How to bake a pumpkin
Pumpkins and fall, they just go together. From the classic pumpkin spiced latte (my personal fave) to visiting a pumpkin patch and carving pumpkins, pumpkins and fall, they just go together! Throughout November, I’m going to be sharing multiple ways to cook with pumpkin. But first, we are going to start with learning how to cook the actual pumpkin, it's really easy!
First we’re going to start with two pie pumpkins. Technically, you can use any pumpkin. However, these small pumpkins tend to be sweeter and more flavorful than other larger jack-o-lantern type pumpkins.
Next, we’re going to cut the pumpkins in half and remove the seeds with a spoon. You can save and rinse the seeds in cool water for roasting later if you want or just throw them away.
After removing the seeds, flip the pumpkin halves flesh side down and roast in a 350° oven for about 45 minutes. Depending on the size of the pumpkin it may take longer. My larger pumpkin took close to an hour. You will know the pumpkins are down when you can easily pierce the skin with a fork.
If the pumpkins are cooked through, the flesh will easily separate from the skin. You can gently peel the skin from the flesh of the pumpkin, or spoon the pumpkin into a bowl, either way is easy and works well.
Finally, it’s time to puree your pumpkin. It should puree very easily with an immersion blender or regular blender (like a nutribullet). You are now ready to add your pumpkin puree to a recipe!
Baking these two pumpkins yielded about 3 cups of pumpkin puree. The amount of pumpkins you end up with will vary based on the size of the pumpkin. On average, 1 pie pumpkin will yield about one can of pumpkin puree.
While making your own pumpkin puree is certainly more time consuming than grabbing a can off the shelf, you just can’t go wrong with the taste of fresh pumpkin.
Pumpkin Puree Recipe
Active time: 10 minutes | Bake time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes
Ingredients
1-2 whole pie pumpkins
Directions
Optional: cut the top off the pumpkins
Cut the pumpkins in half
Spoon out the seeds, throw away or rinse and save seeds for roasting later.
Place pumpkins flesh side down on a baking sheet (parchment paper optional)
Bake pumpkins at 350° for about 45 minutes until the skin is easily pierced with a fork
Let pumpkins cool
Peel off the skin or spoon the flesh out into a bowl. Discard the skins.
Blend the pumpkin to a smooth puree with an immersion blender or standard kitchen blender.
