Now that Halloween is over, millions of creatively carved pumpkins are about to meet their final fate. Yes, the dreaded garbage can. Hopefully, you remembered to save those delicious, health-infused pumpkin seeds for roasting in the oven. If not, no problem. You can always buy dried pumpkin seeds at your local grocery store and get roasting!
Roasting pumpkin seeds are not exactly a new idea. However, since I love to infuse global flavors into my recipes, rather than tossing the seeds as usual, I put them to good use and oven-roasted them using a combination of spices from my pantry.
I love the flavors of Louisiana. Creole spice has a distinct smoke flavor that creates an interesting depth to the food. Combined with a splash of sea salt gives the seed a smoky, salty flavor made famous in the south.
I also created a Mediterranean flavor by using
In the fall
After experimenting with three unique flavors options, I made a dessert-flavored seed to offset the saltiness of the others. Everybody’s favorite cinnamon and sugar was the perfect addition to the collection.
Pumpkin seeds are a heart-healthy, immune-supporting snack you can make anytime of the year. If you are looking for a unique treat to share at your Thanksgiving dinner, roasted pumpkins seeds make an excellent choice.
I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you’ve made it please share it with me by tagging @culinary.butterfly on Instagram or @culinarybutterfly on Pinterest, or by using the hashtag #culinarybutterfly on Facebook
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| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 15-30 minutes |
| Servings |
cup
|
- 1 cup pumpkin seeds, in shells
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Spices of your choice
Ingredients
|
|
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Prepare a baking sheet by spraying with olive oil.
- Boil pumpkin seeds in salted water for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and drain water. Transfer the seeds to a medium bowl.
- Add olive oil and toss seeds until evenly coated.
- Spread the pumpkin seeds on to a prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Here is an example of too many seeds on one tray. Keep it spread thin for the best roasting results.
- Bake on the top rack for 10 to 30 minutes depending on the size of your seeds. Toss seeds every 5 to 10 minutes to toast evenly. Be careful not to over toast or the seeds will burn. When the pumpkin seeds are lightly browned, remove from the oven and transfer to a bowl, or separate bowls if using more than one seasoning.
- Sprinkle seasoning on top of pumpkins seeds and mix until the seeds are evenly coated.
- Store in an airtight container once seeds are completely cooled.
- Thinner seeds will take much less time roasting than thicker seeds. Never depend on the timing suggestions since the vast variety of seeds require different baking times.
- Pumpkin seeds are done when they are dry and lightly browned.
- Seeds will get slightly harder when cooled.
Recipe by Lisa Soldo-Johnson for www.culinarybutterfly.com