Cooking with Canned Pumpkin

This time of year is all about adding pumpkin to everything. Canned pumpkin is a healthy and affordable ingredient to have in your pantry. You can store canned pumpkin for quite a while so it is a good idea to buy several cans when it is on sale. Be careful that you buy pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling.

It’s so easy to add canned pumpkin to everyday meals. When following recipes, one 15-ounce can has almost 2 cups of pumpkin puree and a 29-ounce can has 3 ½ cups. If you open a can of pumpkin and have some left over, try one of these ideas:

1 cup (½ of a 15-ounce can)

• Make Pumpkin Fiesta Dip
  In a blender, mix together ½ cup salsa, one 15-ounce can white beans and 1 cup (or ½ can) pumpkin purée. Serve with veggies or tortilla chips.
• Add to a jar of pasta sauce.
• Whip into mashed potatoes.
• Stir into chili or vegetable soup.
• Stir into macaroni and cheese.
• Mix into casseroles.

¼ cup

• Blend into a smoothie
• Make a Pumpkin Nut Spread for fruit slices or whole wheat toast
  Mix together ¼ cup peanut or sunflower seed butter with ¼ cup pumpkin puree. Sprinkle some cinnamon on top.

1-2 Tablespoons

• Stir into your oatmeal
• Stir with cinnamon into vanilla yogurt. This also makes a yummy dip for fruits.
• Make pumpkin parfait
• Mix into salad dressing

These amounts are just suggestions, so it’s okay if you use a bit more or a bit less. Even small amounts will give your meals a healthy boost! If you’re short on time, freeze leftover canned pumpkin in ice cubes to use in smoothies or soups.

Cooking with canned pumpkin is an easy and affordable way to add more vegetables to your meals. Try adding canned pumpkin to your meals this week.