Pinterest is full of great ideas. The love of ‘do-it-yourself’ flows out so much inspiration and creativity. Some of it seems so impossible that it leaves me wondering a lot of the time – ‘there must be a secret I am not catching’. Don’t get me wrong, I love Pinterest. I really admire the people that can make beautiful things and set up the ‘how to’ steps for us all to recreate. However, there have been plenty of times where my Pinterest attempts epically fail. Recently, I tried to recreate what I thought would be the best Jack O Lantern my neighborhood has ever seen. Yeah didn’t work, was too frustrated to even capture photos – ha.
If you have experienced this yourself (especially like me, with all of those amazing pumpkin carving designs being repinned by all your friends) that just don’t look as great as the photo. Have no fear – turn your next pumpkin carving disaster into a delicious roasted pumpkin to incorporate into your next meal with these easy step over on Greatist.
How to Roast a Pumpkin and Its Seeds
Recipe by: Rebecca Firkser
Makes: 1 sugar pumpkin and about 1/3 cup seeds
1 small sugar pumpkin (6-8 inches wide)
Large chef’s knife
Baking sheet
Parchment paper
2 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
Salt
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Rinse pumpkin to remove any dirt (this may require the scrubby side of a sponge), then slice off the stem. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Insert knife tip into the top of the pumpkin and slice around half from top to bottom. Flip around the pumpkin and repeat.
3. Cut through the pumpkin to fully slice in half.
4. Scoop out pulp and seeds from the two halves. Save those seeds!
5. Rinse seeds free from pulp and dry on a dish towel or paper towel. Place on the parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil, then sprinkle with salt.
6. Rub 1 teaspoon of olive oil on the inside of each pumpkin half, then place skin-up on the baking sheet with seeds.
7. Roast pumpkin and seeds until the pumpkin is fork-tender (about 40-50 minutes, depending on size) and the seeds are golden-brown (about 30 minutes).
8. Let pumpkin cool slightly, then scoop out the flesh from the skin with a spoon. For a super-easy side, mash with a bit of coconut oil, salt, and pepper. Better yet, purée the veg and use it in your next pumpkin pie.
