Creative Uses for Pumpkin Puree

Pumpkin puree is delicious on its own, but you can also create a lot of great meals around this incredible ingredient. Not only is pumpkin a beautiful vibrant color, but it's packed full of beta carotene and other powerful nutrients that help prevent heart disease, cancer and other serious health conditions. There are many uses for this nutritious vegetable beyond pumpkin pie.

Of course you can always use canned pumpkin puree. Just make sure that it's the puree, not the pie filling. However, it's really easy to make your own pumpkin puree. Make sure you buy pie pumpkins, which are smaller and more tender than regular pumpkins. You can cook it one of two ways. One way is to cut it in half, scrape out the seeds, drizzle with a little olive oil and salt and roast at 350 until the flesh is soft and tender. Or you can just pierce it with a knife a couple of times and roast whole, saving the slicing and seeding for when it's softened and cooled. Then you simply scoop out the flesh and puree in a blender or a food processor.

Now for the fun part. You can add pumpkin puree to your baked goods of course. There's nothing more comforting on a crisp autumn morning than pumpkin walnut muffins or perhaps pumpkin chocolate chip scones. If you want to get really crazy and creative try adding pumpkin puree to such things as your favorite rice pudding recipe, or create a pumpkin pudding. Pumpkin bread pudding makes a great breakfast or dessert, especially drizzled with a sauce made from light cream cheese, confectioner's sugar and a splash of orange juice.

Of course pumpkin makes delicious soups. Just about everyone has a pumpkin or butternut squash cream soup recipe. Try lightening it up by using evaporated skim milk instead of cream. Another delicious way to prepare pumpkin soup would be to sauté some onions, shallots, curry powder, salt, pepper and a dash of cayenne. Add a splash of white wine, cook down and add the puree and some light cream of coconut milk along with the evaporated skim milk. Puree in a blender and serve with a dollop of light sour cream and a sprinkle of toasted sliced almonds.

Experiment with pumpkin and pasta. Make a veggie lasagna with a light cream sauce and add pumpkin puree to the layers. You could make a deliciously different pasta sauce by sautéing minced garlic and onions until soft and golden brown. Add salt, pepper and a splash of dry white wine or low sodium chicken broth. After the wine cooks down slightly add the pumpkin puree and a small grating of fresh nutmeg and ¼ cup of parmesan cheese. Add hot pasta such as penne and stir in a small ladle of the pasta water. Top with more Parmigiano and serve piping hot.

Hopefully some of these ideas will stir you to try them and experiment with pumpkin puree in your own kitchen. There's a lot more to pumpkin puree than as a base for sweets, so cook some up for yourself and check out this versatile super vegetable.