When the calendar hits September 22nd, the world loses their collective pumpkin minds. #PSL starts trending all across social media. Pumpkin spice beverages begin flowing and the aroma of pumpkin bread wafts through America. Baking sheets are covered with pumpkin seeds and roasted with olive oil as giggling children scoop out pumpkin guts for Halloween jack-o-lanterns. Cool Whip flies off the shelves and right onto freshly baked pumpkin pies.
Adorable mini pumpkins, painted with silly faces decorate desks and store windows. But small pumpkins aren't just decorative. They are super easy to work with and have some impressive nutrition information. Per cup, there are 12 grams of carbohydrates and just one cup gives you almost 100% of your daily vitamin A needs. Plus, cooked pumpkin is versatile and delicious as a dessert or savory pumpkin side dish.
5 Recipes Using Small Pumpkins
So as you sip your pumpkin spice latte and carefully choose your decorative little pumpkins, pick up a few extras to make these very Fall-inspired recipes.
Savory Mushroom and Quinoa Stuffed Mini Pumpkins - Simple Seasonal
This is the cutest side dish you will ever see. Individual mini pumpkins are hollowed out, seasoned with salt and black pepper and then cooked with their tops off. When the flesh is tender, stuff with a protein rich quinoa and mushroom sautee. If quinoa isn't your thing, any rice or barley grain will work.
Baked Miniature Pumpkins Recipe - Allrecipes
Another recipe that serves up cute individual roasted pumpkins. This recipe calls for all the traditional flavors like a teaspoon of brown sugar, sweet butter and cinnamon. Drizzle with maple syrup for an immersive Fall experience. Cut down on prep time by cooking in the microwave for 15 minutes.
Get the recipe here.
Apple Crisp Stuffed Mini Pumpkin - The View from Great Island
This is like two desserts in one! In the spirit of another Thanksgiving favorite, the Turducken, this is an apple crisp stuffed into a baked mini pumpkin. Spiced and diced apples with walnuts or pecans are baked for about 45 minutes total time until soft. Really stuff that sucker with the filling overflowing for a rustic presentation.
Mac & Cheese Stuffed Pumpkin - Cooking On the Side
Ok, are you sitting down? You can make macaroni & cheese in a pumpkin. Yes, you heard me. Mac 'n cheese is made with elbow noodles, fontina, and gruyere cheese, Italian sausage, and fresh herbs. Like a fancy distant cousin of beef-a-roni, this recipe is a little labor intensive but still simple and TOTALLY worth it. The sweet pumpkin and savory sausage is a perfect pairing.
Pumpkin Bisque Served in a Miniature Pumpkin Shell - Pizzazzerie
Canned pumpkin puree is your friend when it comes to preparing this creamy pumpkin soup. The fancy name for creamy soup is bisque and fancy is how this dish feels. Butternut squash puree adds depth of flavor to this elegant dish. Place pumpkins on the cutest fall-inspired mini dishes you can find.
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