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.

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!

Blue cheeses like gorgonzola team up well with the notes of dried fruit typical of pumpkin. Another excellent pairing is with a nice fresh goat's cheese since its acidulous notes offset the sweetness of pumpkin.

"It's actually a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice and cloves." Pumpkin flavoring actually harkens back to the pilgrims, Cundiff says. "In the early 1600s, pumpkins were a source of vitamins and minerals and used in a multitude of dishes prepared to help nourish the pilgrims," Cundiff says.

Cooking it

I like to roast wedges of pumpkin which helps to reduce the moisture content, making it taste richer and sweeter. You can flavour the pumpkin at this point by rubbing it with a spice of choice. Place a couple of halved onions to cook with the pumpkin to either use in the soup or as a garnish.

Sugar pumpkins

As their name indicates, the sugar pumpkin can be quite sweet compared to other pumpkins. But it's a mild sweetness that's not overpowering, so you can either play up that sweetness in a pie, or dial it down with a dish that's more savory.

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.

Pumpkins can be used to help the animals right outside your door. Squirrels, birds and deer can feed on those fruits. You can also get creative and do a fun project for the kids. Gourds can be transformed into a small home for birds and other creatures.

Depending on what type of squash you are using you might not need to peel it, with thinner skinned squash such as butternut squash you can eat the skin. For thicker skinned squash it is often easier to cut the squash into large wedges, roast, and then peel the skin off after it's cooked when it's softer and easier.

What are 5 ways pumpkins can be used? ›

If you are unable to put the pumpkin in your own backyard or a wooden area, check your local farm or wildlife preserves to see if you can donate the pumpkin. Forbes says that you can donate the leftover gourd to a local community garden, zoo, or farm as a compost ingredient or animal feed.

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

Butternut squash risotto is perfect alongside pumpkin soup because it shares many of the same fall flavors but has a different texture. Risotto is made easier in the Instant Pot in this recipe.

White meat dishes are complimented well by berries and purees. Try a pumpkin pie or a blueberry or blackberry pie when serving chicken, turkey or pork.