Baked pumpkin: the recipe for an easy and tasty autumn side dish

The baked pumpkin it’s a outline easy to prepare and very tasty, perfect to accompany meat or fish dishes. Ideal for autumn, when pumpkin is in season, this recipe lends itself to many customizations: you can in fact choose the variety of pumpkin you prefer – mantovana, delica, yellow pumpkin or butternut – and season it with aromatic herbs or spices according to your taste, or even just with a drizzle of oil. For example, we have chosen oil, garlic and rosemary as a condiment, but pumpkin is also excellent with other aromatic herbs such as thyme, sage or parsley, or flavored with sweet or smoked paprika. If you don’t like garlic you can omit it, while if you want a crispier result you can sprinkle the surface of the pumpkin with breadcrumbs or add slivered almonds and pumpkin seeds.

The preparation is really simple and suitable even for beginners: just cut the pumpkin into thin slices, with or without skin according to your preferences, and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. After seasoning it, all you have to do is cook it in the oven at 180°C for 30 minutes: in a few steps you will have created a delicious side dish that will conquer everyone thanks to its tender consistency and its delicate, slightly sweet flavor.

Besides being a side dish, baked pumpkin can be used as base for other preparations, including lasagna, risotto, parmigiana, velvety but also savory tarts and main dishes: in this case, consider seasoning it before cooking or leaving it plain. It is also perfect for preparing in large quantities and freezing to always have it available, ready to use in many recipes with sweet and savory pumpkin.

So here are the steps to prepare a truly delicious baked pumpkin.

How to prepare pumpkin in the oven

To start, wash the pumpkin thoroughly, then cut it in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. 1. Don’t throw away the seeds: roasted they become an excellent snack.

Obtain slices of equal thickness 2 and arrange them on the baking sheet, trying not to overlap them.

Season them with rosemary, salt and garlic and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil 3.

Bake at 180°C for 30 minutes: the pumpkin should be tender and slightly golden 4.

When ready, arrange the cooked pumpkin on a serving platter and serve 5.

Tips

If you prefer, you can cut the pumpkin into cubes instead of slices: this way the cooking in the oven will be faster, it will only take 15 minutes.

We chose not to peel the pumpkin, because after cooking the skin will also become soft and tasty. However, if you prefer to remove it, we advise you to do so immediately after cooking, when it will more easily detach from the pulp.

storage

Cooked pumpkin can be stored for 1-2 daysin the refrigerator, in an airtight container.