Its naturally sweet, earthy flesh takes brilliantly to spice, sage, salty cheeses and coconut milk; it can be folded through pasta, roasted until caramelised or turned into an excellent pudding. Most recipes calling for pumpkin and winter squash are fairly forgiving about which variety you use, too, so Crown Prince, kabocha and butternut squash can generally join the party. Here are eight recipes to see you through the season.
Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup
Recipe Tin Eats
If pumpkin soup gives you worthy but bland feels, start here. Nagi Maehashi gives hers a Thai inflection, pairing pumpkin with red curry paste, coconut milk, garlic and fish sauce. It is creamy without actually featuring cream; warming without being overwhelmingly spicy; and exactly what we want for lunch as the temperature drops. Get the recipe.
Butternut Squash ‘Carbonara’ With Crisp Garlic
Ottolenghi
OK, it is not strictly a pumpkin, but butternut squash is close enough a relation that we are allowing it in – particularly when the recipe in question comes from Ottolenghi. Here, roasted squash is blitzed into a silky sauce for pasta, with Parmesan, egg yolks and crisp garlic bringing the requisite richness. An excellent meat-free riff on carbonara. Get the recipe.
Creamy Pumpkin Pasta Recipe
Jar of Lemons
A good one to keep up your sleeve for the midweek repertoire. Pumpkin purée is combined with Parmesan, cream cheese, garlic and sage to make a silky sauce that clings beautifully to pasta. It is simple, comforting and – that most crucial of things – on the table in around half an hour. Get the recipe.
Pumpkin Curry
Delicious
Pumpkin’s sweetness makes it particularly good with heat and spice. This southern Indian-inspired curry tempers it with mustard seeds, cumin, green chilli, curry leaves and tamarind, before adding a little jaggery for a final sweet-sour note. It takes just 15 minutes of hands-on preparation and is vegan to boot. Get the recipe.
Roast Pumpkin With Mushrooms, Leeks And Stilton
Delicious
A particularly good answer to the question of what to do with a pumpkin when you want dinner rather than a side dish. Pumpkin and leeks are roasted until beginning to char before mushrooms, sage, walnuts and Stilton join them for the final ten minutes. Melting blue cheese against sweet roast pumpkin is a combination worth remembering. Get the recipe.
Warm Pumpkin Caponata With Whipped Ricotta, Mint And Hazelnuts
Thomasina Miers
The great Tommi Miers turns pumpkin into a warm caponata, its natural sweetness offset by spice and an agrodolce dressing, before serving it with whipped ricotta, mint and hazelnuts. Serve as part of a meze, as a starter or make it the main event. Get the recipe.
Pumpkin And Maple Cheesecake With Pumpkin Seed Brittle
Great British Chefs
If you have never considered pumpkin for pudding, this is an excellent recipe for opening eyes to the possibilities. Maple syrup and pumpkin are folded into a baked cheesecake before the whole thing is crowned with a brittle made from pumpkin seeds. Rich, autumnal and sufficiently impressive to bring out at a dinner party. Get the recipe.
Our Best Pumpkin Pudding
Food52
Think pumpkin pie, only without the pastry. This deeply spiced baked custard delivers all the cinnamon-scented comfort of the American classic, while doing away with the business of making a crust. Serve it chilled with cream and consider the Halloween pumpkin very well repurposed indeed. Get the recipe.
Best for a warming lunch: Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup
Best for a midweek supper: Creamy Pumpkin Pasta
Best for spice: Pumpkin Curry
Best for comfort: Butternut Squash ‘Carbonara’
Best for vegetarians: Roast Pumpkin With Mushrooms, Leeks And Stilton
Best for entertaining: Warm Pumpkin Caponata
Best showstopper: Pumpkin And Maple Cheesecake
Best easy pudding: Food52’s Pumpkin Pudding
FAQs: Pumpkin Recipes
What can I make with leftover pumpkin?
Pumpkin is remarkably versatile. Roast it for salads and traybakes, blend it into soup, turn it into a pasta sauce or curry, or cook and purée the flesh to use in cakes, cheesecakes and other puddings.
Can I use a carving pumpkin for cooking?
Yes, provided it is fresh and has been handled hygienically, although carving pumpkins tend to be larger, more watery and less flavoursome than varieties grown specifically for eating. Smaller culinary pumpkins and winter squashes generally give better results.
Can I use butternut squash instead of pumpkin?
In many savoury recipes, yes. Pumpkin and winter squash differ in flavour and texture, but butternut, Crown Prince, kabocha and other firm-fleshed squashes can often be substituted for one another.
What flavours go well with pumpkin?
Sage is the classic partner, but pumpkin also works particularly well with chilli, curry spices, coconut, garlic, ginger, blue cheese, Parmesan, tahini and nuts. On the sweeter side, try cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, maple syrup and caramel.
Can you eat pumpkin seeds?
Absolutely. Wash away any clinging pumpkin flesh, dry the seeds thoroughly, toss with a little oil and seasoning and roast until crisp. They make an excellent snack or crunchy topping for soups and salads.
