Normally you may think of pumpkin as an ingredient for sweet desserts like pie (obviously), cookies, crème brûlée, pudding and mousse, bread and muffins, and so, so much more. But there are so many savory pumpkin recipes that make use of fall’s favorite gourd, too. Think soup and stews, baked cheesy pasta, and basic roast side dishes. Ahead, get to know 20 of our most savory pumpkin recipes. Then try them yourself!
1. Pumpkin Soup With Porcini Crostini
A duo of pumpkin and spaghetti squash team up for this warm and cozy vegan soup that’s served with porcini and Parmesan crostini for a meaty, umami-packed bite.
2. Pumpkin-Gochujang Pasta With Crispy Garlic Chips
Roasted pumpkin not only brings a vibrant orange hue to this pasta recipe, but it also makes spaghetti an instant fall favorite. Pump up the heat by mixing puréed pumpkin with a tablespoon of gochujang, plus buttermilk and pasta water.
3. Sheet-Pan Mac & Cheese With Pumpkin & Brown Butter
If you’re the type of person who likes eating the crunchy top layer off of baked macaroni and cheese, this sheet pan pasta is for you. It’s one even layer of crispy pasta topped with cheddar cheese, panko breadcrumbs, and pumpkin seeds.
4. Short Rib & Pumpkin Chili
Our readers chose this recipe as their all-time favorite one-pot meal, which means the long ingredients list is worth the effort! Crushed tomatoes, black beans, cooking pumpkin, and short ribs create a hearty cold-weather stew.
5. Kale and Italian Sausage Lasagna with Pumpkin Béchamel
This isn’t like the lasagna that you’d get at a typical red sauce joint. Layers of kale, Italian sausage, spiced pumpkin béchamel, sage ricotta, and fresh mozzarella bring autumnal flavor between every layer of lasagna noodles.
6. Pumpkin 'Brain' Chutney
After you’ve carved a pumpkin for Halloween, don’t dump the innards in your compost. Turn them into chutney! This vegan preparation makes use of the “webbings” from inside the pumpkin and turns them into a savory pumpkin dish that you can serve with rice or roti.
7. Pumpkin Beer and Goat Cheese Soup
As soon as the first six-pack of Oktoberfest or pumpkin beer hits the shelves, it’s officially fall. Roasted sugar pie pumpkin is cooked with warm spices and your favorite pumpkin beer and then is puréed into a creamy, warm concoction. Top with goat cheese and toasted pepitas.
8. Chickpea, Pumpkin, and Sage Stew
“A one-dish pantry meal to usher you into fall. The bulk of this dinner comes down to canned chickpeas, canned pumpkin purée, a handful of quick-cooking pasta, and a quart of chicken broth tossed together in a pot; the rest, of course, involves simply simmering and seasoning with a few fresh ingredients,” writes recipe developer Caroline Wright.
9. Cheese Fondue Stuffed Roasted Pumpkin
Your Halloween party just got infinitely better with this autumnal, crowd-friendly appetizer. Two kinds of cheese—Emmental and Gruyere —fill a sugar pumpkin along with toasted bread cubes and a spiced cream mixture.
10. Kaddo (Afghan Pumpkin with Yogurt and Tomato Sauces)
Sweet, cinnamon-y roasted pumpkin meets garlicky yogurt and a fragrant tomato sauce in this savory pumpkin recipe from Joy Huang of The Cooking of Joy.
11. Pasta Al Forno with Pumpkin and Pancetta
You can guarantee that this five-cheese (count ‘em...five!) baked pasta with a creamy pumpkin purée and salty pancetta will be on our dinner table week after week this fall.
12. Crispy Fried Pumpkin with Salted Egg Yolk
Bookmark this recipe and start the process for making salted egg yolks, because it takes a few weeks. But once it’s ready, you can dive into the rest of the cooking process.
13. Curried Kale, Pumpkin, and Potato Pie
Pack in more flavor, more filling, and more pumpkin with this deep-dish savory pie. It takes a few hours to prepare, so save this recipe for a chilly weekend cooking project.
14. Pumpkin Mush
Don’t judge a book by its cover...or in this case, a recipe by its name. Sure, mush may not exactly sound appealing, but spiced grits mixed with puréed pumpkin is exactly what we want to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
15. One-Pot Penne With Sausage, Pumpkin & Fennel
For a quick-cooking, family-friendly dinner that requires very little clean-up, turn to this savory pumpkin recipe.
16. Tuscan Bean Soup With Pumpkin and Kale (Zuppa Frantoiana)
As soon as the temperature dips below 60℉, our dinners turn from grilled fish and veggies to soups and stews that warm the soul. This savory pumpkin recipe made with cranberry beans, potatoes, pumpkin, and Tuscan kale fits the bill.
18. Pumpkin Seed & Jalapeño Gremolata
Recipe developer Alison Cayne recommends serving this herby, pumpkin-y sauce with roasted chicken or pork, or drizzled over avocado toast or eggs.
17. Sweet & Salty Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
“Thanks to a sweet and salty coating of balsamic vinegar, vanilla, brown sugar, olive oil, and salt, this recipe is a fun change from your typical roasted pumpkin seeds,” writes recipe developer Phyllis Grant.
19. Pumpkin Gnocchi with Walnut Pesto
Oh my gourd, this is the best upgrade to gnocchi ever—using both pumpkin and Russet potatoes for the dough gives the pasta an orange color and autumnal flavor.
20. Caribbean-Style Chicken Soup
This is the perfect recipe to make mid- to late-September, as it calls for seasonal favorites like corn on the cob and pumpkin that you can only find at the same time during the last few days of summer.
This article was updated in September 2023 to include more of our favorite products.
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