Your can of pumpkin has been typecast. Every October it shows up dressed as dessert, but pumpkin is a squash, and squash has always belonged at dinner too. Soup, pasta, risotto, muffins, even waffles: these 11 recipes prove it, and not one of them is a pie.
Creamy Pumpkin Soup
This creamy pumpkin soup starts with 28 ounces of canned puree and ½ cup of heavy cream. You sauté an onion in butter, add garlic and stock, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. An immersion blender finishes it. It serves four in about 30 minutes.
Saffron and Orange Soup
Saffron and orange zest set this pumpkin soup apart. One pound of cubed pumpkin simmers with carrots and 4 cups of vegetable stock. Six tablespoons of crème fraîche stir in after blending, and roasted pumpkin seeds go on top. It serves eight.
Rosemary Penne
Puree becomes the sauce in this pumpkin pasta. One cup goes into the pan with vegetable broth, ½ cup of cream, rosemary, and Parmesan. Stir in a pound of penne. Dinner for four is ready in 40 minutes.
Pumpkin Carbonara
Pumpkin joins the eggs, Parmesan, and cream in the sauce for this pumpkin carbonara. You whisk 1½ cups of puree with three eggs, pour it slowly over spaghetti in the bacon fat, and stir in 6 ounces of crispy bacon at the end. Keep the heat low so the eggs don’t scramble.
Vegan Mac and Cheese
Two cups of puree and ½ cup of soaked cashews make the sauce for this vegan pumpkin mac and cheese. Nutritional yeast, mustard, and coconut milk go in too. You blend the sauce, stir it into 10 ounces of pasta over medium heat, and serve six in 27 minutes.
Roasted Pumpkin Risotto
You roast 3 cups of cubed pumpkin at 390°F, then blend half into a puree and stir it into the rice. The rest goes on top. This vegan pumpkin risotto uses 1 cup of risotto rice and 2 cups of vegetable stock, added a ladleful at a time. Plan on 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Stuffed Whole Pumpkin
Goya’s stuffed pumpkin turns the pumpkin into the bowl. You scoop out two 3- to 4-pound pumpkins (sugar pumpkins or kabocha squash work) and fill them with country ham, onion, spinach, evaporated milk, bread crumbs, and two cheeses. They bake at 375°F for about 90 minutes, covered at first. The skin isn’t edible. It serves 10.
Curry-Spiced Seeds
Don’t toss the seeds. These roasted pumpkin seeds start with 1 cup of raw seeds tossed in 2 tablespoons of oil, paprika, parsley, curry powder, and salt. They roast at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes. The notes suggest soaking the seeds in salted water or boiling them first.
Yeast Bread or Rolls
This pumpkin yeast bread from King Arthur makes two loaves from 1½ cups of puree. You can also make 24 to 32 rolls instead. Brown sugar, ginger, and cardamom flavor the dough. The dough rises twice, and the loaves bake at 350°F.
Maple-Frosted Loaf
This pumpkin bread bakes in an 8-by-4-inch loaf pan with 1 cup of canned puree. Cinnamon and nutmeg flavor the batter, and a cream cheese and maple syrup frosting goes on top. Bake it at 350°F for 45 to 50 minutes. It makes eight servings.
Pumpkin Waffles
These pumpkin waffles use 15 ounces of puree, 2 cups of milk, and ¼ cup of melted butter. Pour about ⅓ cup of batter per waffle and cook it for 3 to 4 minutes, until golden and crisp. The batch serves six.
Let the Spices Decide
Rosemary, bacon, curry powder, and cinnamon all land beside pumpkin in these recipes, and each one changes what dinner tastes like. Pumpkin sets the base, and the seasoning picks the mood. Keep a can on the shelf past November and let the spices decide.