What to make with pumpkin/sweet potato/butternut squash purees?

[jedovaty]

I have a dozen canned purees of three varieties: pumpkin, sweet potato, and butternut squash.

 

Besides pie, soup, dog biscuits, and compost, how else can I use these up?

 

Why do I have a dozen cans?  Ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies 🙈🙉🙊

[jedovaty]

PS: I did a search on the great goog, and most instructions are how to make the purees, and then nothing was really inspiring 🤷‍♂️  Just looking for some creative ideas.

 

Maybe ice cream??  I have the ninja creami.  Hmmm.

[Darienne]

I must admit that I hear the great compost in the sky calling....

[BeeZee]

Muffins or bread use some puree, ravioli filling, and I like the idea of using the Creami to make ice cream!

As they are cans, if you really aren’t feeling inspired, a food pantry would take them.

[Anna N]

Provided they have not expired why not donate them?

[Margaret Pilgrim]

While (of course) I can't put my finger on the recipe, last year I made an extraordinarily elegant and delicious soup from a Fairytale pumpkin jack o-lantern.   It was very simple, probably just pumpkin and chicken/vegetable broth, no spices, but seasoned with orange juice and zest.  

[Anna N]

8 minutes ago, BeeZee said:

Muffins or bread use some puree, ravioli filling, and I like the idea of using the Creami to make ice cream!

As they are cans, if you really aren’t feeling inspired, a food pantry would take them.

Sorry, I missed your comment about the food pantry and have repeated the suggestion.  

[heidih]

I make a lot of curry type dishes and add that as a creamy element. Works in many savory stew type dishes adding as noted creaminess and a hint of sweet "hhmm what is that flavor?" Another example would be in legume dishes like lentil or split pea soup or more stiff preps. Think of it as a slightly sweet/spicy starch. Mashed potatoes will play with it. A heavily spiced pumpkin bread is a Christmas go to. Quick, easy, lasts, freezes. 

 

And unfair - back story needed ')

Edited March 19, 2023 by heidih (log)

[heidih]

OOPS - forgot a ladies gathering fave - layered into a cheese heavy lasagna esp if spicy sausage included. Use as the liquid element in cornbread. And as part of a pasta sauce with the pork product of choice.

Edited March 19, 2023 by heidih (log)

[BonVivant]

I eat about 15 pumpkins and squashes every season. The possibilities are near endless if you include whole pumpkins!

 

Some ideas for the puree (I don't do recipes):

"Hummus" with kebab spiced mince:

Dumplings:

Another type of dumpling (ready to freeze):

Button dumplings:

Steamed parcels:

Pasta sauce:

Flan:

Pancakes:

 

 

Spreads:

 

"Quesadillas":

 

Sweet potato version:

 

Breads/rolls:

 

"Pretzels":

 

Muffins:

 

Soup is a no-brainer for cold and wet days:

 

 

 

 

[jedovaty]

@heidih Great timing, I made a big pot of caribbean chicken curry for the week, dumped in a can of the puree instead of coconut milk.  It is delicious!

 

One down, 11 to go.

 

I like the idea of trying to make some cookies, and the ravioli filling sounds doable as well.  Dumpling noodles sound good.. actually, that gives me an idea, a different take on gnocchi or strapački/halušky!  Ooooo I'll try that next.  I have a brand new halšukar that needs some testing, just need to find some good brindza or alternates.  Mmmm.

 

Thanks for all the inputs, this has been helpful

[jedovaty]

Missed opportunity to use a can last night in my chicken paprikas dinner, drat!  Would've been a variation of the curry.  Oh, well.  Anyway, just used a second can: 2 down, 10 to go. 

 

Mini muffins with fresh milled oat and wheat flour, ginger, molasses, and maple syrup.  They are only slightly sweet so they can be versatile and accompany both savory and sweet dishes.  Bit chewier than I'd like, probably mixed them too much, but still pretty tasty.

 

Next I will attempt to make noodles/dumplings/gnocci/halusky, hopefully next week.

[Anna N]

Some more thoughts.

But I would definitely look at how many ways I could use them as a base just as one might do with polenta. @blue_dolphinoften posts delicious looking meals over a creamy base of some sort. If you season them up appropriately I could see them working very well. 

[Shelby]

I didn't make it, so I'm no help at all with a recipe, but for Thanksgiving I bought Sweet Potato Pecan Praline ice cream.  It needed....something....maybe more cinnamon.

[blue_dolphin]

29 minutes ago, Shelby said:

I didn't make it, so I'm no help at all with a recipe, but for Thanksgiving I bought Sweet Potato Pecan Praline ice cream.  It needed....something....maybe more cinnamon.

 

I made this Kabocha Vanilla Chai Ice Cream with the Ninja Creami, using canned pumpkin purée instead of the kabocha squash.  It was good. With praline pecans, it would have been even better! 

[blue_dolphin]

On 3/19/2023 at 3:47 PM, jedovaty said:

I like the idea of trying to make some cookies, and the ravioli filling sounds doable as well.

Over in this post, I shared the recipe for the butternut squash filling that Evan Funke has in American Sfoglino.  He simmers the purée with butter and sage leaves to reduce it, making it thick and also very flavorful. Edited to add that in my hands, it reduced in volume to about half of the original. I think you could easily adapt that to a canned purée.  

 

 

Edited April 12, 2023 by blue_dolphin
add volume reduction (log)

[gfweb]

Ravioli sauce w sage.

[jedovaty]

2 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

Over in this post, I shared the recipe for the butternut squash filling that Evan Funke has in American Sfoglino.  He simmers the purée with butter and sage leaves to reduce it, making it thick and also very flavorful. Edited to add that in my hands, it reduced in volume to about half of the original. I think you could easily adapt that to a canned purée. 

An entire stick of butter that is going to be good!  I will give a something like this a try, I've made ravioli and tortellini before, and have always wanted to try the butternut/kabocha squash varieties! 

 

Regarding ice cream, that vanilla chai seems very unique.  I was just gifted the salt-n-straw ice cream recipe book a couple weeks ago, which has a pumpkin and spiced goat cheese ice cream, also sounds interesting.  Maybe I'll try both. Mmmm.

[heidih]

2 hours ago, gfweb said:

Ravioli sauce w sage.

Reminds me of a popular Rachel Ray recipe for a pasta, pumpkin, sage, sausage recipe often refernced. I have not watched her (too frenetic) but the linked recipe is a simple version that I think Kim Severson mentioned when she did a piece on RR. Uses puree and store bought Italian sausage.  https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/pasta-with-pumpkin-and-sausage-recipe-1939614

Edited April 13, 2023 by heidih (log)

[Pete Fred]

If you fancy a slice of cake, Kristin Rosenau's Pumpkin Espresso Cake is rather good.

[Maison Rustique]

One of my favorite fast food pantry meals is to make soup with a can of pumpkin and a can of coconut milk. Spice as you like--curry, cumin, sage, or whatever you like. I know you said ideas other than soup, but I could eat this for lunch every couple of days in some form.

[kayb]

I’ve added it to yeast breads to good effect.

[TdeV]

11 minutes ago, kayb said:

I’ve added it to yeast breads to good effect.

 

How much, Kay?

[kayb]

Umm. Been a while. I think I used about a cup, and reduced the liquid to compensate.

[TdeV]

Reduced liquid by same amount or less, @kayb?