. I mean they're edible, but they're bland, watery, and stringy. I put my Jack-o-lantern pumpkins in the compost.

    The smaller pie or sugar pumpkins are the ones you'd want for eating. I have roasted them, but I usually just buy the canned puree.

    Whichever you choose Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread is my favorite pumpkin recipe. You can replace up to half the oil with unsweetened applesauce if you like. And I double the cloves.

    See, I did not know this. I really like the idea of pumpkin bread. I prefer savoury foods :smile:

    Don't be fooled be the name, its pretty much cake. Similar in concept to banana bread. I bet there are more savory pumpkin bread or biscuit ( as in US Southern bisciut, not British biscuit) recipes out there though.
  • pdxwine
    pdxwine Posts: 389 Member
    Yes, you definitely want to look for a pie, sugar, or Cinderella pumpkin. They are meant for eating.

    I love pumpkin in many forms. One is to use it in a stew. I make a Chilean Chicken Stew with chicken, pumpkin, corn (on the cob) and green beans.

    I also roast a pumpkin and puree the "meat". I then either use it to make cookies or dessert bars or freeze it for future baking. Oh, I also use it in pumpkin dinner rolls, much like Parker House Rolls, but with pumpkin.

    Love fresh pumpkin!

    46wk2l8xq4jl.jpg

  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
    edited October 2015
    Slice it, roast it and pop it on a bed of spinach with crumbled feta and dried cranberries and white balsamic vinaigrette. Or slice and roast it and mix it with brown rice and lentils along with a little pumpkin pie spice. This is also good with dried cranberries. Or cut just the top off and scoop out the seeds, roast it til soft, and fill it with stuff, like a rice pilaf, or sausage and chick peas, and mix in some savory sage and thyme. If you like winter squash (like butternut or acorn) you can use pumpkin for the same things. Also, there's tiger pumpkin which is white(ish) with little orange or green stripes. Very pretty, makes a great presentation, and the white flesh makes a really good alfredo addition.

    P1060744.jpg
  • dovivienne
    dovivienne Posts: 4 Member
    edited October 2015
    I love pumpkin!! Japanese pumpkin in particular, it's called kabocha. Echoing someone earlier, the big carving pumpkins aren't really for eating! You should definitely take advantage of squash season though :smile: !

    I actually made a blog post about a year ago... lemme go find it..

    ah ha!

    http://thesquirrelnut.blogspot.com

    I never update it ... but it has some of my favorite pumpkin recipes on there! Pumpkin granola and korean pumpkin soup :smile: .
  • GillianLF
    GillianLF Posts: 410 Member
    Thanks for the blog! Oh my god my eyes are really being opened here. This is brilliant :)
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
    edited October 2015
    A sweet use for pumpkin. Cooked pureed pumpkin (about 2 cups) mixed with cool whip & pumpkin pie spice. I love it plain, just eat with a spoon but a lot of people use it as a dip with animal crackers, vanilla wafers or ginger snaps.
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
    Skinnytaste has an AWESOME collection of 50 healthy pumpkin recipes

    50 Pumpkin Recipes
  • GillianLF
    GillianLF Posts: 410 Member
    So I went to the shops....3 different supermarkets! The only pumpkins that any of them had were the ones for carving. I'm now on a mission to find decent edible pumpkin and try out some of these recipes (in Ireland).
  • bluefish86
    bluefish86 Posts: 842 Member
    Don't forget the seeds!

    My dad used to have us pick them out of the pumpkin guts so he could roast them with a little salt and pepper.
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  • GillianLF
    GillianLF Posts: 410 Member
    YUM! I'm so excited about this. I am making it my mission to get a pumpkin before the end of this week.

    As for the seeds I love pumpkin seeds, raw, soaked, roasted with spices, in porridge, on their own, in salads. The seeds I can find no problem.
  • Nataliegetfit
    Nataliegetfit Posts: 395 Member
    I usually buy the libby's canned pumpkin. I make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, my daughter's favorite. I make it a little healthier using half oil and half apple sauce. I also make pumpkin bread sometimes. Usually the canned pumpkin is very affordable and no mess. I will have to check the skinny taste website for new ideas.
  • GillianLF
    GillianLF Posts: 410 Member
    SnuggleSmacks wrote: »
    Slice it, roast it and pop it on a bed of spinach with crumbled feta and dried cranberries and white balsamic vinaigrette. Or slice and roast it and mix it with brown rice and lentils along with a little pumpkin pie spice. This is also good with dried cranberries. Or cut just the top off and scoop out the seeds, roast it til soft, and fill it with stuff, like a rice pilaf, or sausage and chick peas, and mix in some savory sage and thyme. If you like winter squash (like butternut or acorn) you can use pumpkin for the same things. Also, there's tiger pumpkin which is white(ish) with little orange or green stripes. Very pretty, makes a great presentation, and the white flesh makes a really good alfredo addition.

    P1060744.jpg

    I found a pumpkin that looks like this! Its so adorable I almost don't want to eat it. I am so excited though that I'll finally get to try real pumpkin! Its going to be a treat! This may sound silly but do you eat the skin?

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