Roasted Pumpkin Puree Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 (2.5 pound) sugar pie pumpkins

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. 2

   Prep the pumpkin for roasting. Use a sharp knife to cut off a small slice of the pumpkin's bottom so it sits flat. Cut the pumpkin in half, avoiding the stem since it's too hard to cut through. Clean out the seeds and stringy pulp, and discard them (or roast the seeds if you'd like).

3. 3

   Roast the pumpkin halves. Place the pumpkin halves flesh-side down on the baking sheet. Roast it for about 45 minutes or until fork-tender. Cool the pumpkin then scoop out the flesh into the bowl of a food processor or blender. Discard the skins.

4. 4

   Blend until smooth. Pulse the pumpkin a few times then blend until smooth and use in recipes calling for pumpkin puree. Or, refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

5. 5

   Roast the puree to remove excess moisture. This is an optional but recommended step. Homemade pumpkin puree contains more moisture than canned pumpkin puree, so to prevent pie crusts from turning soggy or baked goods from being mushy I spread out the puree on a sheet pan and roast it at 400°F for about 15 minutes. Once that's done, use as directed in recipes!