Homemade Pumpkin Puree
Well friends, it’s fall! Summer flew by in a sweaty blur and now it’s rainy days and woodstove fires. I’m not complaining, I was ready. The summer homestead garden was an awesome and humbling success. My pantry is loaded with homegrown, healthy food and I feel abundantly blessed.
To me, fall kickstarts the season of comfort and reminds us all to slow down a bit. Cozy sweaters, rainy days, warm blankets, spooky movies, afternoon naps, moody candles, carb-heavy food, ahh. Yeah.
Speaking of cozy and carby food, it’s about to be soup, casserole, and pie time here at the Halcyon Homestead, and I’m ready to roll out roasty-toasty squash recipes. So let us properly embrace the Season of Squash by roasting a pumpkin and making some homemade pumpkin puree!
Today you’re going to learn how to easily transform this big fella:
into this:
But first, a bit about the humble Cucurbita pepo, aka winter squash. Winter squash (like pumpkin and butternut) has to be one of the most versatile fall ingredients. Roasted, pureed, blended into soup, made into pasta, baked into pies, slow-cooked with oatmeal…I could go on. The squashy options are seemingly endless.
Fiber-rich and low in calories, pumpkin is both delicious and good for you, offering antioxidants and an impressive helping of vitamins A, C, and E. It’s inexpensive and incredibly delicious.
Do I have you convinced yet? Don’t sleep on pumpkin, it’s not just for carving! Let’s get to roasting.
Step 1: Rinse any mud and dirt off your pumpkin and allow to dry. Sharp knife + wobbly, wet squash = loss of a finger. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and preheat your oven to 400℉.
Step 2: Take your pumpkin and cut it in half. Scrape out the seeds. Don’t toss ’em! Use this delicious recipe and turn those seeds into a savory, salty, and highly addictive snack.
Step 3: Sprinkle sea salt over both halves. I keep it simple with seasoning here to allow for greater flexibility. You can use this puree in any recipe, sweet or savory.
Step 4: Place the cut side of the pumpkin halves down on the baking sheet. This helps trap the steam and allows for even cooking.
Step 5: Bake until flesh is tender and a knife easily pierces through. Depending on the weight of your pumpkin, this will take anywhere between 35 to 75 minutes. My pumpkin, a Jarrahdale Blue, weighed 7.5 pounds and took 70 minutes to bake through. Once tender, allow your pumpkin to cool until you can comfortably handle it.
Step 6: Scrape cooked pumpkin into a food processor or blender and puree until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. If the pumpkin seems dry, add a few tablespoons of water and process. If the puree is too wet, strain off excess liquid by placing the pumpkin puree in a fine mesh strainer or by using cheesecloth.
Boom! You just made your own fresh, delicious, and healthy pumpkin puree. Feel free to use immediately, store in the fridge for 5-7 days, or freeze 6 months to 1 year.
I like to store my puree in the freezer by portioning out what I would need for pie or other recipes in gallon freezer bags and freezing them flat so you can stack them! If you store it in a mason jar, be sure to leave about an inch or more of head space to allow the frozen puree to expand in the freezer.
I highly recommend roasting your pumpkins now and freezing the puree to use later so you have one less oven-related task come Thanksgiving time. That oven is busy enough, you’ll be thrilled to have already made your puree.
Roasted Pumpkin Puree
Ingredients
- 1 medium Pumpkin (4-8 pounds) Select a pumpkin intended for cooking, such as "Sugar Pie," "Jarrahdale," "Baby Bear," or "Cinderella"
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
- Carefully cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds.
- Sprinkle sea salt over both pumpkin halves. A small pinch will do.
- Place pumpkin cut side down on the baking sheet.
- Bake until the flesh is soft and tender and a knife can easily pierce through the flesh. The baking time depends on the size of your pumpkin. A 3-4 pound pumpkin will likely take 35-45 minutes, whereas a 6-8 pound pumpkin may take 60-75 minutes.
- Allow the pumpkin halves to cool until you can comfortably handle it. Scrape the flesh into a food processor or blender and puree the pumpkin until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary.
- If your pumpkin puree is watery, strain off the excess moisture by letting it sit in a fine mesh strainer/cheesecloth. If your pumpkin isn't very moist, add a few tablespoons of water to the food processor or blender until it achieves a consistency you prefer.