How to make the most of your leftover pumpkins
As the Halloween fun wraps up, snap up pumpkins still on sale and don't leave your jack-o-lanterns to rot
Pumpkin is an "iconic" symbol of Halloween, but "it is more than just a pretty (jack-o-lantern) face", said Alessandra Signorelli in Vogue. From spice lattes and pie, we know it tastes good, but the "remarkable" health benefits are often overlooked. It's low-calorie and high-fibre, and filled with vitamins and beta-carotene that will "support the vitality of the gut, skin, hair, and more".
The seeds are especially good for you, said Healthline. They are "highly nutritious" and can improve fertility, heart health and blood sugar control, so when you carve your pumpkins, make sure you set aside the seeds for a snack or crunchy salad topping. It's an autumn tradition and it's so easy you barely need a recipe – drizzle the seeds with oil, season with your favourite spices, and toast for around 40 minutes.
Using the last of your fresh pumpkins in a pie is the "secret" for the "best" pumpkin pie, making for a "thick, velvety texture", said Karla Walsh in Better Homes & Gardens. The first step of the recipe is making a homemade pumpkin puree. It's "not complicated" and if you make a big batch to freeze, you can keep using it all autumn for cakes, casseroles and cookies.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Although the most popular recipes are desserts, pumpkin can feature on your dinner table as a first course, too. Pumpkin soup is a great autumn comfort that's "warming and welcoming from the first chill in the air to the last lingering cold days", said Anna Painter on Delish.
The comfort-food options are wide ranging. Ramp up the taste, texture and nutritional value of mac and cheese by adding in some fresh pumpkin, said Katie Workman in The Independent. "The pumpkin becomes tender and sweet in the oven, and the onion also caramelises and adds lovely flavour to the dish."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
When is an offensive social media post a crime?
The Explainer UK legal system walks a 'difficult tightrope' between defending free speech and prosecuting hate speech
By The Week UK Published
-
Women are getting their own baseball league again
In the Spotlight The league is on track to debut in 2026
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Giant TVs are becoming the next big retail commodity
Under the Radar Some manufacturers are introducing TVs over 8 feet long
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Magnificent Tudor castles and stately homes to visit this year
The Week Recommends The return of 'Wolf Hall' has sparked an uptick in visits to Britain's Tudor palaces
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Vegetable cocktails are having a moment
The Week Recommends Wild carrot margarita? Mung bean old-fashioned? 'Allotment-inspired' tipples are appearing on drinks menus
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Renegade comedian Youngmi Mayer's frank new memoir is a blitzkrieg to the genre
The Week Recommends 'I'm Laughing Because I'm Crying' details a biracial life on the margins, with humor as salving grace
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
Drawing the Italian Renaissance: a 'relentlessly impressive' exhibition
The Week Recommends Show at the King's Gallery features an 'enormous cache' of works by the likes of Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael
By The Week UK Published
-
Niall Williams shares his favourite books
The Week Recommends The Irish novelist chooses works by Charles Dickens, Seamus Heaney and Wendell Berry
By The Week UK Published
-
Patriot: Alexei Navalny's memoir is as 'compelling as it is painful'
The Week Recommends The anti-corruption campaigner's harrowing book was published posthumously after his death in a remote Arctic prison
By The Week UK Published
-
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: a 'magical' show with 'an electrifying emotional charge'
The Week Recommends The 'vivacious' Fitzgerald adaptation has a 'shimmering, soaring' score
By The Week UK Published
-
Bird: Andrea Arnold's 'strange, beguiling and quietly moving' drama
The Week Recommends Barry Keoghan stars in 'fearless' film combining social and magical realism
By The Week UK Published