Pumpkins are fresh at the market this season. And while we are all tired of hearing about pumpkin spice lattes, we may be wondering if it's worth the effort of hacking through a fresh pumpkin's thick skin, when all you need is a can opener for canned pumpkin puree. If you're like me and have a sudden urge to bake with pumpkin, which frequently happens during the fall, it seems so easy to resort to cans.
However, I find that depending on how it is used, canned and fresh pumpkin tastes similar. So here’s my cheat sheet for when to use canned or fresh pumpkin, plus I wanted to share a few of my favorite pumpkin recipes. We’d love to hear how you are using pumpkin!
Canned
- Baked goods: breads, muffins, cupcakes, cookies
- I bake weekly, whether it's pumpkin browned butter cupcakes or these pumpkin gingersnap cookies.
- Dips
- This pumpkin walnut dip is great for apples and celery.
- Gnocchi fillings or pasta sauces
- While not very pretty, this pumpkin gnocchi tastes creamy without dairy.
Fresh
- Chunks in soups or stews
- Here are my tips for roasting pumpkins
- Use as a vessel to serve as an “edible bowl”
- The stuffed squash can be interchangeable with any type of pumpkin
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