7 New Ways to Cook with Pumpkin

Welcome to the Clever Cookstr, your ultimate window into the kitchens of the world’s best cooks. 

In today’s episode, we’re going to talk about the ingredient that’s become pretty much synonymous with fall: pumpkin.

I know the pumpkin spice phenomenon is getting a bit out of control, but let’s face it: there’s a reason people are so enthused. It smells good, it tastes good, and it just feels like autumn. So today, we’re going to talk about 7 different ways to cook with pumpkin – beyond a pie or a latte.  

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Pumpkin for Breakfast? Absolutely!

You don’t have to put pumpkin in your coffee to start your day on a festive fall note. How about a pumpkin-packed breakfast? Yes, you can easily add a tasty pumpkin flavor to your pancakes and waffles.  

Here’s how:

Preheat the waffle iron if you’re using one. You’ll want to start with your standard 2 cups of flour, mix in 2 ½ teaspoons of baking powder, and about ½ teaspoon of salt. If you like really sweet breakfasts, add ¼ cup of sugar to the dry mix – if you prefer all the sweetness to come from the syrup, add less sugar or none at all. Feel free to add cinnamon, nutmeg, maybe a little ground ginger—spice up the dry mix all you want. 

Then in a separate bowl, mix 1 ½  cups of milk, 3 eggs, and about a tablespoon of vanilla extract together with a whisk. I always put in extra vanilla, but that’s just me. Melt a stick of butter and whisk that into the wet ingredients. For people who are very serious about fluffy waffles, you probably want to separate your eggs and beat the egg whites until they start to get those stiff peaks. 

If you want to be a little lazy and if you’re making me breakfast, then skip it and I’m probably not going to complain. So in with the wet ingredients, you’re going to whisk about a cup of pumpkin – plain canned pumpkin puree will work just fine. Make sure you’re not using pumpkin pie filling – that has a lot of extra sugar in it.

Add the wet ingredients into the dry and fold them together just enough to combine—when making pancakes you want to make sure you err on the side of leaving the batter a little lumpy rather than overmixing it. Overmixing gets you those rubbery pancakes where you’re just left wondering “What did I do wrong?” Well, that’s what you did wrong, you overmixed it.

So you’re not going to overmix and you’re going to make a really gorgeous stack of pumpkin pancakes or waffles. Serve them with regular syrup, pumpkin syrup, pumpkin butter, pumpkin whipped cream…go crazy. 

And while we’re talking about breakfast, pumpkin puree is really good in smoothies, too! With a frozen banana, some coconut milk, peanut butter, chia seeds if you’re into that, some cinnamon, and vanilla extract – basically it’s like frozen pumpkin pie in a glass, so there’s really a lot to love there. 

And now for something a bit more savory……

Savory Pumpkin Dishes

Pumpkin, like all winter squash, is ideal for soups, stews, and chilis that take advantage of lots of seasonal ingredients. I love doing a turkey vegetable soup with onions, carrots, herbs, rice or barley, and then some chunks of pre-cooked pumpkin thrown in there.

You can also puree roasted pumpkin with some chicken or vegetable stock, add some cooked onions, and then sprinkle crispy bacon or fried sage and a little crème fraiche on top. It makes for a delicious, warming soup.

Chili is a great idea for pumpkin too. You can start with ground beef or turkey, cook it up with a little salt and pepper in a big soup pot, a dutch oven, or even a crock-pot. Throw some chopped onions and bell peppers in there with the meat to sautee, and add minced garlic, cumin, chili powder. You want to cook these spices with a little oil instead of adding them to a dish like chili once it’s cooking because the spices really open up when they’re toasted.  

Then add cooked kidney beans and a can or two of diced tomatoes, or homemade tomato sauce if you have some in the freezer from the summer. This is when you add the pumpkin – either a can of plain pumpkin puree or a cup or two of puree from pumpkin you’ve roasted yourself. Then just let it go for a few hours, put some grated cheese and sour cream on top, and you’re set! 

My final idea might sound a little ridiculous, but stay with me here: pumpkin hummus!

I love making hummus because it’s so insanely easy in a food processor or a good blender. Some garbanzo beans, either cooked from the dried beans or just canned beans that you’ve drained and rinsed, a few tablespoons of olive oil and tahini, and ½ – 1 cup of pumpkin puree. Try adding roasted garlic for a really toasty, sweet finish, or fresh rosemary or sage. Salt and pepper to taste, and maybe sprinkle some toasted pumpkin seeds on top to serve.  Adjust the ratios to fit your preferences, but this should give you an outline for a seriously good seasonal dip.

So there you go—delicious sweet and savory ideas for pumpkin to spice up your fall meals. What are some of your favorite ways to cook with pumpkin this season? Email me at cookstr@quickanddirtytips.com and connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Join me next time on the Clever Cookstr for more tips and tricks from the kitchens of the world’s best cooks. 

Pumpkin, pancakes, and pumpkin soup images courtesy of Shutterstock.