If you’ve already enjoyed it mashed and roasted – check out ten of my favourite other ways to enjoy pumpkin this season.
Pumpkins take a full season to grow and at times can cost a fortune in the supermarket. Don’t waste a slither! Here’s another food saving idea for you.
1. Best Ever Pumpkin Soup
I have to blow my trumpet on this one. It has to be by all accounts the BEST pumpkin soup I have ever made. The combination of spices are just divine. If you haven’t yet cooked with Fenugreek Seeds, you MUST. I am sure it is the combination of these seeds and ginger that make-ith the soup! Fenugreek tastes a little like maple syrup (or burnt sugar) and is the key ingredient in curry powder. FIND RECIPE
2. Black Bean & Quinoa Stuffed Pumpkin
Winter and pumpkin go together like a blissful duet. Stuffed pumpkin is not only a centre piece but the main course too! Here’s my vegan-friendly, dairy-free recipe as a guide. You can enjoy a range of flavours – add extra spice, herbs and protein as you wish. The secret ingredient though, I think, is the relish! Whether homemade or store bought, relish/chutney adds extra oomph with a complex of spices, fruity flavours and a touch of sweetness. FIND RECIPE
3. Creamy Pumpkin Spaghetti Sauce
Once cooked, the skin is easy to remove and throw into the compost. With the remaining flesh, simply smash it with a potato masher, or if you are lucky to have a blender, blitz it to a pulp. This pulp aka ‘pumpkin puree‘ keeps for around a week in an air-tight container in the fridge and can be used in a multitude of recipes including this recipe. FIND RECIPE
4. Pumpkin Balls
This is a ‘one oven tray wonder’ recipe if you ignore a sneaky saute of onion in a fry pan beforehand. Follow the instructions, but pretty much plonk everything (except the sushi vinegar and feta) into a non-stick oven try or large casserole dish, raw rice included. The vegetable stock cooks with the rice using the absorption method, the pumpkin roasts and infuses with the flavours – it is a beautiful thing. FIND RECIPE
5. Pumpkin Scones
Pumpkin puree is king here and is easily made on your stove top or oven. The pumpkin pulp or puree you don’t use in the scones can be refrigerated or frozen for heaps of other pumpkin recipes, including those listed above. FIND RECIPE
6. Roasted Pumpkin Seeds & Crispy Skin
There’s no reason why you can’t roast pumpkin skin on and eat the skin as part of the delicious roasted delight. However, from time to time, skins come off and are usually destined for the bin. STOP. If you haven’t got a compost bit, sort that out immediately — but skins are very edible too. As with the seeds – not only can they be dried ready for planting some summer, they can be roasted too and eaten as a snack. FIND RECIPE
7. Pumpkin Pizza Crust
Plant based pizza crusts are seriously delicious and make for primo leftover lunches. Move over cauliflower crusts, bring on pumpkin crusts! FIND RECIPE
8. Spiced Chicken & Pumpkin Bake
Occasionally I’m asked to test recipes and photograph them for my favourite folk. This delicious one-pan dish is featured on Love Food Hate Waste and I can attest to the fact it was very enjoyable! FIND RECIPE
9. Pumpkin Hummus
Here’s another! We were certainly amidst a pumpkin frenzy. It’s a great way to use up leftover roast pumpkin or pumpkin puree. FIND RECIPE
10. Pumpkin Pasta
Here’s a delicious pasta made from scratch using mashed pumpkin. FIND RECIPE
As you can see, this list doesn’t touch the sides for all the possibilities. We haven’t even started on the SWEET recipes yet! There’s pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin muffins….gosh, it’s pumpkin heaven.
