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Healthy Pumpkin Recipes You'll Want to Make All Fall

Healthy Pumpkin Recipes You'll Want to Make All Fall

October 02, 2009

Pecan-Topped Pumpkin Bread

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Before you select another pumpkin for your front porch display, consider cooking it instead: roast, bake, and stew up everything from savory salads and creamy soups to earthy desserts and more. Grated like a carrot, it can be added to cake and muffin batters. Puréed, it's famous in pie. Sliced or diced, pumpkin is delicious roasted and eaten on its own, baked into casseroles, or stewed for soups. Pumpkin is also a low-calorie superfood. It's high in potassium, fiber, and beta-carotene. But as good for you as pumpkin is, its mild, lightly sweet flavor is what leaves you delighted and satisfied. Taste autumn with these delicious pumpkin recipes. This seasonal squash is great in both savory and sweet dishes.

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Healthy Pumpkin Recipes You'll Want to Make All Fall

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Pumpkin Bundt Cake With Chocolate Glaze

Pumpkin Bundt Cake With Chocolate Glaze

Photo: Jennifer Causey

View Recipe: Pumpkin Bundt Cake With Chocolate Glaze

We take the classic flavors of pumpkin pie (pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg) and transform them into a tall, moist, tender Bundt cake. Whole-wheat flour enhances the fall flavors without sacrificing the tender crumb. To finish it off: a smooth, shiny bittersweet chocolate glaze that drips into all the nooks and crannies. Look for baking spray (cooking spray with fine flour added), or simply coat the pan with cooking spray, add a tablespoon of flour, and shake gently to coat. If you don't have a Bundt pan, you can bake in two standard loaf pans. Cut the loaves into slices, and drizzle the glaze over each serving.

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Pumpkin Spice Fudge

Pumpkin Spice Fudge

Jennifer Causey

View Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Fudge

We turned the classic pumpkin pie (and the trendiest of fall spice blends) into a tasty confection. Fudge doesn't require the tempering, rolling, and shaping of other made-from-scratch candies. If you don't have a candy thermometer, do the cold water test: Drop a small amount of the cooked sugar mixture in cold water. If it forms a soft ball, the mixture is ready for pouring into the prepared pan.

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Pumpkin-Praline Pie

Pumpkin-Praline Pie

Photo: Jennifer Causey

View Recipe: Pumpkin-Praline Pie

If you can’t decide between pecan and pumpkin pie, this dessert will give you a taste of both in one slice. A quick brown sugar–pecan streusel tops the pie after it bakes; the topping will set into a crunchy layer as the pie cools. Be sure to use a standard 9-inch pie plate rather than a deep-dish one to ensure an evenly baked crust.

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Pumpkin Soup With Almonds and Sage

Pumpkin Soup With Almonds and Sage

Photo: Romulo Yanes

View Recipe: Pumpkin Soup With Almonds and Sage

This fast recipe delivers slow-cooked flavor. Pumpkin is one of the few vegetables whose canned version is quite good, saving you lots of time and effort. Just be sure you don't accidentally grab pumpkin pie filling, which contains added sugar and spices.

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Muffin-Tin Pumpkin-and-Pear Stratas

Muffin-Tin Pumpkin-and-Pear Stratas

Photo: Greg Dupree

View Recipe: Muffin-Tin Pumpkin-and-Pear Stratas

Here's a nifty way to make individual casserole portions. Nectar-sweet pears, earthy pumpkin, and tart cranberries are a wonderfully balanced combination of fall flavors. Bosc or Anjou pears will also work here, as long as they're ripe. Your bare hands do the best job of mixing the bread into the egg.

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Whole Stuffed Roasted Pumpkin

Whole Stuffed Roasted Pumpkin

Photo: Iain Bagwell

View Recipe: Whole Stuffed Roasted Pumpkin

In this recipe, pumpkin plays a triple role: cooking vessel, serving bowl, and part of the meal itself. Choose a Long Island Cheese pumpkin for its creamy flesh or a Cinderella pumpkin. The hearty stew simmers inside the pumpkin while the flesh cooks and softens. Berbere, a peppery Ethiopian spice blend, richly seasons the pumpkin and stew. Find it at specialty markets or online at penzeys.com.

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Classic Pumpkin Pie

Classic Pumpkin Pie Recipes

Photo: Nigel Cox

View Recipe: Classic Pumpkin Pie

Refrigerated pie dough and a simple, 7-ingredient filling make this pie refreshingly easy to prepare. A tablespoon of amaretto beat into the whipped cream adds nutty-sweet notes to the creamy topping.

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Roasted Kabocha and Kale Salad

Roasted Kabocha and Kale Salad

Photo: Iain Bagwell

View Recipe: Roasted Kabocha and Kale Salad

Kobocha squash, also known as Japanese pumpkin, is the sweeter cousin of the pumpkin. The vivid orange flesh of this winter squash is tender and rich, with a flavor reminiscent of a sweet potato. While the shell is very hard when raw, it becomes very tender when cooked, making peeling optional. It's wonderful here, dressed with olive oil, coriander seeds, pepper, and salt.

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Pumpkin Soup Three Ways

Pumpkin Soup Three Ways

Photo: Iain Bagwell

View Recipe: Chipotle-Spiced Pumpkin Soup

Even without the added cream, pumpkin soup takes on a velvety texture after it's simmered and pureed. Make sure all the ingredients are very tender so they'll blend together smoothly. We start with a base recipe, then tweak it to create 2 more soups, each with a different flavor makeup. Simple toppings like salty-sweet pepitas or chorizo make them a little more special. For a fun, no-fuss garnish, top any of the soups with 2 tablespoons popped popcorn. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper, if desired.

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Pumpkin-Poblano Casserole

Pumpkin-Poblano Casserole

Photo: Iain Bagwell

View Recipe: Pumpkin-Poblano Casserole

This oven-baked side couples the earthiness of poblanos with the sweetness of red bell peppers. Combine those with rich pumpkin and you have a new fall-weather classic you'll make time and again.

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Chocolate-Swirled Pumpkin Bundt

Chocolate-Swirled Pumpkin Bundt

Photo: Iain Bagwell

View Recipe: Chocolate-Swirled Pumpkin Bundt

The earliest ways of preparing pumpkin were savory, but sweetened recipes, like the first pumpkin pies—baked in the pumpkin shell rather than in a pie crust. We've come a long way since then. In this recipe, we mix pumpkin with bittersweet chocolate for a flavor that is decidedly fall and perfect for seasonal entertaining. (We think it's great for breakfast too!)

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Roasted Pumpkin Pie

Roasted Pumpkin Pie

Photo: Iain Bagwell

View Recipe: Roasted Pumpkin Pie

By roasting the pumpkin whole, you avoid cutting it open and scooping out the seeds and membrane. If you'd like, serve pie with a dollop of lightly sweetened 2% reduced-fat yogurt.

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Pumpkin-Honey Beer Quick Bread

Pumpkin-Honey Beer Quick Bread

Photo: Randy Mayor

View Recipe: Pumpkin-Honey Beer Quick Bread

Pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and honey beer flavor this smooth-textured bread. The best part of this 5-star recipe? It makes two loaves. Enjoy one for yourself and use the other as a gift. (Or wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze for up to two months.)

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Pumpkin Pie Cake

Pumpkin Pie Cake

Photography: Randy Mayor

View Recipe: Pumpkin Pie Cake

Add an element of surprise to the holiday table by trying this fun twist on pumpkin pie. It may look and taste like you've spent hours in the kitchen, but it's as easy as it is beautiful. The velvety cream-cheese frosting and crunchy pecan topping make it a worthy end to a special meal.

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Vanilla-Bourbon Pumpkin Tart

Vanilla-Bourbon Pumpkin Tart Recipes

Photo: Ellen Silverman

View Recipe: Vanilla-Bourbon Pumpkin Tart

Graham crackers and pecans encrust the spirited, spiced filling. Dollop each serving with sweetened whipped cream.

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Spiced Pumpkin Biscuits

Spiced Pumpkin Biscuits with Orange Honey Butter Recipe

Becky Luigart-Stayner

View Recipe: Spiced Pumpkin Biscuits

These simple pumpkin biscuits are perfect any time of day and pair wonderfully with Orange-Honey Butter.

“This is a great addition to any fall menu. While you can taste the flavors of pumpkin and spices, they won't overpower the flavors in your other dishes. The orange-honey butter is so quick and easy to make and a great complement to the warm pumpkin biscuits.” –Lissa Bannerman

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Pumpkin-Orange Cake

Pumpkin-Orange Cake Recipe

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

View Recipe: Pumpkin-Orange Cake

This dessert is simply stunning, from the auburn-colored cake to the luscious cream cheese filling to the rubylike pomegranate seeds and mandarin oranges arranged on top. With so elegant a presentation, it's sure to impress, especially since it tastes as wonderful as it looks.

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Pumpkin Pie Shake

Pumpkin Pie Shake recipe

Howard Puckett

View Recipe: Pumpkin Pie Shake

Pumpkin pie in a glass?! Try it and believe it. This cold and creamy blended drink was a finalist in our 2005 Ultimate Reader Recipe contest. Readers gave it top ratings, too. Canned pumpkin and ice cream mix with pumpkin pie spice and brown sugar for a refreshingly different take on a classic holiday flavor.

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Pecan-Topped Pumpkin Bread

Pecan-Topped Pumpkin Bread

Cooking Light

View Recipe: Pecan-Topped Pumpkin Bread

This much-loved recipe was the subject of a recipe makeover that earned rave reviews. With a few low-fat baking tricks, our healthy pumpkin bread recipe shaved 33 percent of the calories and more than half the fat from the original recipe.

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