It's a rainy, rainy day here. November is the wettest month of the year in the Seattle area, with about 6.5 inches of rainfall on average. So when I think of autumn, I think of chilly and wet days -- a perfect season for the warmth of pumpkin-filled meals.
For those wishing to imbibe in copious amounts of pumpkin (or butternut squash for those who prefer squash over pumpkin) this month, but don't want to OD on pie, here are some of my favorite ways to use pureed pumpkin in savory recipes. Sub in squash du jour for pumpkin as your tastes dictate.
Pasta with a pumpkin (squash) sauce in place of a tomato sauce
- Pumpkin/squash, Italian sausage, sage, onion, and cream sauce tossed with penne pasta.
- Or, a twist on traditional lasagna, using a pumpkin/squash béchamel sauce in layers with lasagna noodles, cooked ground beef or cooked Italian sausage (with or without some cooked chopped spinach mixed in), cottage or ricotta cheese, then all topped with some Parmesan cheese.
- Or, a pumpkin/squash, cream (or milk/alternative milk), sage, onions, Parmesan, garlic sauce over pre-made tortellini/ravioli.
Pumpkin puree as the topping on a Shepherd's Pie
- Libby's recipe blends pumpkin with mashed potatoes for the topping. Pumpkin is naturally lower in carbs than potatoes. Blending the two reduces overall carbs while satisfying the taste for mashed potatoes.
- For an all pumpkin topping (no potatoes), check out this recipe from Seasonal Intentions. The pumpkin topping is slightly spicy, with cinnamon, chipotle, and cardamom. For vegetarians, this recipe could easily be modified. It is chock full of vegetable flavor and texture, including turnips, kale, carrots, onion, and seasonings. The beef could be omitted and beef bouillon replaced with vegetable broth.
Pumpkin Bisque
- Taste of Home has a delicious pumpkin bisque recipe on its website. I made this last year, using saved bacon fat for sautéing the onions and garlic, but then skipping the bacon topping as a garnish and subbing in ham cracklings (see this post for cracklings). Diced ham would also be nice, or skip the smoked meat topping altogether. I subbed Swiss cheese for the Gouda (Swiss is more economical for me) and used coconut milk for the heavy cream (dairy issue for me). The bisque is very tasty and fairly simple.
Crockpot Pumpkin Chicken Chili
- If you're looking for a dump and go pumpkin chili recipe, this one is a winner. The pumpkin, beans, and chiles are all canned -- simplification, indeed. The green chiles are the kind that stores like Walmart sell for 78 cents/generic-brand, 4-oz can of fire-roasted chiles that add some heat, or mild ones by Ortega that sell for $1.24/4-oz can. They pack a lot of flavor for a little money. The canned beans can be replaced with home-cooked beans from dried, to save a little money. I frequently cook large batches of different types of beans and freeze in pint containers to use another day in soups and chili, as needed.
Pumpkin Sausage Chili
- Italian sausage is a natural pairing with pumpkin. Pioneer Woman's Pumpkin Chili recipe is closer to traditional chili recipes than the crockpot chicken chili recipe above, in that it contains ground meat, canned tomatoes, and bell pepper. Read the comments and suggestions above the actual recipe. She discusses how Libby's pumpkin is closer in flavor to butternut squash, what swaps can be made (including making this vegetarian), and it's flavor profile.
These are a few of my favorite savory pumpkin dishes. Do you have any favorite pumpkin or winter squash (non-pie) dishes?
We use sweet potato and butternut squash interchangeably so we like a sweet potato casserole with a pecan topping. I rarely buy sweet potatoes but butternut squash also makes a delicious casserole with that crunchy sweet pecan topping. I just used allrecipes to find one that I liked.
ReplyDeleteAlice
Hi Alice,
DeleteYum, sweet potato casserole with a praline topping (pecans, brown sugar, butter) is my family's favorite way to eat sweet potatoes. I may have to rethink our sweet potato side dish for Thanksgiving to give my family a treat. Making the casserole with squash also sounds delicious. Thank you for sharing!
You have given a lot of good ideas for using pumpkin. I generally like pumpkin used in many different ways. However, I don't like pumpkin pie spice in everything like it is this time of year. But, I do like pumpkin pie spice in pumpkin pie. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Live and Learn,
DeletePumpkin pie spice is used a lot this time of year. It has gotten a bit ridiculous in commercially made foods. There are several pumpkin pie breakfast cereals on the market. And then all of the protein and nutrition bars flavored to pumpkin pie. What I think are the worst are the pumpkin pie Pop-Tarts. Not a fan of those.
I do try to make each of my family's favorite pumpkin sweet treats, so that means some pumpkin bread, pumpkin scones, pumpkin pudding, and pumpkin pie -- a lot of pumpkin pie spice, and a lot of sugar, which I don't need. But I will likely sample a little bit of each. Fortunately, the sweet pumpkin treat season will be over before we know it. And then I'll move on to trying to resist chocolate candies and cookies!
Thank you for these ideas Lili. My husband came home with 3 large pumpkins for decorating our porch. Me? One would have been plenty.
ReplyDeleteI read your comments about the differences in the large vs pie pumpkins, and I just can’t bear to let that food rot away, or to put it in the compost either. Especially right now with so much food insecurity around. I think I’ll process them after Thanksgiving, if the squirrels don’t get them. Last year we came home to find the pumpkins on the sidewalk instead of the porch steps. We thought our friend was playing a trick. Turns out the squirrels had messed with them and they had begun feasting! I may need to move them inside this year to preserve them.
Also, I’ve been in and out of town, so late posting. Once Lili approves my comment, you may be interested in reading about trick or treating in my son’s neighborhood in Lili’s post about non food offerings there. Definitely different!
Hi Lynn,
DeleteThree large pumpkins -- those will yield lots of delicious pumpkin for cooking and baking with! I don't know if you ever make smoothies as meal substitutes, but I've been adding a few spoonfuls of pureed pumpkin to by breakfast smoothies this week. I cooked up the first of my large pumpkins on Monday, as it had a little dent, and I didn't want it to begin decomposing. I'll do the other 2 around the first of December. So we'll enjoy them as decorations through Thanksgiving, too. The squirrels have gotten really desperate in my area. They've taken a couple of bites out of the fake styrofoam pumpkins in a planter by my front door. I even found one of the fake pumpkins clear on the other side of the yard, apparently carried away by a hungry critter. Fortunately, I don't think the squirrels are in any danger of starving. Our yard is full of pine cones, and they will eat the nuts out of those. Enjoy the beauty of your pumpkins this month!
I saw your comment on trick or treating and non-candy treats. That's too funny!