Recipes With Pumpkin | Taste of Home (2024)

FAQs

What are 2 ways people use pumpkins as food? ›

If you're planning to whip up some pumpkin soup, pumpkin risotto, pumpkin curry, or pumpkin pasta sauce, you can boost the flavor by saving pumpkin guts and turning them into a flavorful broth.

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.

A pumpkin, from a botanist's perspective, is a fruit because it's a product of the seed-bearing structure of flowering plants. Vegetables, on the other hand, are the edible portion of plants such as leaves, stems, roots, bullbs, flowers, and tubers.

You can eat all of the pumpkin - except for its stalk. Whether you can eat the skin or not depends on the variety. Smaller varieties such as onion squash have deliciously edible skin, the skin of larger varieties may be too tough to eat or less than appealing.

Although most people prefer eating them cooked or roasted, you can also eat pumpkin and pumpkin seeds raw. Still, key differences set apart raw and cooked varieties, especially in terms of taste, texture, and nutritional value. This article explains how raw and cooked pumpkin and pumpkin seeds compare with one another.

Native American Indians used pumpkin as an important part of their diets many years before the Pilgrims landed. Native Americans enjoyed the inner pulp of the pumpkin baked, boiled, roasted and dried. They added the blossoms to soups, turned dried pumpkin pieces into rich flour, and ate the seeds as a tasty snack.

If trying to avoid the mess that comes with making Jack-O-Lanterns, a sustainable option may be to decorate or paint pumpkins with non-toxic materials. This no-carve method preserves the flesh and seeds within the pumpkin's interior, making it appealing for cooking or repurposing.

How do you not waste pumpkin guts? ›

When it dries it becomes extremely hard like cement creating a huge problem for your pipes. We suggest carving your pumpkins on a newspaper so you can easily discard your pumpkin innards and seeds into your garbage can or compost pile.

I've been pureeing my own pumpkin ever since. Aside from the obvious use in pie recipes, it comes in handy for all kinds of pumpkin recipes, including pumpkin breakfast ideas, pumpkin drinks, and pumpkin desserts… I even mix the puree with butter and maple syrup for a ridiculously sinful Thanksgiving side dish.

Pumpkins are a great example of a veg that's perfect for freezing. Peel and cut the pumpkin in rough large cubes, freeze and cook later.

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.

Although most people prefer eating them cooked or roasted, you can also eat pumpkin and pumpkin seeds raw. Still, key differences set apart raw and cooked varieties, especially in terms of taste, texture, and nutritional value.