Call me crazy, but recently, I have had the urge to try to make my own pumpkin puree.   So, I saw these pumpkins in the grocery store and decided to give it a whirl.  Also, one of the perks of making my own puree is the seeds that I can roast afterward.

 

I started with a couple of smallish pumpkins and cut the tops off to get rid of the stems, like so…

 

Then, I cut the pumpkins in half.

 

Next, I scooped out the seeds and stringy stuff.  I will be honest, I started with a spoon, but ended up using my hands to pull all the seeds out.  I think that was more fun anyway!  I was really impressed with the yield of seeds that these small pumpkins were holding.

 

You can leave the pumpkins cut in half, but I decided to quarter them so they fit better on my baking pan.

 

Arrange on baking pan, face down, and cook in a 350 degree oven for about an hour and a half (or until fork tender.)  I added about 1/4 cup of water to the pan to aide in the cooking time.

 

Here is what it looked like after being cooked.  I quickly realized there was another perk in making my own puree…the house smelled like fall.

 

When the pumpkin has cooled enough to handle, peel the skin off.  I was very surprised at how easy this step was.

 

If you have one of those new-fangled appliances, called a food processor, I would use that to mash the pumpkin.  I, unfortunately, do not own one, but I do have a potato masher.  I think it did a great job just the same. 🙂

 

This is what the final product looked like.

 

I wanted to freeze my pumpkin so it would last longer.  You never know when the sweet cravings will attack and scream “I want pumpkin cookies!”

Line a measuring cup with a freezer bag to make it easier to fill

 

Fill the bag with the puree.  I decided to fill my freezer bags with 1 3/4 cup of the puree.  (That’s the amount of pumpkin in a store bought can.)

 

Now it’s ready for the freezer (and future pumpkin recipes!)

Pumpkin Puree

Author: Kristina
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Ingredients
  • Smallish size pumpkins.
Instructions
  1. Cut the top off the pumpkin
  2. Cut the pumpkin in half
  3. Scoop out the seeds
  4. Quarter the pumpkins
  5. Place quartered pieces face down on baking pan
  6. Add 1/4 c of water to baking pan
  7. Bake at 350 degrees for 90 minutes (or fork tender)
  8. Peel off skin and mash