For fans of making everything from scratch, or those who have little ones who would love a fun, new activity, roasting pumpkin is the perfect venture!
Pumpkin doesn’t have to be limited to treats. You can use it in:
- smoothies
- soup
- stew
- chili
- casseroles
- any recipe that calls for a fall squash (such as butternut)
PUMPKIN BENEFITS
- high in antioxidants
- high in fiber
- high in Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and beta carotene (which your body turns into Vitamin A)
- nutrient-dense (i.e., it also contains potassium, copper, manganese, Vitamin B2, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, and folate)
ROASTING DETAILS
- Makes: 3-4 cups of pumpkin puree
- Level of difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: 5-10 mins
- Roast time: 45-50 mins
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Ingredients
1 pie pumpkin
(You can find these in the produce section of your grocery store. They’re usually labeled with a “pie pumpkin” or “sugar pumpkin” sticker, and weigh about 2-3 pounds.)
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 350F degrees.
- Slice your pumpkin in half lengthwise. You may want to slice the stem off, or even slice off a little bit of the top to make it easier to slice in half.
- Using an ice cream scoop or a sharp-edged spoon, scoop out the seeds and “guts” of the pumpkin. This is a great task for little ones (even if it might get a little messy!). Be sure to save your seeds for roasting later!
- Place both halves face-down on a parchment-lined cookie sheet or baking tray.
- Roast for 45-50 minutes. You may need more or less time depending on the size of your pumpkin. The skin will be darker and you can easily puncture it with a fork.
- Let cool for about 10 minutes before you handle it. You can peel away the skin quite easily and chop into cubes if you’re using for something like chili, or you can simply scoop it out of the skin using a spoon and toss it into a food processor to puree it.
- Store in the fridge up to 5 days, or up to 3 months in the freezer.
It’s that simple!
I’d love to know – what do you plan to do with the pumpkin you’re going to roast?