I have friends who seem to live for Fall when they can get their favorite pumpkin spice latte/muffin/pancake/dessert thing. Go ahead and enjoy your orange spice, but did you know that there are delicious, savory pumpkin dishes too? I used to turn my nose up at them too until I actually tried Pumpkin Soup in Jamaica…and I was converted!
Here are some sweet and savory ways to enjoy this squash (that’s FULL of vitamin A, K, C and E, as well as potassium and magnesium) while it’s in season!
- Curry Pumpkin Soup. Plain pumpkin soup can be a bit bland, but the curry flavor shines here! Go heavy on spice if you like it or lighter if you wish. Melt 1-2T of butter in a pot over medium heat. Add 2 large white onions, sliced, and saute until soft and golden brown. Stir in 16oz of pumpkin (2 cans), 1 quart of chicken broth, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp curry powder,1/3 tsp nutmeg and 1 T parsley. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15m uncovered, stirring occasionally. The soup should thicken up a bit. Then carefully transfer to a large blender and puree. Return to the pot and add 1tsp each of salt and black pepper. This is delicious served with sour cream, paprika or with salted pepitas (pumpkin seeds).
- Pumpkin Muffins…my kids love these, especially with a few chocolate chips stirred in.
- Spaghetti Sauce. Seriously! If you have a half cup or less of pumpkin puree hanging around after a recipe just toss it into your spaghetti sauce…no one will taste it, there’s no waste and you’ve sneaked in extra nutrients.
- Pumpkin Coconut Smoothie…when we sort of want dessert for breakfast. 🙂 Blend 1 frozen, green tipped, banana, 1c canned coconut milk (OR 1Tbs coconut cream + 1c water), 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 1/4c pumpkin puree. Done!
- Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal. You can use water or milk when you make this…whatever floats your boat. You can also use leftover quinoa for this!
- Harvest Wild Rice Salad with Pumpkin Vinaigrette. I think I could eat this every day.
Side note: If you’re going to cook your own pumpkin, make sure to use small, pie pumpkins. Those large jack-o-lantern types don’t have much flavor and the texture is all different (learned the hard way!).
