These Pumpkin Recipes Will Have You Rethinking Fall Dining (2024)

FAQs

What flavors go well with pumpkin? ›

To complement pumpkin with sweet flavor pairings, consider using spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice and vanilla, or sweet ingredients like chocolate, maple, honey, cranberries or brown sugar. Create savory dishes by pairing pumpkin with spices like chilies, cajun, cayenne or pepper.

Place pumpkin cubes on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper (add any other spices you'd like!) Roast at 375 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until pumpkin cubes are fork-tender, flipping halfway through.

Cook the pieces of pumpkin you carve out

All those triangles we cut out of our pumpkins to give them their scary faces can be saved and added to your dinner. Just place any scraps of pumpkin into a bowl in your fridge, then season and roast them. Add to pasta, risotto, stir-fry, or whatever you're having for dinner!

The pulp is part of the pumpkin fruit that we eat, and is often called the 'meat' of the pumpkin. This is what is used to cook soups, pies, bread, and other yummy treats!

Like all sweet and creamy textures, pumpkin loves the savoury flavour of bacon, fried until crisp and sprinkled on top of a pumpkin and potato puree. Grilled pork goes well with pumpkin. Beef is also a great protein for pumpkin dishes.

Pumpkin spice (a.k.a. pumpkin pie spice) is an aromatic blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Sometimes allspice is included. You can buy the spice blend at the store or use ingredients you already have on hand to make DIY pumpkin spice.

For cooking, you'll want to use sugar pumpkins (also called pie or sweet pumpkins), which are small and round. Long Island Cheese pumpkins, which are more oblong and can look like a wheel of cheese, are also good to eat. Field pumpkin types are larger, have watery, stringy flesh, and are best for decorating.

Instead of using premixed pumpkin pie spice (which has probably been sitting around for months on a grocery store shelf), make your own by combining cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice.

If the pumpkin is particularly big, cut it into quarters then, using a small, sharp knife, pare off the skin (unless you plan to roast it, in which case the skin can stay on). Then cut into chunks or wedges as required.

Canned pumpkin (labeled as "100% pure pumpkin") is a purée of pumpkin that is sometimes mixed with other kinds of winter squash. It is unsweetened and does not contain any added spices. Canned pumpkin and pumpkin puree are the same thing, and you'll often see the terms used interchangeably in recipes and cookbooks.

Why is canned pumpkin better to use in baking? ›

Yes, dogs can eat pumpkin and it is actually often added to dog foods. Check the label of some dog treats and you may find pumpkin on the ingredient list there too. However, if you are feeding fresh pumpkin, you will need to be careful about which part you're feeding as the stem and leaves are covered in prickly hairs.

While dogs can eat raw pumpkin, it might be harder to digest and can become a choking hazard. The rind is also a choking hazard and may cause an intestinal blockage. You can feed cooked or canned pumpkin to your dog—if it's 100% pumpkin with no added ingredients.

Squirrels love their pumpkin!

These creatures are attracted to pumpkins primarily due to the soft, edible interiors and the seeds, which are a rich source of essential fats that aid their survival through the winter. The sweetness of the pumpkins also appeals to their taste preferences.

Roasted butternut squash is also delicious with any holiday main: roast chicken, roast turkey, ham, prime rib; whatever your family loves!