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Whether it be Thanksgiving or any other day of the year, I love all sweet things with pumpkin in it. It always seems a shame to me that so many pumpkins get thrown away and wasted from Halloween. The one good thing though is that after Halloween, most stores are trying to get rid of their pumpkins and are on sale at a great price. I ended up buying my larger pumpkins for a dollar each. If you grow your own pumpkins, that’s an even better price.
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Canned pumpkin is convenient but the taste is just not the same as a fresh-baked pumpkin. If you are wanting to make an outstanding pumpkin pie this year, fresh pumpkin is the way to go. Many just see the pumpkins in the fall time and think that they are just for decoration and end up picking up a can of pumpkin because they don’t know how great they taste of fresh pumpkin is, they get it for convenience, or they don’t know how to cook fresh pumpkin.
You don’t have to use a blender or food processor if you do not have one. A regular potato masher will work just fine. With using a potato masher, the pumpkin won’t be as smooth of texture but it still tastes amazing.
There are different ways of cooking pumpkin but this is the easiest way that I have found for myself.
Supplies
- Large Cookie Sheet
- Aluminum Foil
- Knife
- A Metal spoon
- Pumpkin
- Blender or food processor
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Cut your pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds and the darker orange strings.
- Place your pumpkin flesh side down on the foil covered cookie sheet. If it doesn’t fit you can cut it into a little bit smaller pieces to fit on the sheet.
- Place in the oven for 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours or until the skin can be pierced easily and when skin is easy to pull away from the flesh.
- Peel skin off the pumpkin when cooled. Throw the skin away.
- Place the cooked pumpkin in blender or food processor and puree. You can also use a potato masher.
- You are all done! You can use right away in your favorite recipes or freeze it.
If you would like to know more about freezing it, read my post How To Freeze Pumpkin.
Note To Mommies: Pumpkin is great first food for babies. Making a batch of this and freezing some in ice cube trays is a perfect way to have individual portions to warm up and feed your baby. No jars to mess with, a better price, and it is healthier for your baby because you know exactly what they are eating.
Let me know if you have any questions, comments, or other suggestions in the comments below. 🙂
Michelle Sevy author of The Best Home Life, is an affiliate for amazon.com and ShareASale, by linking and advertising to their website or merchant website. I may receive compensation when links are clicked and bought through.
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