Homemade Pumpkin Puree and Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Since I've been posting so many pumpkin recipes recently, I figure I would post about how to make your own pumpkin puree and what to do with all those pumpkin seeds you end up with after!

As easy as it is to buy pumpkin puree in a can, it is so much more rewarding to make it yourself. It is so much easier than I thought it could have been and definitely worth it. You end up with both puree and yummy seeds.

Depending on how tough and large your sugar pumpkin is, it may take a little elbow grease to chop it into quarters. The first pumpkin I used had ripened some and was extremely easy to cut. The second pumpkin I used was tougher and I definitely got an arm workout from cutting that one up. But either way, it's very worth it.

I also love ending up with tons of pumpkin seeds after and experimenting with different ways to roast them. I've roasted them just with a little coconut oil, or recently I added my homemade spice mix to them. They're a great and healthy snack!

Homemade Pumpkin Puree:

1 sugar pumpkin

1. Preheat the oven to 400°.
2. Cut the top off of the pumpkin. Next, cut the pumpkin in half and then cut those halves in half, so you end up with 4 quarters.
3. Scoop out the insides and place in a bowl, save those seeds!
4. Place the 4 quarters onto a baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes, until the quarters are fork tender.
5. Remove the skin from the quarters and discard. Put the flesh into a food processor and puree until smooth.
6. Transfer to a jar with a lid and store in the refrigerator.

Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds:

1 cup pumpkin seeds (or however much your pumpkin yields)

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

coconut oil cooking spray

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Clean the seeds and pat them dry. Spray a baking sheet with coconut oil cooking spray and transfer the seeds to the tray.
3. Combine all of the spices in a bowl and sprinkle over the seeds. Toss the seeds so they are all well coated with the spice mix.
4. Roast for about 15-20 minutes, until golden. Keep an eye on them so they do not burn. Store in an air tight container.