Author: Susanne at dishwithme.com
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Oh, wonderful, glorious Fall has arrived and we are in the midst of it! Do you hear that, Debbie B? Hmmm, do you? Fall is here! Pumpkin everything is, well, everywhere, including pumpkins themselves. But what to do with them, besides carving them? For starters, don’t throw those pumpkin seeds away!!! Instead, make use of them and make Roasted Pumpkin Seeds. Roasted Pumpkin Seeds make a delicious snack and they are super easy to make.
As it has always been a tradition to roast the seeds when the kids carved pumpkins, I have made roasted pumpkin seeds every year for many, many years, but, you don’t have to wait for the kids to carve pumpkins to make this snack.
You can buy a pumpkin and process the “pumpkin meat” very easily and roast the seeds. This is a win-win because now you have freshly processed (which can be frozen) pumpkin puree for all of the delicious goodies to be made for the upcoming holidays and you get the seeds, too. You’re going to feel so frugal! I know I sure did.
I recently made my very first pumpkin roll ever using the processed puree I made by roasting a pumpkin. It felt so uber cool to do this instead of just opening a can. And it tasted wonderful! AND, AND, AND, I made Easy Creamy Roasted Pumpkin Soup, which was comfort in a bowl! Really, you should try it.
HELPFUL HINTS FOR ROASTING PUMPKIN SEEDS
There are several reasons to boil your seeds prior to baking them. First, I consider it a final cleaning. Second, it helps season them. And, third, it helps cook the seed inside before roasting.
In this recipe I call for EVOO, but feel free to use whatever oil you wish, or have on hand.
The same goes for spices. This recipe is how I typically fix mine, but you may prefer other flavors. Something like chili lime, or simply salt and pepper, oh, some sesame oil and some Chinese 5-spice (I just thought of this one – I must try it!), etc.. Get creative and have fun!
Both the seed and the shell are edible. Some people prefer to crack them and only eat the seed, while others eat the whole thing, shell and all…Kelsey. But, you do you.
You will need a colander to rinse your seeds and a baking tray like this to bake your seeds.
Set a timer for the 10 minute mark to check and stir your seeds. They’ll most likely need more time, but this will give you a chance to see how they are coming along.
ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS
Equipment
- Baking tray
- Colander
Ingredients
- pumpkin seeds from one pumpkin approximately 1.5 to 2 cups
- 4 teaspoons Kosher salt divided
- 1 Tablespoon EVOO
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Cavender's seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Instructions
- Scoop seeds from the pumpkin. Place the seeds in a colandar and use running water to remove most of the "pumpkin guts" from the seeds.
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F
- In a pot of water, add 2 teaspoons salt and bring to a boil.
- Add the cleaned pumpkin seeds to the salted boiling water and boil for 5 minutes.
- While the seeds are boiling in the salt water, mix the seasonings up in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Pour the seeds and water into a colander and drain.
- Lay the seeds out on doubled paper towels and dry them with another paper towel.
- Place the pumpkin seeds onto the baking tray. Drizzle them with the EVOO and the seasonings. Using your hands, mix the seeds until all are covered with oil and seasonings. Spread them out on the entire baking sheet.
- Place the seasoned seeds into a pre-heated 350°F oven. Bake, stirring once, for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden.