An over achiever…that’s what I was this year. I may have went a little overboard with pumpkins before Halloween. You see, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, we’re finally in a house, a nice house that I can decorate and well…I am decorating! haha.
So before Halloween, I bought two pumpkin for us to carve for the front porch. Then I bought two pumpkins when I went to the Pumpkin Patch with my dog-daughter’s class and then I bought more pumpkins to decorate the front porch and the living room. We did carve our two Jack-O-Lanterns but I just set the other pumpkins around the house and on the porch.
Halloween came and left and we tossed our pitiful Jack-O-Lanterns into the trash and I left the other pumpkins out for “Fall Decorations”. After all, they hadn’t been cut and looked the same as they did the day I bought them.
So I hauled one of the huge “Jack-O-Lantern” style pumpkins into the kitchen on evening and set it up on a date with my oven. 😉 I’ve heard time and time again that you just “can’t make pumpkin pies or pumpkin bread from “Jack-O-Lantern” style pumpkins” but I say it’s all LIES! I never buy “pie pumpkins” and always make my pumpkin puree and pumpkin pies from “Jack-O-Lantern” style pumpkins!
I first started making my own pumpkin puree a few years ago when I was again being an over achiever and wanted to make my own pumpkin pie from scratch. haha. It’s not that hard to make and 1 large “Jack-O-Lantern” style pumpkin normally gives me about 7-8 cups of Pumpkin Puree. (Which makes about 6 or so pumpkin pies haha) Freeze it if you’re not going to use it all at once!
Homemade Pumpkin Puree
Homemade Pumpkin Puree
Want to make some homemade Pumpkin Desserts? Turn those un-carved pumpkins into homemade pumpkin puree! Perfect for Pumpkin Pies, Pumpkin Bread, Pumpkin Cookies and more!
Ingredients
- 1 large Jack-O-Lantern style pumpkin
- 3/4 cup water
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 350F.
Cut the top off of the pumpkin. Slice the pumpkin into large wedges. Using a sharp knife, carefully slice off a thin layer from each pumpkin wedge to remove the seeds.
Put the pumpkin wedges into a large oven safe dish (I split mine into two large oven safe dishes)
Pour in the water, cover and bake at 350F for 2 hours.
Remove from oven. Carefully remove lids and watch for steam!
Pumpkins should be fork tender.
Carefully remove from dishes and lay on a flat surface. Let cool for 1-2 minutes or until cool enough to handle.
Use a spoon to scrape the pumpkin "meat" from the skin.
Put the pumpkin into a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
Need some more Pumpkin inspiration? Here are some great recipes that use Pumpkin Puree:
Pumpkin Caramel Latte Flan from Pastry Chef Online
Maple Pumpkin Pudding from Pastry Chef Online
Two-Ingredient Pumpkin Cake with Apple Cider Glaze from Noble Pig
Creamy Pumpkin Smoothies from Noble Pig
Tangy Sriracha Pumpkin-Parmesan Soup with Fried Sage Leaves from Noble Pig
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins – Low Carb/Gluten-Free from All Day I Dream About Food
Pumpkin Flan – Low Carb and Gluten-Free from All Day I Dream About Food
LOVE IT? PIN IT!
I SO need to get on making my own pumpkin puree! Looks so simple!
Angie what a great idea–yours looks so smooth!