After decorating your pumpkins, you may be wondering what to do with all your leftover bits. Don’t throw it away! Using them up in a recipe is both good for the environment and good for you taste buds. Try out these recipes below for some inspiration.

Pumpkin fries

Ingredients:

• 1/2 a medium pumpkin
• 2tsp of garlic granules
• 2tsb dried oregano
• Salt
• Oil

Method:

• Heat oven to 220°C
• Peel pumpkin with potato peeler and remove all of the seeds.
• Cut the flesh into thin fries.
• Put on a baking tray and cover with oil, garlic, oregano and salt.
• Bake for approximately 20 mins.

Pumpkin soup

Ingredients:

• 1.5kg pumpkin
• Olive oil
• 1tsb dried chilli powder
• 1tsb coriander
• 1 large onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 carrot
• 1 stick of celery
• 1 litre hot vegetable stock (cube)
• Salt
• Pepper

Method:

• Heat oven to 170°C.
• Cut pumpkin into wedges as best as possible, remove seeds and drizzle with olive oil.
• Sprinkle chilli, coriander, salt  and pepper over pumpkin.
• Roast for one hour until soft.
• Chop onion, garlic, carrot and celery and cook until soft.
• Then, add to pan with vegetables and add hot stock.
• Blend with stick blender to required thickness.

Pumpkin seeds

Ingredients:

• 200g of pumpkin seeds
• 2tbsp of oil
• 2tbsp granulated sugar
• 1tsb cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• 1/2 tsp of nutmeg

Method:

• Heat oven to 180°C.
• Scoop out inside of pumpkin and separate seeds from pulp as much as possible.
• Mix oil and seasoning in bowl add seeds and coat.
• Spread seeds in one layer on greased baking sheet.
• Bake for 30 mins, stirring every 10 mins. Remove when golden brown.

Pumpkin crisps

Ingredients:

•  1 medium-sized pumpkin
•  Olive oil
•  Salt and pepper
•  Spices to taste

Method:

•  Preheat the oven to 180°C.
• Remove the seeds of the pumpkin properly.
• Use a potato peeler or a mandolin slices to cut  the pumpkin slices really thin.
• Spread them evenly and in a single layer and sprinkle with olive oil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Once browned take them out and season with salt, pepper and spices to taste.

Pumpkin bread

Ingredients:

• 220g all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoonground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 150g granulated sugar
• 100g packed light or dark brown sugar
• 340g pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)
• 120ml vegetable oil
• 60ml orange juice
• 120g semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C degrees.
• Spray a 9×5 inch loaf pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
• Whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and salt together until combined.
• In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together until combined. Whisk in the pumpkin, oil, and orange juice.
• Pour these wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently mix together. There will be a few lumps. Do not over mix.
• Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
• Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
• Bake for 60-65 minutes, making sure to loosely cover the bread with aluminum foil halfway through to prevent the top from getting too brown.
• The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with only a few small moist crumbs.

Pumpkin pie

Ingredients:

• 750g pumpkin
• 350g sweet shortcrust pastry
• Plain flour, for dusting
• 140g caster sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp fresh nutmeg, grated
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 25g butter
• 175ml milk
• 1 tbsp icing sugar

Method:

• Bring the pumpkin to the boil in a saucepan. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain the pumpkin and let cool.
• Heat oven to 180°C.
• Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and use it to line a loose-bottomed tart tin. Chill for 15 minutes.
• Line the pastry with baking parchment and baking beans, then bake for 15 mins. Remove the beans and paper, and cook for a further 10 mins. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
• Increase oven to 220°C.
• Push the cooled pumpkin through a sieve into a bowl.
• In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, salt, nutmeg and half the cinnamon.
• Mix in the beaten eggs, melted butter and milk, then add to the pumpkin purée and stir to combine.
• Pour into the tart shell and cook for 10 mins.
• Then reduce the temperature to 180°C. Continue to bake for 35-40 mins until the filling has just set.
• Leave to cool, then remove the pie from the tin.
• Mix the remaining cinnamon with the icing sugar and dust over the pie. Serve chilled.