Cooked Pumpkin

This is exactly how I cook my pumpkins. The only thing I will chime in with is that as long as the pumpkin will fit in your bakind dish, and in your oven, there is no reason to cut it first. Save yourself some fingers, and after puncturing it a few times with a fork, bake it whole until it is tender enough to stab through with a fork. Then allow it to cool before you cut it in half. You will find cutting it to be much easier, and often the stem will pull right off.

This is the best method for fresh pumpkin that I have found--when it is done baking and after it has cooled a bit, you just grab the skin side of the pieces of pumpkin and pinch off the pulp into a bowl. You do need to make sure that you drain off as much water as possible after you puree the pumkin, though, or your recipies will be too watery. I put mine in a colander lined with cheesecloth and it worked well. I then measured 2 cups of puree and put it in bags and froze them to make recipies later. FYI: Cheese pumpkins are the ***BEST TASTING*** baking pumpkins, but the small sugar pumpkins work okay, too.

If you drain the water left over be sure not to waste it! It makes any bouillon you have more rich and flavorful, and contains nutrients from the pumpkin. I wouldn't make soup stock without pumpkins!

Decided to throw a pumpkin I had left over from Halloween into the oven whole for 1 hour at 300 degrees & it worked perfectly. No worries about too much water. Cut it, peeled the outer skin, peeled away seeds & pith and threw the rest into my food processor to puree. Turned out great!

It's a great way to cook pumpkin. Another method is to cook it in the microwave oven. I cut a medium-sized pumpkin into quarters and cook them one at a time. After it cools enough for handling I spoon the pumpkin off of the skin into a bowl to puree. I then put it into freezer bags, 2 cups each, for future baking use. :o)

ROTFL oh I love the list of ingredients! You can do this in the oven as suggest, or you can steam it, if you are doing breads, pancakes or pie, it's usually best to steam, but if you are using it for soup or other foods, oven is usually the best. Since it's fall, it's pumpkin season, and to be honest, everyone, and I mean everyone should learn how to cook a pumpkin, pumpkin is just as versatile as a tomato, the possibilities are unlimited, you can even make pumpkin enchilada sauce! Cook a pumpkin in the oven with beef stew inside (Heaven, be sure to add a turnip to the soup, really brings out the flavors!) this is the perfect recipe for everyone to start with... Why are you still reading this? Go cook your pumpkin!

I was REALLY disappointed. This got such rave reviews that I deviated from my regular routine (cut it in half, place cut side down in non-stick coated dish and bake-SIMPLE). This turned into a project that last ALL afternoon to end in a soggy, time consuming mess! Cutting it into "manageable" pieces was pointless, it took twice as long to cook as the recipe called for, it ended up soaking up all of the water, and since I spent $8 on the organic pumpkins, the chunks are in a ziplock bag in my freezer because I was so tired of messing with it.

This was my first time cooking pumpkin and found it very manageable to do. I just found that it was long to cut off the skin off of the small pieces. Otherwise, very good. I used the puree to make pumpking bread and it was a success!

Finally, even I can use a fresh jack-o-lantern to create pies, muffins, breads, etc. Thanks

Good method, I used the pumpkin in a Pumpkin Roll.

Very easy way to cook pumpkin. I used mine in the Potage Soup recipe on this site.

Super easy! Fresh, cooked pumpkin makes such a difference. Once mashed, freezes well. I did NOT cut up. Just poked some holes and bake whole. It is done when you press on it and it is soft and the stem pulls out pretty easily. Let cool, then cut in half, scoop out seeds and enjoy the sweet pumpkin goodness. Thanks!

I just used a cookie sheet to put the pumpkin on. I let the pumpkin cool a good 2-3 hours. When I grabbed the pumpkin to turn it over the skin just came off in my hand! No scooping! Couldn't be easier and could have cut through the pumpkin with a spoon. Pureed in no time. No more anxiety over preparing pumpkin for recipes. Only cuts were to remove the top (stem) and cut in half.

I too bake the pumpkin in the oven, but face down on cookie sheets and then peel from rind into food processor. Pumpkin freezes well in tupperware containers--which I measure out 2 cups for most recipes..and date..

I cooked a whole squash the other day without cutting it up at all. It was fabulous. I simply baked till soft and then cut it in half and cleaned it and let it sit till cool. No cutting chopping or peeling. Try it, you'll love it!

Easy. I poked holes in the pumpkins and just put them on a baking tray and baked. So much easier than the way I usually cook my pumpkins. Thanks!

Read comments. Cooked 'em whole with a couple stab wounds. Perfect. I used a scraping tool that came with a jack-o-lantern kit. Worked like a charm. If I would change anything, I'd cook them longer. I did three medium ones at a time so I think maybe I should have adjusted the time. idk, I'm a cooking noob. lol

I buy pumpkins the day after Halloween every year to bake with. This recipe is probably the easiest way to cook pumpkin. Not having sore hands from peeling a raw pumpkin truly makes the end result more enjoyable. I like to use big "jack-o-latern" pumpkins because their is more meat and I don't notice much difference in the puree compared to the smaller pie pumpkins.

I will NEVER BUY pumpkin again in the can! Making it tastes so much better! Easy to make I freeze enough to last all year! :-)

Great recipe. When the pumpkin was cooled, I scooped it out and put it in a bowl and used a mixer to puree it. I will be using it later today to make pumpkin bread.

Very easy way to cook pumpkin

thank you so much for this tip! i live in europe where it is almost impossible to find canned pumpkins. this was so disappointing since i love to make pumpkin cheesecake, and therefore always waiting until i visited my family in the states to bake them there. since we can buy fresh pumpkins here, especially at the organic market, i will be sure to try this recipe. thanks for the great idea and recipe!

Quick and easy.

Very easy following the directions!

This process worked perfectly for me. I followed another reviewer's advice to freeze it in individual bags for use later in the season.

I loved how easy this was to cook! But I used someone else's idea and baked it whole! My daughter had cooked another pumpkin and she said it was really hard to cut the pumpkin first. It was so easy to scoop out the pumpkin. I only had enough for 1 pie. But it tasted delicious. There was no extra water so I didn't have to squeeze out any water!

This worked great. If you want to use fresh pumpkin this is a perfect method. The only reason I will not do it again is because I couldn't tell the difference taste wise between the fresh and the canned pumpkin. I think it's the same taste with double the work.

I get the smell pie pumpkins, puncture them a few times with a knife and put them in the microwave for 5 min at a time until they are tender; then pull it apart and scoop out the seeds.

Easy and delicious!

I can honestly say, I can totally appreciate the work that goes into making fresh cooked pumpkin verses getting it by the can. I bought 6 "pie pumpkins" which I'm assuming are sugar pumpkins. But non the less. I think the hardest part was getting the pith out and cut up. Other then that. I can see me doing this again. Either way. Now that I can do this on my own, verses buying the can...It's a snitch.

I come from Greece, where pumpkin is rarely used in cooking/baking. Seeing that none of my friends or relatives knew what to do with one, I was intimidated by it. However, this method was perfect! A good sized pumpkin gave me 9 cups of puree. Thanks for this recipe. I'll use it again.

After mashing, DRAIN the pumpkin. Easier to bake with.

I cook my pumpkin in the microwave. Buy small cooking pumpkins that will fit into your microwave. Wash the skin with soap and hot water. Cut two small holes all the way through into the hollow right next to the stem. Microwave full power 10 minets, turn the pumpkin and repeat the process until the skin is loose and leathery. (A pumpkin about the size of your smallest mixing bowl in a standard set, will take 30 min. and render 4 to 5 cups of pulp). Let the whole pumpkin stand for 10 min. before cutting in half. (the steam will burn you so use protection when you cut). Remove with a spoon all the guts and seeds. The pumpkin is then easly scooped and scraped out of the skin. I love this method because there is very little waste. The seeds are still good to process for snacking.

I don't bother with the water, I just wrap in tin foil and bake until tender. Also, any left over puree that you don't need can be frozen in patches for pumpkin bread or muffins for later on in the year.

This was so easy and the best way I have found to cook pumpkin. I didn't even have to time it. I could tell it was done by the flesh turning from a creamsicle orange to a typical pumpkin orange. Remember to let it cool sufficiently or you will burn yourself. Thank you Vi for the good tip.

I didn't cut up the pumpkin until after cooking. It was very easy to cut at that point. I pierced it with a fork several times and then roasted for an hour. The stem came out easily with a pull. I mashed the pumpkin and used it for pumpkin bread and pumpkin cheese cake. Next time I will puree it to get a smoother texture.

Very easy and it turned out great! I used it in a cake recipe and it was wonderful.

EASY! Had always been told to cook pumpkin in boiling water. I just cut my pumpkins in half (as another reviewer suggested) , scooped out seeds and membrane, and they came out beautifully. Thanks for sharing this easy idea!

Thank you sooo much for this recipe! I had a ton of pumpkins to get rid of & with this I was able to make a soup and a pumpkin pie. Next I'm going to work on some pumpkin butter for xmas gifts. This is great!!

this was very easy to do and my family enjoyed the results in pumpkin bread. thanks for the recipe.....sonya

This was an easy recipe but my large pumpkin took a LONG time to cook.

Cooked the pumpkin well, only problem is that it wasnt near done after an hour in the oven and the pumpkin I used was quite small. It took about 90 minutes at 325 degrees F. Thank you for the process, I had no idea how to cook a pumpkin before I found your recipe!

So easy & perfect! Made pumpkin chocolate chips with it & it turned out FABULOUS!!!!!

WOW, this was great. Did exactly as instructed and it was perfect

One of the farms in our area had 3 sugar pumpkins laying on the ground, for free. I picked them up the week of Thanksgiving and roasted them per some of the other reviewers. Have 3 large bags of frozen pumpkin in the freezer and will be making a pumpkin bread and chocolate chip/pumpkin loaf for my family to enjoy. Simple. I even gave the pumpking seeds to my daughter for her family.

This is such an easy and great way to prepare fresh pumpkin to be used in all kinds of recipes.

Perfection. after I used all of mine for pumpkin bread I wondered if I could of just added a little butter and eaten it like an acorn squash. anyone know?

best way to get fresh pumpkin that is not from a can. I hate using canned foods, they just taste wrong.

The only thing I do differently is use a crockpot.

Easy...I forgot to add water, and it was ok anyhow

Cut into manageable pieces? Why? I had never cooked pumpkin before, so I just did what it said. I have cooked other squash - and I have always just halved it and cooked it. When it took longer to cook than the recipe said, I looked at some other recipes on line. ALL of them said to half the pumpkin. Manageable pieces. Ugh!!!! There was nothing manageable about them. I had to cut more and peel more. I hope people read my review before they cook pumpkin in this ridiculous way.

I do this but put my pumpkin in at 350° and I do not add water.

I love this easy simple recipe. Followed another reviewers advice and put half a pumpkin (which i stabbed with a knife a few times) skin side up and baked at 150' C for 1.5 hrs. Important to remember to add some water too the baking pan. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

Worked great for me!! Added a little liquid when blending for easier blend

I used this to make fresh pumpkin pie and it was perfect!

I tried cooking a pumpkin whole for the first time. It took more than an hour (but it was larger than a pie pumpkin). When it was done I could cut it in quarters with a fork! I let it cool a bit for easier handling, and to my pleasant surprise it's easier to separate the fiber and seeds from the cooked pumpkin flesh than the raw. One tip: if you let your pumpkin cool, the liquid will run out. Pour some of that liquid into the food processor to get your pumpkin to perfect consistency.

worked like a charm.

I cook with fresh pumpkin all the time. In my house it is just another winter squash. BUT I cook it the same way I cook all winter squashes, whole with some holes poked in it IN THE MICROWAVE. Usually takes 5 minutes depending on the size. let cool, cut, scoop out seeds, separate from shell. Also freezes at this point.

This was not particularly flavorful.

easy method but it does take time-- feel free to adjust based on what type of pumpkin you have-- smaller chunks cook faster! I would also forgo the water-- pumpkins are SO wet.