Recently, a co-worker came to me with a number of questions about canned, solid pack pumpkin: Is it sweetened? Does it have spices in it? What is it used for?
Well, Alexis — and anyone else curious to know — here's the answer you've been waiting for. Solid pack pumpkin is exactly that: just pumpkin, and nothing else (despite the misleading pumpkin pie that is often on the label). It's sometimes called pumpkin purée or "100% pure pumpkin" to distinguish it from the similarly named canned pumpkin pie filling, which contains sugar and spices.
Although you can make it yourself, buying solid pack pumpkin — which is free of preservatives — saves you the effort of seeding, roasting, scooping, and blending pumpkin flesh until smooth. The purée can be used as a time-saving measure when making pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, and pumpkin soup.
Have you ever bought solid pack pumpkin? What did you use it for?
My-Wardrobe.com
Yves Saint Laurent
Marni
Due to my initial mis-reading of a recipe's ingredients, last week I bought 3 cans of pumpkin, when I only needed 1! That means in the last few weeks I've had pumpkin cupcakes, pumpkin risotto, and pumpkin soup. I still have a can left, so pumpkin bread here I come!
1I buy canned pumpkin every year - it doesn't seem like fall without it! One of my favorite treats to make is pumpkin chocolate chip cookies (there's actually a great recipe for them on this site). I've also made pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin soup, and, of course, the classic pumpkin pie.
2Yes I buy it and use it for pumpkin pies, pumpkin bread and pumpkin cheesecake. Yum!
3Ironically, I bought packed pumpkin over the weekend to use in a gravy for a pot roast. It received rave reviews.
4I LOVE this stuff.... my sister and I made vegetarian "sloppy joes" with this last year, it was DELICIOUS
5I use it for pumpkin pies. I'm thinking of making pumpkin muffins soon, though.
6mmm..it is great in pancakes too! My favorite is pumpkin soup.
7Just bought this this weekend to make Paula Deen's Pumpkin Baked Pasta recipe.... yum!
8Of course I buy canned pumpkin! The recipe for pumpkin chocolate chunk cookies here on yumsugar was the first thing I made with it this year. I also make pumpkin bread and of course pumpkin pie every year.
9I'd really love some more savory pumpkin recipes. Mamasita, vegetarian sloppy joes with pumpkin? Please share!
10Pumpkin and black bean soup! Yum!
11Oh yes, North loves it!
12Pumpkin pies, every year! But this year I'm going to try pumpkin pancakes and pumpkin bread and pumpkin scones!
13my mom uses it to make some type of cream cheese pumpkin rolls.
14Fresh Pumpkin is the BEST! It's so easy too! All you do is cook like any other squash and then use it the same way you would canned! It makes the best pie!
15Yes, it a staple in my pantry. I do all of the above and have used it in African and so many other cultural dishes. It's also great for a fat substitute in baking when I wanna feel healthy.
To doogirl - roasted pecans and candied (or not) ginger are a great addition to your pumpkin scones.
16CarebearNJ (Hey, I'm from NJ! Woo Jersey girls!) have you posted the pumpkin recipe on Kitchen Goddess? Iiiii'm crazy for risotto and pumpkin risotto sounds AWESOME.
I've used it to make pumpkin bread and pumkin brownies with white chocolate chips so far this year. Both were very yummy. I just bought two more cans at the store yesterday... there are so many delicious-sounding recipies to try! I
17I buy it every year, I always make pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving and then normally will have pumpkin smoothies, pancakes, cookies, or breads throughout the holiday. I love this time of yr because I can totally go bake crazy
18I add a scoop to piping hot steel cut oatmeal. Yummy! Or mix it with honey as a face mask.
19Canned pumpkin is fine, but why do we pretend that pumpkin is a seasonal food if all we use is canned? Let's all take advantage of the great surplus our local farms produce by using fresh pumpkin in the fall. Use the canned in the winter.
20Ok, so maybe I'm in the minority, but all I ever see at the store is solid-pack pumpkin; I've NEVER seen pumpkin pie filling with the sugar/spices already in it. And I use it a lot...it's great for pumpkin bread, soups, etc. And my dog also loves it and it's good for her.
21I just learned that pumpkins are complicated. Libby's "pumpkin" is a type of pumpkin but very similar to butternut squash, from what I can tell. Libby's is cucurbita moschata. Most pumpkins, as we know them, are cucurbita pepo. I'm not suggesting one is better than the other, just kind of interesting.
22http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumpkin
Pumpkin in a tin! That's so bizarre.
I've never seen a can of pumpkin here (NZ).
It's not a dessert food, either, though. Pumpkins are just a standard roast vegetable for dinner, or they're made into pumpkin soup. Yummy, though!
23I give it to my dogs at night to help ease the one's colitis. It seems to help, though not sure it is supposed to?!
24Other than that, pumpkin pie, pumpkin squares, pumpkin bread... I could go on.
Amen, AbbyHintz! Use fresh seasonal produce, help boost local economy and encourage your farmers!
25I eat canned pumpkin every single day at breakfast, around 8 or so ounces... sprinkled with cinnamon and with a poached egg on the side... Sometimes when it's cold outside I warm the pumpkin in the microwave but that's pretty much the extent of me cooking it... It's delicious! I go through about 4-5 cans a week (15 ounce ones) but I am sure if the store kept selling the 29 ounce cans I wouldn't need so much but NOOO ever since the pumpkin drought the big cans are MIA... but at least they have the little ones again! DELICIOUS!
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