Fresh Pumpkin Puree

I have to start off by saying, give me pumpkin EVERYTHING! I love the Fall (I mean who doesn't?!) And plus October is my birthday month, so by default, Fall is amazing for me. It's also the month that I met and married my best friend (hey, babe!).

So, my mother in law made pumpkin banana muffins a few weeks ago and they were delish! I wanted to make them as well. When I went food shopping, I couldn't find a can of pureed pumpkin. Like, really? It's Fall and no can of pureed pumpkin?! I went back to to produce section and picked up a small pumpkin to roast. I've roasted butternut squash before (I've made it for soups and I've eaten it just like that because it's damn delicious). Roasting a pumpkin would be just as easy. I saved the seeds, too, so I can roast some pumpkin seeds and flavor them the way I like.

Here goes,

I cut the pumpkin in half and gutted out the pulp and seeds.

I cut the pumpkin in half and gutted out the pulp and seeds. I soaked the seeds in cold water for about five minutes and it loosened the pulp up some more.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Next, put your pumpkin skin side down on a baking sheet. Because I didn't want any flavors on the pumpkin, I just put it in the oven as is. You can brush some olive oil (or an oil of your liking) all over the pumpkin halves before placing in the oven.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 45-50 minutes. You can check by poking with a knife. If the knife pierces the pumpkin smoothly, you're done! Turn off the oven and take out your pumpkin. Let it cool down.

Let the pumpkin cool down before handling.

After it has cooled down to the touch, peel the skin off. It should come of smoothly and easily.

Just peel off skin. No need for a knife!

Pull apart and place in a food processor. Nothing else needed!

Just add the pumpkin. No other liquids.

Blend it up. You might need to stop and just scrape down the sides so it can have a consistent texture.

It might take a few minutes. Scrape down the sides and start up again as needed.

When it's nice and smooth, store in a container in the fridge as needed. Will last in the fridge for 3-5 days. If you're not going to use it right away, I suggest putting it in the freezer until it is needed.

Honestly, I can eat it just like this!

It's not as sweet as butternut squash, but it tastes so good!

And, there you have it! Roasted pumpkin puree!

Here's my roasted pumpkin seeds as well. I'll add a post on how to make them. Super easy and delicious.

Smoked Paprika Cayenne Pepper Pumpkin Seeds

Have you tried this? Let me know how you did by commenting below!

I'd like to hear what you use pumpkin puree for!