Pumpkin or squash — butternut, delicata, acorn, and buttercup are all ideal for roasting!
Autumn is in the air and pumpkins are mounded up outside every storefront as a reminder to carve a silly (or spooky) face in time for Halloween. Use these tips to make the most of your pumpkin carving experience, so you can get maximum value from your decoration and increase the nutritional value of your Halloween snacks. If you want to keep the gourd intact for a perfect design, try scooping out the seeds from a hole at the top of your pumpkin rather than halving it.
This process is how I handle squash year round — as preparation for soup, baking, or as a side dish while meal prepping for a week’s lunches. Roasting with a bit of olive oil keeps the moisture locked in. Once the halves are cooked, they can be easily frozen for use later, or immediately served with your next meal.
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash or similar
- Olive oil
- Preferred seasonings, to taste
- Maple syrup (optional)
Recipe
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Select a baking pan of appropriate size that will hold both halves of the gourd you’re baking. Prepare the pan by lining it with a sheet of parchment paper — this will save needing to do any dishes!
- Chop off the stem and then cut the gourd in half, lengthwise (from the stem to the bottom).
- Scoop out the seeds with a spoon then clean them in a bowl of water. Set the seeds aside on a clean dish cloth or paper towels, so they begin to dry prior to roasting.
- Drizzle each half of the gourd with olive oil, season with preferred autumnal spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, etc. — I used Chinese Five Spice.
- Bake for two hours. Check if done using a fork in the deepest part of the gourd. If it is softening around the cut edges you’ll know it’s getting close.
- Drizzle the dried seeds with olive oil and spices in a small bowl while squash is baking.
- When you have about 30 minutes of cook time left, add the seeds to a parchment paper lined pan.
- Bake until seeds are golden brown. Oven temperatures will vary, but in general the maximum time needed is half an hour; check back frequently to avoid burned seeds!
- If the oven can be turned off, leave items in residual heat to remain warm and to keep cooking without fear of overcooking the seeds (if after 30 minutes they still aren’t crispy enough for your liking).
Once the seeds are cooled, add to a travel sized snack container for on-the-go snacking!
To use the cooked gourd in baking, scoop out the insides from skin and add in similar proportions as canned in a recipe of your choice. Savoury breads, muffins, and, yes, pies are all possible! Just ask the Internet. You can also freeze any left overs for use at a later time.
To serve as a side, mash the squash with a fork either in the skin or scoop it out with a spoon and then mash it in a bowl. Drizzle maple syrup and add any further preferred seasonings to cooked squash prior to serving.
You can even use the hollowed out section to hold another item, such as a dip or other vegetables — you’ll be reusing, reducing, and wowing your guests at the next potluck you attend.
Photos by Jude Keefe