3 wasteless pumpkin recipes that are perfect for fall

Here’s a spooky statistic for you: nearly 80,000 metric tonnes of nutrient-rich pumpkins are produced in Canada each year----and most of them never get eaten. 

Instead, we carve them into Jack-o-lanterns and use them to decorate our porch for Halloween, only to throw them away the next day producing a ton of unnecessary food waste.

But here’s the good news: you can have your Jack-o-lantern and eat it too.

Soups, muffins, pie, pumpkin spice lattes… October’s humble pumpkin is so much more than just a decoration for Halloween---it’s also a deliciously versatile ingredient packed with vitamin A and fibre. 

And we’re here to show you just how versatile it really is with three delightfully comforting pumpkin recipes that bring on the taste and reduce the waste.

Pumpkin soup

Warm up with IGA’s coziest pumpkin soup recipe yet. Its sugar pumpkin base makes for a creamy, lightly sweet and satisfying soup, with a 10/10 cozy factor. An excellent way to kick off pumpkin season!

Ingredients

• 3 cups (750 ml) chicken broth
• 4 cups (1 L) pumpkin, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 potatoes, cut into chunks
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Fresh tarragon sprigs
• 2 cups (500 ml) milk or dairy alternative

Instructions

1. In a saucepan, heat oil and sauté onion for 2-3 minutes. Then add celery, potatoes and pumpkin.
2. Pour in chicken broth, add tarragon and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender.
3. Remove tarragon sprigs and puree mixture in a food processor, high-speed blender or use a handheld blender.
4. Return soup to saucepan and stir in milk.

Roasted pumpkin seeds 

Once you’ve finished carving out your pumpkin, make sure to save the seeds. You can roast them this quick and healthy fall snack you’ll want to munch on all season long. Simply Recipes is here to show you how. 

Ingredients

• 1 pumpkin
• Salt
• Extra Virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat over to 400°F and coat the bottom of a roasting pan or baking sheet with olive oil. Set aside.
2. Scrape the seeds out of your pumpkin, add them to a colander and rinse them under cold water to separate the seeds from the flesh.
3. Pour 2 cups of water into a medium saucepan with 1 tbsp of salt for every ½ cup of pumpkin seeds. Add pumpkin seeds and bring everything to a boil.
4. Simmer for 10 minutes, then remove and drain.
5. Spread your seeds evenly across your greased roasting pan and toss to coat with the oil already on the pan.
6. Bake on top rack for 5-20 minutes, until seeds become golden brown. The smaller your seeds, the faster they’ll bake. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan before enjoying.

Give your pumpkin seeds a flavourful twist

Feeling adventurous? Try these mouth-watering seasoning ideas and watch your pumpkin seeds take on a whole new level of deliciousness. 

For a spicy snack

Dust your pumpkin seeds in a pinch of chili powder, curry powder or herbes de provence.

For a sweet and salty treat

Toss in a little pumpkin spice blend, cinnamon and sugar, or even maple syrup!

Maple Pumpkin Pie

We're already massive fans of pumpkin pie. But pumpkin pie with a sweet drizzle of golden maple syrup? Heavenly. And we have your recipe right here, courtesy of Ricardo Cuisine.

Ingredients

For the flaky pie crust:

• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp sugar
• Pinch of salt
• ⅓ cup unsalted butter, chilled and diced
• 1 tbsp ice water
• 1 ½ tsp of white vinegar

For the filling:

• 2 eggs
• ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (250 ml) maple syrup
• ½ cup (125 ml) 25% whipping cream
• 1 ¾ cups (430 ml) unsweetened pumpkin puree, fresh or canned
• Maple sugar, to sprinkle (optional)
• Whipped cream

Instructions

For the pie crust:

1. Preheat over to 375°F with the rack in the lowest position.
2. In a food processor, mix flour, sugar and salt. Add butter and pulse a few seconds each time until the butter cubes resemble the size of small peas. 
3. Add water and vinegar and pulse a few times until the dough begins to form.
4. Place dough on the counter and shape it into a disk using your hands. Wrap your disk in clingwrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.
5. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough enough to line a 9-inch pie plate. Trim dough to 1 inch beyond the edge of the pie plate, then fold the excess dough under itself to create a double-thick crust. 
6. Use your fingers to crimp the crust and refrigerate for another 30 minutes.

For the filling:

1. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, flour and maple syrup until smooth. Mix in cream and pumpkin puree until well incorporated. Pour the filling into the crust.
2. Bake pie for 35 minutes or until crust is golden.
3. Cool on a wire rack before sprinkling with maple sugar and serving with whipped cream.

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