I am a seriously pumpkin lover and normally buy pumpkin puree out of convenience, but this year I decided that it was time to start making my own. Pumpkin puree is so easy and it makes me kick myself for buying all those cans over the years.
This recipe is super easy and quickly gives you a delicious puree. The only thing that takes a little while is scooping out the seeds, but that is not a big undertaking. I love baking with pumpkin in the fall and love the fresh taste of homemade puree. My husband is not a pumpkin lover, but it turns out my son is! While I was processing the puree my little guy wandered into the kitchen to "see cokooin'" and wanted to try a spoonful. Kellen proclaimed it as yummy and proceeded to have many following spoonfuls of pumpkin. Thank goodness pumpkin love has fallen in my favor...so far. I am also loving that he is getting more and more interested in getting into the kitchen with me.
This recipe makes about 2 cups of puree, but this may depend on the size pumpkins you are using. It stores in the fridge for about a week, but it is freezer friendly and can be stored there as well.
I don't know about you, but all I can think about is now pumpkin pie!
Ingredients
2 pie pumpkins
Baking Sheet
Foil
Food Processor
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and set aside.
Cut the tops off of the pumpkins and cut in half. Scoop out the pumpkin seeds and set save them for roasting at a later time. Make sure to scrape the sides of the pumpkin to remove all the stringy stuff. Next, halve the pumpkin again (you will have 8 pieces total) and place on the baking sheet pumpkin side up. Bake 45-55 minutes, or until the pumpkin is fork tender and skin has wrinkled.
Remove pumpkin from the over and allow it to cool until you can comfortably handle it. Remove the skin by peeling it off with your hands. Place pumpkin in the food processor (you could use a blender if you do not have a food processor) and process till smooth, about 3 minutes.
Store covered in the fridge up to 7 days. This recipe yields about 2 cups of puree depending on the size of the pumpkin.