---

I’ve been sharing all my sweet pumpkin recipes this year so far, but there is so much more to the versatile fall food. It makes some fantastic savory dishes as well, so here’s some of my favorites that utilize pumpkins as the main dish instead of just a sweet treat.

+ + + +

PUMPKIN LASAGNA ROLL UPS

2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more for the noodles

18 lasagna noodles

1 Tbsp. salted butter

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

3 cups whole milk

Black pepper, to taste

1 1/3 cups grated parmesan cheese

Pinch of grated nutmeg

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1 1/2 cups pure pumpkin puree

1 16-ounce container whole-milk ricotta cheese

4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (about 1 1/2 pounds)

1 large egg, beaten

2 tsp. chopped fresh sage, plus more for topping

Preheat the oven to 375˚. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the lasagna noodles and cook until al dente. Drain, rinse under cold water until cool and lay flat on a large sheet of foil.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk until sandy, 1 minute. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking constantly. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer, whisking occasionally, and cook until the sauce thickens a little, about 10 minutes. Whisk in 1/3 cup parmesan, the nutmeg and cayenne until melted.

Add 1 cup pumpkin puree to the sauce and whisk until smooth. Set aside.

For the filling: Combine the ricotta, 2 cups mozzarella, ¾ cup parmesan, the remaining ½ cup pumpkin, the egg, sage, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl and stir to combine.

To assemble, spread ½ cup of sauce in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons of the ricotta filling on each noodle, then roll up to enclose the filling. Arrange seam-side down in the pan.

Top with the remaining sauce, 2 cups mozzarella and ¼ cup parmesan. Sprinkle with sage. Loosely cover with foil. Bake for 15 minutes, then uncover and bake until bubbly, about 10 more minutes. Let it sit for 15 minutes before serving.

+ + + +

PUMPKIN BACON 

CARBONARA

1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin puree

2 eggs, room temperature

3 egg yolks, room temperature

1 cup grated Parmesan, divided

3/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano

3/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. freshly cracked pepper

6-8 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into pieces (guancale is better if you can get it at a specialty market)

1 lb. spaghetti

Italian parsley, for garnish (optional)

Drain pumpkin in a mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth for at least 1 hour. Press pumpkin down occasionally with the back of a spoon. Before using, squeeze cheesecloth to release most of the liquid. You should have 1/2 to 3/4 cup drained liquid.

Whisk strained pumpkin, eggs, egg yolks, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, Pecorino Romano, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, cook bacon until crispy. Drain on paper towels and reserve bacon fat in pan.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Before draining, reserve 1 cup pasta water. Drain pasta.

Working quickly, whisk 1/4 cup hot pasta water into pumpkin/egg mixture to temper the eggs. Pour pasta back into hot pasta pot and add pumpkin mixture. Stir, using tongs, for several minutes, adding remaining pasta water as you go, until pasta is well-coated and cheese is melted. The sauce will become thick and creamy.

Add 2 tablespoons of the warm reserved bacon fat and stir. Season with salt and pepper as needed. Top pasta with reserved bacon, remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan, and Italian parsley. Serve immediately.

+ + + +

ROASTED GARLIC & PUMPKIN HUMMUS

For the roasted garlic

1/2 cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic, smashed

For the Hummus

1 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, drained

1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree

2 Tbsp. lemon juice, plus more if needed

2 Tbsp. tahini

1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Kosher salt, to taste

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

Crackers and cut-up vegetables, for serving

For the roasted garlic: Preheat the oven to 375 ̊. Place the olive oil and garlic in a ramekin or small baking dish and roast until the garlic turns a light golden color and becomes tender but does not brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

For the hummus: Add the roasted garlic plus 2 tablespoons of the oil from the ramekin to a food processor (reserve the remaining oil). Add the chickpeas, pumpkin puree, lemon juice, tahini, pumpkin pie spice and a nice pinch of salt. Blend until smooth, then add a bit more of the roasted garlic oil. Taste and add a bit more salt and lemon juice if needed. Spoon into a bowl and pour any remaining roasted garlic oil over the top; cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

When ready to serve, cook the pumpkin seeds and a pinch of salt in a skillet over medium-high heat, tossing, until the seeds are fragrant and develop a bit of a sheen, about 4 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt. Sprinkle the toasted pumpkin seeds on the hummus and serve slightly chilled or at room temperature with crackers and cut-up vegetables.

+ + + +

PAN FRIED GNOCCHI WITH PUMPKIN & SPINACH

Roasted pumpkin

1 lb pumpkin, cut in 1/2 inch pieces

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp kosher salt

Pinch black pepper

Gnocchi

12 oz gnocchi

3 tbsp butter, salted

1 large garlic clove, finely minced

2.5 oz baby spinach leaves

1/2 tsp fresh sage, finely sliced

Salt & pepper

Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place pumpkin in a large bowl, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat, spread out on tray and bake for 20 – 25 minutes, turning once, until golden and soft inside. (Start the gnocchi 10 minutes into the roasting time).

Bring a large pot of water to the boil, add a good pinch of salt. Cook gnocchi according to packet directions (usually ~2 minutes), or until gnocchi pops to the surface of the water (see video). SCOOP OUT a large mug of cooking water, then drain gnocchi well.

Place butter in a skillet then put on the stove over medium high heat. Once it foams, add gnocchi immediately. Stir, turn up the heat to high, then leave to cook for about 30 seconds. 

Add garlic and sage, then stir / toss for no longer than 1 1/2 minutes (i.e. 2 minutes in total – see Note 2) until gnocchi is golden on both sides.

Add 1/2 cup of gnocchi cooking water and toss – the water will evaporate quickly and thicken into a glaze-like sauce that coats the gnocchi (the starch in the water + butter thickens when combined).

Then add the pumpkin and spinach and stir quickly until the spinach is just wilted, adding a small splash of the gnocchi cooking water if it looks like the sauce has evaporated (it hasn't, it's just thickened and is coating the gnocchi so extra water will magically recreate the sauce). Taste and add salt and pepper to taste (saltiness of gnocchi depends on brands, so important to try). Toss then serve immediately with freshly grated parmesan.

+ + + +

90-SECOND

 PUMPKIN MOUSSE

2 tbsp. pumpkin puree

2 oz. softened cream cheese

1 large egg

1 tbsp. sugar 

1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Dash of cinnamon

Combine the cream cheese, pumpkin puree, egg, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon in a small microwave-safe bowl or mug. Whisk until smooth.

Heat on high for 90 seconds (or 2 minutes if using a keto sweetener).

Let it cool, chill in the refrigerator briefly, and top with whipped cream and an extra dash of spice.

TFD: “Yeah, some of our clothes are from victims. You might bite someone and then, you think, ‘Oooh, those are some nice pants!’” — Viago, “What We Do in the Shadows”

---