Pumpkin Puree
Why I Love This Recipe
Instead of buying canned pumpkin puree, it's easy to make your own while
fresh pumpkins are in season. Baked pumpkin makes a fabulous side dish with
the simple addition of butter, salt, and pepper.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 34 minutes
Notes: Choose smaller
pumpkins
weighing 2 to 4 pounds for eating purposes. Overly-large pumpkins tend to
be dry and stringy.
Ingredients You'll Need
1 fresh pumpkin, up to 4 pounds (see Notes)
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 F.
For Savory add butter, salt, pepper and brown sugar to taste
For Pumpkin Pie Puree add cinnamon, nutmeg and pumpkin pie spice
Directions
Cut top from
pumpkin
. Scrape out stringy membranes and seeds. (Reserve seeds to make
Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
, if desired.)
Cut pumpkin into large pieces and place on a baking sheet. Bake about 45
minutes or until pumpkin is soft. Let cool until you can comfortably handle
it.
Scrape the soft pulp from the skin into a food processor or heavy-duty
blender. Discard the skin. Pulse until evenly pureed. Reheat if serving
immediately
or refrigerate and use within 3 days. The
pumpkin
puree may be frozen in an airtight container or zip-top bag for 10 to 12
months.
Savory Pumpkin Puree: Add butter, salt, and pepper to taste to the pumpkin
puree. Add brown sugar for a sweeter side dish. Makes a great menu
substitution
for mashed potatoes.
Pumpkin Pie Puree: Add
cinnamon,
nutmeg
, cloves, and brown sugar to the pumpkin puree.
Pumpkin pie spice
blend may be substituted for the spices, if you wish.
