One of the nicest things about autumn is the abundance of fresh pumpkins everywhere you turn. You can even spend a fun day driving out to a farm and picking your own! Pumpkins aren’t just decorative though—pumpkin puree adds a colorful burst of taste and nutrition to all kinds of smoothies, baked goods, and warming soups. It’s easy to find canned pumpkin puree at almost any supermarket, but it really doesn’t compare to the homemade variety.

Making your own pumpkin puree couldn’t be easier—after all there’s only one ingredient! Once you’ve tried this super-simple recipe we think you’ll want to pick up some more pumpkins at your local pumpkin patch to make an extra batch!

Ingredients:

• One or more fresh, raw pumpkins

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Cut off stems and slice each pumpkin in half. 
3. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon. (You can discard them or save them for future roasting.) 
4. Place pumpkin halves on a parchment-lined baking tray and bake for 1 hour or until a fork slides through the skin easily. The pumpkin skin should look wrinkly
5. Remove the halves from the oven and allow to cool until you can handle them safely.
6. Scoop out the pumpkin flesh and discard the skin.
7. Transfer pumpkin flesh to a blender and puree until smooth.

The amount of puree this recipe makes will depend on the size and quantity of your pumpkins. One, medium size pumpkin should give you approximately 2½  cups.

Store pumpkin puree in glass jars in the fridge for up to a week and a half, and enjoy it in all your sweet or savory autumn dishes. We made Maca & Pumpkin Spice Muffins with ours.

Have you made your own pumpkin puree recently? We'd love to see how you did, so don't forget to tag #sarifoods on Instagram!

Peace, love, and fresh pureed goodness from the Sari Foods family.