My Favorite Pumpkin Comfort Food Recipes

Hi Sweetheart,

Can you feel it? The air has a little bite, the wind is stronger than it was last week—winter might be coming, but fall is here. There’s something magical about the first nights that are cool enough to light a fire and the sea of jack-o-lanterns flickering throughout the neighborhood. The coziness of fall is a great time for soups, stews and all varieties of warm, delicious comfort food.

Cooking has a special place in my heart. Making good food is a way to honor my heritage and my self. It’s a legacy from my grandma, and one of the ways I share my love for the sweet peeps in my life. There’s a sacredness in cooking that goes deep, deep down. When the food is healthy, wholesome and prepared with love, it feeds us on spiritual level. We literally tell our cells and our souls that we matter. I can’t think of a kinder fall message. Which is why this blog packed with seasonal recipes to nourish your wonderful self.

Choosing a healthy, yummy recipe is exceptionally easy when you add the seasonal staple: pumpkin. Whether or not you have a mystic Great Pumpkin experience (a la Linus), these squashies are magic in the kitchen. They can be savory or sweet, warm or cold, and come packed with all the vitamin A you could ever hope to eat, plus vitamin C, calcium and iron. Nutritious & delicious, for real!

When it comes to trusty recipes, I turn to Chad Sarno, my cohort and collaborator for Crazy Sexy Kitchen (and cooking smarty behind Rouxbe’s plant-based online cooking courses). Let’s dig into the incredible pumpkin-packed recipes that talented Sir Sarno has created for us. Thank you, Chad!

Roasted Winter Squash with Maple Bourbon Glaze

This recipe is a total twofer. The technique can be used to roast any winter squash with success, and the glaze is a punch of side dish perfection.

Pumpkin Bisque

Velvety, warming and simple. A filling bowlful of bisque takes the bite out of winter nights. I’d serve this with a big, colorful green salad.

Raw Pumpkin Mousse with Coconut Cream & Candied Pecans

Says Chad, “Pumpkin when eaten raw typically is quite starchy and depending on the hard squash used can also carry a bitterness. Many raw pumpkin pies out there actually use carrots, or sweet potatoes due to the starchiness of raw pumpkin. This is why I like to marinate my pumpkin prior to blending into the mousse. When you marinate overnight, it allows the starchiness to fade away and break down slightly. This also works great as a pie filling.” Sold!

Bonus! A pumpkin pie smoothie from the smoothie superiors over at Vega.

I hope these gems warm your kitchens, bellies and souls.

Tell me in the comments: what does “comfort food” mean to you? What foods make you feel most nourished, body and spirit?

Photo Credits: Kate Lewis, Andrew Scrivani & Vega 

Peace & pumpkins,