Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Have you carved the obligatory pumpkins for the season? If not, chances are good that you will be doing just that in the next few days. Here's a photo of one that my nephew carved this year.

Tip: If you haven't carved a pumpkin before, or if you're still trying to carve with your kitchen knife, Stop. Just stop. Then run to Target and pick up one of those pumpkin carving kits. They're cheap and the little saw that's included may save a finger or two.

I'm a huge fan of carving pumpkins. What I am not a fan of is the squishy, ewey, gooey, guts-feeling part where you have to scrape and pull the pumpkin innards out. It's kind of gross. Okay, a little more than kind of. Usually, after all of that hard work, I just throw them out in the garden. 

This year, I decided to make all of the pumpkin guts worth it and make roasted pumpkin seeds. Believe me, they seem easy to make after you spend oodles of time pulling them out of the pumpkin.

Recipe: Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

2 cups of seeds (from the guts of approximately 2 pumpkins depending on size)

2 tbsp. salt (divided into 1 tbsp. + 1 tbsp.)

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 tsp. garlic powder

 

First, you have to sort through your pumpkin guts to separate out the pumpkin seeds from the gooey mess. This is easiest to do right after you've carved your pumpkins. Then give the seeds a good rinse with water.

Next, you'll want to boil your pumpkin seeds in salt water (using 1 tbsp. of salt) for 20 minutes. The pumpkin seeds should look gray when you pull them out of the water (as seen in the photo above).

Once you've boiled and drained your seeds, pour them out on a baking sheet (preferably with sides to prevent them from spilling over) and place them in a safe place to dry overnight. We don't want robbers, cats, or flies to mess with them. 

The next day, your seeds should be mostly dry to the touch. Preheat your oven to 300*F. 

Then, mix the garlic powder with the butter and pour the mixture over the seeds. Toss to coat and pour your seeds out onto the baking sheet. I lined mine with parchment paper for easy cleanup. Sprinkle the rest of your salt over the seeds.

Bake your seeds at 300* for 90 minutes or until they turn a nice golden brown. Stir the seeds up on the pan every half hour so they bake evenly.

Pour into a pretty bowl and enjoy!

I think these would also be good if you flavored with with cinnamon and nutmeg. Pumpkin pie flavored pumpkin seeds. That would be interesting.

I would love to see photos of your carved pumpkins! Link them up in the comment section.

xo Nicole