People, it is THAT time of year again; our favorite spice is back, and my heart beats a little faster when I see those beautiful orange spheres of joy everywhere. Pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin cereal, pumpkin breads, pumpkin pancakes… Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, it’s gotta have pumpkin before the Christmas flavors start taking over! Take advantage before it’s gone and you have to wait a whole year to enjoy its popularity again. Try a few of these recipes out- you’ll be surprised what how versatile this fall favorite is!
First of all, if you’re going to do it right, make fresh pumpkin puree! It’s SO easy and so much better than the canned stuff (which, if you don’t pay attention to the label when you buy it, might actually just be squash!). The best part is that you can freeze it to use for the rest of the year, when you’re feeling a bit nostalgic.
Fresh Pumpkin Puree Ingredients:
-1 4-6 lb baking pumpkin (found at your local grocery store)
Steps:
-Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
-Cut pumpkin in half from top-to-bottom, remove the stem and seeds/stringy stuff inside.
-Place on baking sheet and bake 30-45 mins.
-Let cool, scrape out everything inside the shells, and blend in blender until smooth. Enjoy!
Breakfast
Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts – A childhood favorite combined with your favorite holiday flavor. WHAT!?
Pumpkin Oatmeal – I eat oatmeal out of a mug (it’s cozy), and pumpkin oatmeal makes it all the cozier. This is, hands-down, my favorite on-the-go breakfast!
Pumpkin Waffles – “And in the mornin’… I’m makin’ waffles!” (Shrek reference.. Anyone, anyone?) but in all seriousness, these waffles deserve to be made every morning.
Lunch
(Pumpkin.. Lunch..? Trust me, it’s actually amazing!)
Lentil Pumpkin Salad with Savory Pumpkin Biscuits – Too much pumpkin? Never.
Pumpkin Sage Polenta – Sounds a bit boujee, I know, but it’s a surprisingly simple recipe!
Dinner
Pumpkin Pizza – Who needs Domino’s this time of year when you have this?
Pumpkin Chili – Chil[i] fall days call for a warm bowl of amazingness.
Dessert/Drinkage
Harvest Pumpkin Brownies – Ditch the pumpkin pie, there’s something better waiting!
Pumpkin Pecan Pie Smoothie – I thought about putting this in the “Breakfast” section, and let’s be honest, this wouldn’t be a bad start to the day!
I hope you’re able to enjoy pumpkin as much as I am this season- take it all in before it’s gone!