2 Step Basic Oven Roasted Pumpkin Puree For Pies, Soups and More! You can also learn how to roast a whole pumpkin in the oven.
Due to the fact that I may have gone a little pumpkin happy this year, I have so many pumpkins both inside and outside.
Sugar pumpkins and Cinderella Pumpkins fresh from our garden lined my porch steps, mantles, and shelves. Now that Halloween is over, I honestly just want to wrap up the whole pumpkin thing to make room for Christmas!
That leaves me with tons of pumpkins so the cook in me decided to process my sugar pumpkins (so far) and create a basic roasted pumpkin puree. I plan on using the puree for soups, pie filling, and even pasta dishes.
The entire process was very easy and is one I plan on repeating a few more times this week. Who would have known roasted pumpkin puree was so easy? I used to do the whole peel, and steam bit , but THAT is a whole lot of work!!
Roasting pumpkin is where it is at! Plus, you get to collect the seeds for a whole other treat! Just make sure to let your seeds air dry for a day or two to get most of the moisture out of them! Way too many people skip that step and their seeds just are not crisp enough!
Anyhow, here is what you’ll need to do for my 2 Step Basic Oven Roasted Pumpkin Puree For Pies, Soups and More!
Best Pumpkin for Pumpkin Puree and Pies
The best pumpkins to roast are sugar pumpkin varieties. They have the sweetest meat and are smaller to work with.
Items Needed to Make Roasted Pumpkin
- Sugar pumpkins (2 small or one medium)
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper
- Baking sheet(s)
- Ice cream scooper
- Containers to store pumpkin puree
How to Make Roasted Pumpkin Puree
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees
Wash and dry your sugar pumpkins (one of the BEST varieties for a nutty, sweet meat, and harvest)
Using a large knife, cut around the stem.
Remove stem and core out guts and pumpkin seeds using an ice cream scoop.
Place seeds in a separate bowl, or spread them out on a cookie sheet to dry.
Slice your pumpkin into 4 quadrants.
Repeat if necessary.
Line your pieces on a baking sheet and sprinkle with Kosher salt.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Once pumpkin is cooled, scoop flesh away from the peel, and place in freezer bags, or a container for the fridge.
How Long Does Fresh Pumpkin Puree Stay Fresh?
Pumpkin Puree stays fresh in the fridge for up to 1 week, or 3 months frozen. To freeze, add cooled puree to freezer bags. Flatten them out and let the air out so they freeze in thinner, easy to store sizes.
How to Make Roasted Pumpkin Puree
Equipment
- baking sheet
- Ice cream scooper
- Freezer Bags
- Storage Containers
Ingredients
- 6 lbs sugar pumpkins 2 smaller sized pumpkins
- 1 tsp kosher salt *optional. Use only if you are making this for a savory recipe. If you plan on making this for sweet, baked goods, skip.
- 1 tsp black pepper *optional. Use only if you are making this for a savory recipe. If you plan on making this for sweet, baked goods, skip.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Wash and dry your sugar pumpkins (one of the BEST varieties for a nutty, sweet meat, and harvest).
- On a flat, clean surface, using a large knife, carefully cut around the stem
- Remove stem and core out guts and seeds using an ice cream scoop.
- Set seeds aside on a paper towel lined baking sheet to dry out if you plan on roasting them.
- Slice your pumpkin(s) into 4 quadrants.
- Scrape away any remaining guts.
- Line you pieces on a baking sheet and sprinkle with Kosher salt/pepper (see notes above).
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until fork tender.
- Once pumpkin is cooled, scoop flesh away from the peel.
- Place pumpkin meat in a food processor and puree until smooth. Do not over puree or you will make soup!
- Keeps for 1 week in the fridge, or 3 months frozen. Lay your filled freezer bags flat after filling and remove any excess air for easier storage.
I go ahead and puree the cooked pumpkin in a food processor. I then freeze in 2 cup amounts in zip bags. It is the perfect amount for most sweet recipes : pie, muffins, bread, etc.