How to cook baked pumpkin?

Many are attracted by elegant colorful pumpkins, rich in vitamins and microelements. However, not everyone knows how to prepare the fruit to make a tasty and healthy dish.One of the processing methods that allows you to save useful components of a pumpkin is roasting.

For baking, you should not buy small bright orange pumpkins. This is a decorative look that is not suitable for human consumption. Should abandon and too small a vegetable, it is likely to be inside greenish and solid. Excessively large pumpkins are also not the best option for culinary experiments. Their pulp is too fibrous, rather dry.

It is best to purchase small fruits weighing 3-5 kg. Vegetable should not be damaged, areas of rot. Its inner part should be bright, while the outer one can be bright. The flesh should have a bright yellow, even orange color - this indicates a high content of vitamin A. It should be uniform in color.

The rind of the fruit should be dense, but not dry and not “wooden”. Press down on it, and if the finger falls, in front of you is not the freshest product, the purchase of which is better to refuse. When trying to pierce the skin with a fingernail, no traces should remain on its surface.

The strips on the peel should be uniform. The discontinuous pattern usually indicates a high content of nitrates. Pink stains and dark spots on the skin indicate that the plant has suffered fungal diseases. The fruit is bitter as a result. Knock on the pumpkin, a dull sound indicates the maturity of the fetus.

If you buy a sliced ​​pumpkin, make sure that it is rotten, and its shelf life in this form does not exceed a week. Pay attention to the seeds - they must be ripe, dense. Before cooking, it is better to cut those parts that were outside and in contact with the environment.

Damage, dents will be the "entrance gate" for the penetration of pathogenic bacteria, and also contribute to the fragility of the storage of the fetus, rotting.

In general, it is better not to buy sliced ​​pumpkin. Most likely, its size is large in order to realize it as a whole. As already mentioned, too large fruits are characterized by increased fiber and wateriness, and in addition, they can taste bitter. In sliced ​​form can sell and pieces from the fruit with rot, pink spots on the skin, indicating a fungus.

The sliced ​​fruit is stored in the refrigerator for no more than 7 days. You can extend the life of the pumpkin and freeze it, cut into pieces. You can freeze and baked pumpkin to use it, for example, in baking. In this form, the product is stored for several weeks.

For baking, you can use both summer varieties (they usually have more tender pulp) and winter varieties (these types are well kept). Many consider for baking the most successful variety of nutmeg. It has an oblong shape, similar to the shape of the zucchini. But the pumpkin is small, has a soft skin and tender sweet pulp. It contains an increased amount of vitamin A. However, this variety is not suitable for storage. Even if you try to keep it until winter, the pumpkin will lose tenderness and sweetness.

If you plan to bake pumpkin all year round, you should choose varieties that can be prepared for future use. Such is the large pumpkin. It is a round, slightly flattened fruit from the "poles". The peel can be not only bright orange, but also green and even gray, beige.

You can bake a fruit by itself or by adding other ingredients to it. It depends on the characteristics of the latter whether the dish will be sweet or not.

Despite the nutritional value of pumpkin, its calorie content is low - 28 calories per 100 grams. Most of the accounted for carbohydrates, the content of which is 7.7 g. Low calorie content is what makes pumpkin a diet product. However, we must not forget that when baking it with sugar, the nutritional value of the dish increases significantly. A teaspoon with a hill can contain up to 30 kcal.

Some replace sugar with more useful honey, however this amount of honey is about 32-40 kcal. It should not be forgotten that under the action of high temperatures honey loses its beneficial properties.

As part of the vegetable, a large amount of vitamins A, E, T, and also vitamins of group B. Phosphorus, calcium and potassium, also present in the composition of the product, have a beneficial effect on the activity of all body systems. In addition, it contains natural dietary fiber necessary for proper digestion, as well as pectins.

To save a maximum of useful components allows the baking of pumpkins. Do not eat it raw.

Pumpkin is rich in beta-carotene, better known as vitamin A. It copes with harmful substances from the environment. Sunflower seeds are rich in vitamin E, which is rightly considered to be a beauty vitamin. It contributes to the natural rejuvenation of the skin, slowing the aging process.

The high content of potassium determines the ability of the vegetable to strengthen the heart muscle. Enough to eat 200 g of baked product every day to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Regular consumption of food in the oven will help to forget about the problems of digestion (bloating, flatulence), fix the chair and remove all toxins from the intestines. In addition, the vegetable improves the functioning of the kidneys and bladder, is the prevention of pyelonephritis. It has a mild diuretic effect, which allows it to be used for edema. Baked pumpkin juice can be used for the treatment and prevention of diseases of the bladder, stones and sand in the bladder and kidneys.

Baked pumpkin is a natural hepatoprotector. This is due to the beneficial effect of the dish on the liver, the ability to cleanse it. Baked pumpkin puree helps to restore the gallbladder after suffering holisticitis, and liver after hepatitis.

Finally, the baked pumpkin can be consumed not only inside, but also use the gruel to relieve fatigue in the legs after a hard day. To do this, baked pumpkin need to knead in a mush and attach it to the feet. The procedure allows you to get rid of the "buzz" in the legs, feel the lightness.

Pumpkin seeds are considered a popular method of treating worms. Pumpkin juice has antipyretic and wound healing, immunostimulating effect.

If used improperly and excessively, any dish can be harmful, a baked pumpkin is no exception. Its consumption should be abandoned for allergies and individual intolerance to the product. Pumpkin is an allergenic product, so you should not give it to very young children. Begin to enter the baked product in the diet of the child should be with a small dose.

Caution should be used in pumping food for those who suffer from intestinal upset because it has a laxative effect. Due to the high sugar content of patients with diabetes mellitus, you must first obtain permission from a doctor before using this product.

One of the surest ways to preserve the good and attractive orange tinge of pumpkin is to cook it in the oven. Pumpkin can be cut or baked as a whole.

If the recipe does not involve the separation of the peel from the pulp, it is better not to do this.In raw fruit, the rind is thick and thick, it is not easy to separate it raw, and in baked it is extremely easy. In addition, when baking with the peel pumpkin turns out more fragrant and juicy.

Be sure to remove the pumpkin seeds. They can be separated from the pulp, washed, dried and roasted in a dry frying pan. Such seeds are tasty both by themselves, they can also be ground into flour or whole added to salads. Raw pumpkin seeds are widely used in folk medicine as an antiparasitic agent.

Large fruit should be cut into pieces, smaller - can be in half. You can quickly get a tasty dish by slicing the pumpkin into pieces 1 cm thick. To get a soft pumpkin, you need to withstand the right time for baking. Pieces 2 cm thick baked for about half an hour, larger ones - longer. Readiness dishes can be checked with a fork - if it easily enters the steamed pumpkin, the latter is ready.

Avoiding the burning of the dish allows adding water to it in the process of baking, but it needs very little, otherwise the taste of the baked dish will be watery.

A simple garnish made from pumpkin is especially well combined with meat dishes, rice, grilled vegetables or baked in the oven. To avoid some dryness of a similar meal will allow sauces - gentle creamy or sweet-sour vegetable. To prepare the dish you need:

• 1.5 kg pumpkin pulp;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• 40 ml of oil (better than olive oil);
• salt, pepper, spices, dried herbs - to your taste.

The flesh should be cut into cubes. Mix oil, salt, pepper, spices and rub the resulting composition pieces. Put them in a baking dish, pour some water and put in the oven for 30-40 minutes, setting the temperature to 180-200 degrees.

Sweet Pumpkin:

• 1 kg of pumpkin;
• 60 g sugar;
• 5 g of salt;
• 100 ml of water;
• 40 ml butter or olive oil.

Wash the pumpkin, remove the skin and seeds, cut into slices with a thickness of 1.5-2 cm. Put it on a baking sheet or shape. From water, salt and sugar you need to make a syrup, which pour the pumpkin plates. The last stage - sprinkle on top of olive or melted butter.

A dish is baked for half an hour at a temperature of 200 degrees. Water may be required during the cooking process. If the top of the slice starts to burn, you can cover it with foil.

Pumpkin with apples and raisins is a tender and nutritious dish that can be a breakfast or a snack. For it you need:

• 700 g pumpkin pulp;
• 300 grams of apples;
• 100 g raisins;
• 1 lemon;
• 2 teaspoons of sugar;
• 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Soak the raisins for 10 minutes, at this time cut the pumpkin into cubes, and the apples - thin plates. Put the pumpkin and apples in layers for baking, raisins on top. Sprinkle the dish with lemon juice, sprinkle with sugar and vanilla. To the dish does not burn, you need to pour 50 ml of water. Bake for 30-40 minutes.

This recipe can be varied based on what products are on hand. Apples can be replaced with pear, quince, peaches or apricots. Raisins - crushed nuts (put them better in the finished dish), dried apricots or prunes (cut into slices), currants.

Casserole with cottage cheese and pumpkin will appeal to those who prefer proper nutrition. As a rule, children also eat it with pleasure, not suspecting that such useful, but not always favorite, cottage cheese and pumpkin are “masked” in the baked pudding. For her to:

• 250 g of cottage cheese;
• 430 g pumpkin pulp;
• 30 grams of raisins.

Cottage cheese should be taken homogeneous, if you have it more crumbly, you can grind it through a sieve, adding a little milk.If the dish is prepared for children, you can put some sugar.

Pumpkin should be finely grated, and cottage cheese mixed with raisins. Then put cottage cheese and pumpkin in layers for baking, the first one should go as a base.

Roasting time - 15 minutes at a temperature of 180 degrees. This casserole can be made in the molds for cupcakes. Serve with sour cream, fruit and apple sauces, jam.

For roasting the whole vegetable, only a pumpkin of 2.5-3 kg is needed. It needs to be washed, dried and baked for 2-2.5 hours at a temperature of 180-200 degrees. Add water to the form as needed. Willingness to check with a fork.

After the fruit is removed from the oven, it should be cooled for half an hour, and then can be cut into pieces.

Pumpkin, baked whole, with rice and pork - a dish that, without a doubt, claims to be a festive. The pumpkin in the recipe is not only eaten, but is also an original dish. For this you need:

• 2.5-3 kg of pumpkin (you need a beautiful, without damage to the fruit);
• 1 teaspoon of sunflower oil;
• 650 g pork;
• 250 grams of rice;
• 200 grams of cheese;
• spices, salt;
• 1 onion and carrots;
• 50 g butter.

First you need to prepare a pumpkin - wash, dry and cut off the upper part (the one with the tail). From the most part completely choose the pulp and bones. It should be a "pot" with a lid. Inside the "pot" inside, grease with vegetable oil, rub with salt and spices.

Meat should be cut into cubes and a little fry in butter with onions and carrots. Cook rice until half cooked, salt. Stir meat with vegetables and rice, put everything in the pumpkin. Make a recess and put a piece of butter in it. Sprinkle with grated cheese.

Close the "pot" with a lid and bake for 2 hours at 180 degrees. To get a golden crust, remove the "cover" and bake another 7-10 minutes.

Based on this recipe, you can make a sweet version of it. Instead of meat and onions, use apples, pears. Rice need to boil until half ready with raisins. Fruits cut into pieces, add grated carrots and pumpkin cubes. All ingredients mix, add sugar or honey, vanilla, cinnamon. Put in the pumpkin (pre-prepared) and bake.

Pumpkin with chicken and mushrooms, like the previous dish, involves roasting the whole pumpkin and using it as a dish. In comparison with the previous one, the dish according to this recipe is less caloric and easier. For it you need:

• 1 pumpkin for 2-2.5 kg;
• 250 g of champignons;
• 450 g chicken;
• salt, pepper - to taste;
• 150 grams of cheese;
• a bunch of dill, parsley, cilantro;
• vegetable oil.

Vegetable should be prepared by turning into a pot. Wall grease and rub with salt and pepper. Pulp cut into cubes. Mushrooms boil and cut into slices and fry in a pan. Chop the chicken and fry in a pan. Grate cheese, greens - chopped. Mix all the ingredients and put them in a pumpkin "pot", closing the "lid". Bake for 2 hours at 180 degrees.

Pumpkin soup is another option for how beautiful and original you can serve your usual dishes. Need to prepare:

• 1 pumpkin per 3 kg;
• chicken broth (about 1 l);
• onions, carrots;
• goat cheese or processed cheese (200-400 g);
• greenery;
• salt, spices (curry and thyme are good in this soup);
• 50 ml of cream;
• greenery.

Pumpkin wash and turn into a "pot". Inside, rub with salt and pepper, you can garlic. Fry the mushrooms with onions, put pumpkin slices (150-200 g) in a saucepan or microwave. Fill mushrooms and pumpkin.

Put puree, crumbled goat or diced melted cheese in a “pot”, pour broth and cream. Bake for 1.5 hours. At the end add chopped greens, spices. For baking, use the appropriate height pumpkin form.

Pumpkin Baked with Bacon Slices:

• 350 g pumpkin;
• 3 pieces of bacon;
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil;
• 2 teaspoons adjika;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• 1.5 tablespoons of soy sauce;
• Rosemary, salt, pepper - to taste.

Pumpkin pulp is separated from the peel and seeds, cut into pieces. Stir the adjika with soy sauce and grate the pumpkin mixture. The next step is to wrap them in thinly sliced ​​pieces of bacon, and if necessary, seal them with toothpicks. Finely rub the garlic, mix it with spices and butter. Pour the pumpkin in bacon with this mixture.

Bake in the oven at a temperature of 170-180 degrees for a quarter of an hour.

Pumpkin with feta cheese - the original combination of sweetish taste and delicate creamy aftertaste will not leave anyone indifferent. To prepare you need to prepare:

• 800 g pumpkin pulp;
• 200 g of feta cheese;
• half an orange and lemon;
• 7 tablespoons of vegetable oil;
• 2 tablespoons of honey;
• 2 teaspoons of herbs;
• 1 teaspoon thyme;
• salt pinch.

Pumpkin should be cut into slices 1 cm thick. Make a sauce for it by mixing oil, lemon and orange juice, honey, thyme and herbs. Put the pieces on a baking sheet, pour the sauce and bake for 15 minutes at a temperature not higher than 200 degrees. After the specified time, add cheese to the pumpkin, cut into chunks of similar sizes. Bake another 7-10 minutes.

The advantage of baked pumpkin is its versatility. Depending on the way of serving, it can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner, supplement with porridge, meat dishes, act as a dessert.

If the pumpkin is baked with the peel, then when ready, the last one is cut, and the pulp is cut into cubes. In this form, it can be served for breakfast or as a snack, watering sauce. Well tastes like pumpkin honey, ginger-lemon sauce, cream.

It can be combined with potatoes and zucchini for side dishes or apples, raisins, pears - in desserts.

Pumpkin cubes can be used in salads, they are harmoniously combined with feta, goat cheese, pomegranate seeds, arugula and greens, walnuts. You can stop pumpkin slices and make a warm salad from them by adding meat and greens.

If the baked pumpkin is whipped with a blender, you get a dish for the children's table. You can add cottage cheese or zucchini, apple, pear. Fruits and vegetables are also pre-baked.

Put the contents of a small ladle or spoon on a long leg, served as a main dish.

How to cook a pumpkin with apples in the oven, see the video below.