Pumpkin is a versatile fruit that can be used to make anything from soups to desserts. Properly prepared pumpkin dishes are always delicious and healthy. Here are 20 appetizing recipes!
1. French Pumpkin Soup
Prepare this soup for several days, as it develops more flavor over time.
You will need: 0.5 kg pumpkin, 3 potatoes, 1 onion, 70 g celery root, 1.5 cups milk, 0.5 tsp dried ginger, spices, 150 g white bread croutons.
Preparation: Lightly fry the diced vegetables in vegetable oil, then pour in boiling water until it just covers the contents of the saucepan. When the vegetables are soft, drain the broth, puree the ingredients with a blender, gradually adding warmed milk to achieve the desired consistency. Simmer the cream soup for 8 minutes over low heat, then add spices.
2. Baked Pumpkin Porridge
Our ancestors even cooked healthy pumpkin porridge with millet!
You will need: 450 g pumpkin, 1 cup millet, 3 cups homemade milk, 0.5 tsp salt, 1.5 tsp sugar, butter.
Preparation: Cook the pumpkin pieces in milk for about 15 minutes, then add the millet (scalded with boiling water) and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Place the pot with the porridge in the oven, let it stew under the lid for half an hour, and serve with a piece of butter.
3. Chicken with Pumpkin
Pumpkin perfectly complements chicken dishes, making them juicier and more flavorful.
You will need: 400 g pumpkin flesh, 300 g chicken meat, 1 tbsp butter, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tsp honey, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 0.5 tsp dried herbs.
Preparation: Dice the chicken and pumpkin into small cubes, season with salt and spices, add minced garlic, lemon juice, and liquid honey. After the mixture has marinated for about half an hour, fry it in vegetable oil. Drizzle with melted butter and bake in the oven.
4. Pumpkin in Sour Cream Sauce
Baked pumpkin in sour cream sauce with garlic can be an excellent addition to pasta or vegetables.
You will need: 0.5 kg pumpkin, 150 ml full-fat sour cream, 3-4 cloves garlic, 1 bunch parsley.
Preparation: Fry the pumpkin cut into sticks until golden brown, pour over the sauce made from sour cream with garlic, herbs, and spices. Simmer under a lid for ten minutes.
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5. Greek-Style Pumpkin
Greek chefs add basil, garlic, and olive oil to pumpkin. It turns out incredibly delicious!
You will need: 600 g butternut squash flesh, 1-2 cloves garlic, 1 tomato, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp dried basil, sea salt.
Preparation: Fry the diced pumpkin in olive oil until golden brown, season with salt and basil. Add grated tomato and garlic to the pan. Pour in a couple of spoons of water, and bake in the oven for half an hour.
6. Pumpkin Pampushky (Garlic Buns)
Garlic pampushky with pumpkin look very vibrant and appetizing. They can be served not only with red borscht but also with any other dishes instead of bread.
You will need:
For the buns: 150 g pumpkin puree, 150 ml pumpkin cooking liquid, 500-550 g sifted flour, 1 egg, 1 tsp instant yeast, 0.5 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp butter, 1 tsp salt.
For the garlic topping: 2-3 cloves garlic, 0.25 bunch fresh dill, 0.25 tsp salt, 3 tbsp vegetable oil.
Preparation: Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm pumpkin liquid. Once a foamy "cap" appears, mix with egg, butter, pumpkin puree, salt, and flour. When the dough has doubled in volume, form it into buns, let them rise, and then bake in the oven. Drizzle the hot pampushky with a mixture of minced herbs and garlic, vegetable oil, and salt.
7. Pumpkin Draniki (Pancakes)
Pumpkin flesh makes juicy, tender, and very delicious draniki.
You will need: 200 g pumpkin, 1 egg, 1 small onion, 1 tbsp flour, 1 tbsp vegetable oil.
Preparation: Add egg, spices, finely chopped onion, and flour to the finely grated pumpkin. Fry the pumpkin draniki in vegetable oil on both sides.
8. "Tykovka" Salad (Little Pumpkin Salad)
Pumpkin salad can be offered to guests as an appetizer, or simply prepared for dinner as a standalone dish.
You will need: 200 g pumpkin, 1-2 eggs, 1 clove garlic, 2 tbsp mayonnaise.
Preparation: Grate the pumpkin on a grater for Korean carrots, mix with grated egg. Mince the garlic and add it to the mayonnaise, then dress the pumpkin salad with the resulting sauce.
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9. Pumpkin and Meat Casserole
Pumpkin pairs especially well with meat and potatoes. Freeze bags of diced pumpkin flesh to be able to make this delicious casserole all year round!
You will need:
Bottom layer: 650 g ground meat, 1 onion, 1 carrot, 3 tbsp frozen green peas, 3 tbsp corn, 40 ml soy sauce, 30 ml ketchup, 1 tbsp flour, 1 clove garlic, 0.3 tsp ground coriander, salt and pepper.
Top layer: 0.5 kg pumpkin, 0.5 kg potatoes, 0.25 onion, 2 cloves garlic.
Preparation: Fry onion and carrot in oil with ground meat, add the remaining ingredients for the bottom layer of the casserole, simmer for 5-10 minutes and transfer to a baking dish. For the top layer, make a puree from boiled pumpkin, potatoes, onion, and garlic, spread it evenly in the dish, and bake in the oven.
10. Pumpkin Fritters with Cheese
These fritters are savory due to the addition of ginger and garlic.
You will need: 0.5 kg pumpkin, 220 g hard cheese, 2 eggs, 1 cup sifted flour, 2 cm fresh ginger root, 3 cloves garlic, herbs.
Preparation: Grate pumpkin flesh and cheese on a coarse grater, garlic and ginger root on a fine grater, mix with egg, flour, chopped herbs, season with salt and pepper. Let the batter rest for about an hour, then fry the fritters.
11. Pumpkin Baked with Potatoes
If you need to quickly prepare a delicious and healthy dinner, this recipe will definitely save you!
You will need: 5 potatoes, 350 g pumpkin, 1 onion, 100 g hard cheese, 3 tbsp each of melted butter and vegetable oil, 1 clove garlic, 1 tsp Provence herbs, 0.5 tsp sea salt.
Preparation: Slice pumpkin and potatoes thinly, pour over a sauce made from vegetable and butter, garlic, seasonings, and a couple of spoons of grated cheese. Let marinate for 20 minutes, then transfer to a baking dish, alternating with sliced onion rings. Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes, then sprinkle with grated cheese and return to the oven for another five minutes.
12. Pumpkin for Dessert
Baked pumpkin with sugar is not only delicious but also very healthy!
You will need: 1 kg pumpkin, 150 g sugar, a handful of pine nuts, 1 tbsp honey.
Preparation: Place small slices of pumpkin into a baking sleeve, sprinkle with sugar and mix, tie the ends, make a few punctures in the sleeve with a toothpick. Bake in the oven, serve drizzled with honey and sprinkled with pine nuts.
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13. Pumpkin Casserole with Dried Fruits
An amazingly delicious treat made from pumpkin baked with dried fruits and cream.
You will need: 0.5 kg butternut squash, 250 ml cream (or milk), 50 g each of prunes, raisins, dried apricots, 1 egg, 70 g sugar.
Preparation: Boil the diced pumpkin until tender, transfer to a baking dish, sprinkle with raisins and sliced prunes and dried apricots. Whisk the cream with egg and sugar, pour over the pumpkin and dried fruits, and bake in the oven.
14. "Golden Autumn" Pumpkin Jelly
An excellent dessert for tea on cold autumn and winter evenings. It's very easy to prepare!
You will need: 300 g pumpkin, 2 tbsp gelatin, 50 ml water, 3 tbsp sugar, a pinch of cinnamon or vanilla.
Preparation: Dice the pumpkin flesh, sprinkle with sugar in a saucepan, cook for half an hour, constantly draining the released juice. Puree the cooked pumpkin with a blender, slowly pour in the gelatin dissolved in water, add cinnamon or vanilla. Pour into molds and wait for it to set.
15. Candied Pumpkin
Pumpkin can easily replace unhealthy candies. Candied pumpkin can also be used to decorate cakes or pastries.
You will need: 1 kg pumpkin, 1 orange, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 kg sugar, 700 ml water, 2 cloves.
Preparation: Cut the pumpkin into thin sticks, place it along with cinnamon and cloves into hot sugar syrup, made from sugar and water. Boil for five minutes and cool – repeat this procedure three times. Spread the pumpkin on a baking sheet, dry in the oven at 50 degrees Celsius or in an electric dehydrator.
16. Pumpkin Cookies
Cookies made with pumpkin flesh are especially delicious, be sure to make them for the holidays!
You will need: 200 g baked pumpkin flesh, 0.5 pack butter, 2 tbsp sour cream, 100 g sugar, 1 egg white, 400 g sifted flour, 10 g baking powder, 1 tsp vanilla, a pinch of salt, roasted pumpkin seeds, 1 packet vanilla sugar, 1 egg yolk and 1 tsp milk for brushing.
Preparation: Mix flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, vanilla, add butter and rub with your hands to form crumbs. Add pumpkin puree, egg white, sour cream, and chopped pumpkin seeds. Roll out the resulting dough into a thin layer, cut out shapes, brush with egg yolk whisked with milk, and bake in the oven.
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17. Pumpkin Flatbreads
Soft and airy flatbreads made from kefir dough with a pumpkin filling – a delicious and healthy breakfast!
You will need: 1.5 kg pumpkin, 0.5 kg flour, 400 ml kefir, 1 tsp each of salt and baking soda, 0.5 cup sugar, butter.
Preparation: Knead a soft dough from flour, kefir, salt, and baking soda, divide into ten parts and roll out flatbreads. Puree baked pumpkin with sugar using a blender, place a couple of spoons of pumpkin on one half of the flatbread, cover with the other half (like chebureks), seal the edges with a fork. Fry in butter until cooked.
18. Pumpkin-Citrus Curd
An amazingly delicious dessert that you should try at least once to fall in love with it forever!
You will need: 150 g pumpkin puree, 120 g sugar, juice from 2 oranges, 100 g butter, 2 egg yolks, 1 egg, 3 tbsp orange zest.
Preparation: In a saucepan, whisk together orange juice, zest, sugar, egg, and egg yolks, then place over a double boiler. Cook, stirring, until a smooth cream forms, add pumpkin puree, and cook until thickened. Strain the mixture through a sieve, mix with butter, and store in a glass jar in the refrigerator. Shelf life is one week.
19. American Pumpkin Pie
This American-style pumpkin pie will attract even your neighbors with its aroma.
You will need:
For the crust: 180 g frozen butter, 250 g sifted flour, 8 tbsp ice water, a pinch of salt.
For the filling: 600 g pumpkin puree, 4 eggs, 350 ml condensed milk, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg, 0.25 tsp each of ground ginger and cloves, salt to taste.
Preparation: Cut the sifted flour with grated frozen butter into very fine crumbs using a knife, pour in ice water, quickly knead the dough, and place it in the freezer. After half an hour, roll out the chilled dough into a flatbread, place it in a pie dish, form high edges, and return to the freezer for 15 minutes. Bake the crust in the oven, pricking it with a fork beforehand and covering it with aluminum foil. Mix the ingredients for the filling, pour it onto the baked crust in the dish, and bake for about an hour and a half.
20. Pumpkin Pie with Cream
A simple recipe for a delicate and light dessert with cream that will adorn even the most exquisite holiday table.
You will need:
For the dough: 150 g pumpkin, 3 eggs, 0.75 cup flour, 0.75 cup sugar, 1 tbsp sour cream, 1 tsp baking powder, a pinch of salt.
For the cream: 1 cup sugar, 500 ml milk, 4 tbsp semolina, 150 g butter, 1 tbsp citrus zest.
Preparation: Cook semolina porridge from milk, semolina, and sugar. When it has cooled slightly, whisk with a mixer, adding butter piece by piece and incorporating the zest. Mix the ingredients for the dough, bake a thin rectangular crust, roll it up, and let it cool. Carefully unroll the crust, spread with cooled cream, and roll it up again. Done!