There is nothing quite like roasted pumpkin in the fall. From breads, to soups, to custards, a roasted pumpkin can turn into an array of delicious dishes.

Roasting a pumpkin is super easy. Pick up a smallish (3-4 pound) SUGAR pumpkin at your market. Sugar pumpkins are smaller than the “carving” variety and therefore sweeter.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Rinse off your pumpkin and slice it in half with a large knife. Be careful, it’s harder than it looks. These little sugar pumpkins are dense and also slippery little suckers.

Scoop out the pumpkin guts and seeds and put them aside. Don’t throw them away – roasted pumpkin seeds are yummy! I used a grapefruit spoon to scrape out my pumpkin and it worked out really well.

Place your pumpkin halves face down in a large baking dish with about ¼” of water. Bake in the oven at 350 for about 45-60 minutes. Try not to over-bake!

Once your pumpkin is done roasting, let it cool for a bit and then scoop out the delicious flesh for your recipe needs. You can serve it as is, or puree it to make soups, custards, pie or even pumpkin bread.

Pumpkins are low in saturated fat and cholesterol and are all around just good for you. They are a great starter food too for those of you who want to make your own baby food. What is so great about roasting a pumpkin is it’s very easy to set some aside for your little one and then go on to make a delicious spicy soup, which is what we did!

Kerri Jablonski

Kerri Jablonski has 3 years of experience as a mom and over 30 years experience in eating! She’s a mom in the know and has pledged to keep this year free of jarred baby food as she prepares to introduce solid foods to her preemie daughter.  Kerri will prove that wholesome baby food isn’t always strained peas and can be incorporated into yummy meals for the whole family. Kerri is the main mom in charge and the owner of The Maven of Social Media.