Festive Pumpkin Recipes

Fall offers a number of seasonal foods to cook with: apples, pumpkins, cranberries, and more. Especially with pumpkin, the spotlight falls on sweet dessert recipes like pumpkin pie or pumpkin cookies, but here we focus on four delicious savory recipes that feature pumpkins.

 

 

Try one of these festive pumpkin recipes for your next fall celebration or dinner party:

 

 

5 to 6 lb sugar pie pumpkin

1 ½ cups milk or heavy cream 

1 loaf crusty bread (baguette), sliced

½ cup chicken broth 

½ teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

2 ½ cups Gruyere

2 cups Swiss cheese

1 Tbsp. olive oil

 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the baguette slices on a baking sheet and toast until tops are slightly crispy, about 7 minutes. Remove the top of the pumpkin. Use a spoon to scrape out seeds and stringy pieces. Whisk together milk, broth, and spices in a bowl. Place a layer of bread at the bottom of the pumpkin. Then top it with ½ cup cheese and ½ cup of the milk mixture. Continue layering until there is just a ½ inch of space at the top. Put the top back on the pumpkin, rub it with olive oil and place in the oven. Bake until tender, about 1 and a half hours. When it’s done, you should be able to easily pierce the pumpkin skin with a knife. Serve immediately.

 

 

1 can chickpeas, drained & rinsed

1 can white beans, drained & rinsed

1 cup pumpkin puree

⅓ cup lime juice

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 Tbsp tahini

1 tsp cumin

¼ tsp allspice

½ tsp paprika

⅓ cup pumpkin seeds

salt & pepper to taste

 

Add all ingredients, except pumpkin seeds, into a food processor. Puree until smooth. Taste and add additional spices as desired. Then add most of the pumpkin seeds and pulse through. Transfer to a serving dish and top with the remaining pumpkin seeds. Serve with pita chips, celery & carrots. 

 

 

2 Tbsp. butter 

1/4 cup shallot 

3-4 cloves of minced garlic

1 cup arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine 

1 cup pumpkin puree

3-4 cups low sodium vegetable stock 

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 ½ cup goat cheese 

½ tsp nutmeg 

1 tsp sage 

 

Add the butter to a saute pan on medium heat. Add in the shallot and garlic. Cook until softened. Stir in the rice, coating them in the sauce for about 1 minute. Add the white wine, cook for another minute. Add the pumpkin puree and combine. Add in the vegetable stock about ¼ cup at a time, stirring constantly. When the rice is al dente and all the stock is gone (about 25-30 minutes), stir in both types of cheese and the nutmeg. Toss with sage and season with salt & pepper. Serve in a mini pumpkins or gourds!

 

 

4 cups peeled & cubed fresh pumpkin

1 large yellow onion, chopped

6 cups chicken broth

2 cups heavy cream

4 Tbsp butter

1 Bay leaf 

1 Tbsp fresh Thyme

1 Tbsp minced garlic

2 Tablespoons olive oil

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss pumpkin in a bowl with olive oil and and salt and pepper. Spread on a cookie sheet and cook for 45 minutes until soft. Then set aside. In a large heavy-bottomed pot, melt the butter and saute over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, bay leaf and salt & pepper, and cook for 15 minutes. Add 4 cups of the chicken stock and 2 cups of cream. Simmer over low heat. In the meantime, place cooled pumpkin in food processor with reserved chicken stock (about two cups) and puree until smooth. Add pumpkin to the pot, bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour.