Pumpkin carving season is upon us and for those looking for a seasonal snack, pumpkin seeds make a great option. This recipe from SimplyRecipes is a quick and easy way to use up the edible goodness found inside your Halloween Jack-O-Lantern.
Pro Tip: If you want to spice it up, sprinkle the seeds with smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder or even cayenne before they go in the oven.
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients:
- One medium pumpkin
- Salt
- Olive Oil
Directions:
- Open the pumpkin by cutting a circle around the stem end with a sharp knife (knife blade angled in), and pulling off the top. Use a strong metal spoon to scrape the insides of the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds and strings. Place the mass of pumpkin seeds in a colander and run under water to rinse and separate the seeds from everything else.
- Measure the pumpkin seeds in a cup measure. Place the seeds in a medium saucepan. Add 2 cups of water and 1 tablespoon of salt to the pan for every half cup of pumpkin seeds. Bring the salted water and pumpkin seeds to a boil. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and drain.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat the bottom of a roasting pan or thick baking sheet with olive oil, about a teaspoon or so. Spread the seeds out over the roasting pan in a single layer, and toss them a bit to coat them with the oil on the pan. Bake on the top rack until the seeds begin to brown, five to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the seeds. Small pumpkin seeds may toast in around 5 minutes or so, large pumpkin seeds may take up to 20 minutes. Keep an eye on the pumpkin seeds so they don’t get over toasted. When lightly browned, remove the pan from the oven and let cool on a rack. Let the pumpkin seeds cool all the way down before eating.
- Either crack to remove the inner seed or eat whole.
