{"id":18847,"date":"2026-09-25T11:02:38","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T17:02:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=18847"},"modified":"2026-09-25T11:55:27","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T17:55:27","slug":"cooking-with-pumpkins-savory-oven-baked-pumpkin-fries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/cooking-with-pumpkins-savory-oven-baked-pumpkin-fries\/","title":{"rendered":"Cooking with pumpkins: Savory oven-baked pumpkin fries"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div><figure id=\"attachment_18860\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18860\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-18860 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/09104902\/Red-warty-pumpkins-sized.webp\" alt=\"This picture shows an unusal variety of pumpkins called the red warty thing. They are dark orange pumpkinsa nd look like they have warts on the outsde. Despite being ugly, they&apos;re great for cooking.\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/09104902\/Red-warty-pumpkins-sized.webp 1200w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/09104902\/Red-warty-pumpkins-sized-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/09104902\/Red-warty-pumpkins-sized-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/09104902\/Red-warty-pumpkins-sized-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/09104902\/Red-warty-pumpkins-sized-150x100.webp 150w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/09104902\/Red-warty-pumpkins-sized-200x133.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-18860\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Colorful red warty pumpkins are among the many varieties of pumpkins that are great for cooking. Photo: Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Boo.<\/p>\n<p>I am pretty sure most American children believe that pumpkins come in but two forms: the ones with triangular eyes that they see on front stoops this time of year, and the ones grown in cans at the giant Libby\u2019s Pumpkin Farm.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are the weird ones who use [pumpkins] mostly for decoration,&#8221; says Anita Rossi, whose family grows many sorts and forms of pumpkins at Rossi Dairy\/Produce in Hudson, Colorado.<div class=\"su-callout-box col-xs-12 col-sm-6 right\" style=\"background-color:#dce4e7; color:#2e3b44;\">\n<h4><strong>Quick tips when cooking with pumpkins<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Learn how to choose and cook pumpkins, helpful for when you make savory oven-baked pumpkin fries:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Choose cooking pumpkins for more flesh and flavor.<\/li>\n<li>Try different varieties for different tastes and textures.<\/li>\n<li>Roast, boil, steam or microwave pumpkin flesh.<\/li>\n<li>Vent whole pumpkins before roasting.<\/li>\n<li>Season and bake pumpkin strips for savory pumpkin fries.<\/li>\n<li>Expect fry texture to vary with the pumpkin\u2019s moisture.<\/div><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>How do people around the world cook and eat pumpkin?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Pumpkins are colorful forms of winter squash, cooked by people worldwide as an everyday food.<\/p>\n<p>The Thai sweeten the pulp of small ones and serve them as self-standing desserts; Italians are famed for pasta stuffed with cooked and pur\u00e9ed \u201czucca,\u201d their word for pumpkin.<\/p>\n<p>Africans, Asians, Middle Easterners and cooks in Australia and New Zealand all serve pumpkins prepared in myriad ways, literally from soup to \u201cnuts,\u201d the toasted seeds of pumpkins known in the Americas as \u201cpepitas.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Other cultures also eat the leaves and flowers of the pumpkin vine, much in the same way that we might stuff and eat zucchini flowers.<\/p>\n<p>The pumpkin squash originated millennia ago in North America. It\u2019s time to bring it back to our own kitchens and cook it the way other cultures do. It\u2019s truly as American as, well, pumpkin pie.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What are the best types of pumpkins for cooking?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>This month\u2019s very straightforward recipe is for pumpkin fries, baked in the oven rather than in a deep-fat fryer. I found it among dozens of recipes using pumpkin meat, both in cookbooks and online.<\/p>\n<p>Cooking pumpkins, also called pie or sugar pumpkins, are generally better for cooking than the ubiquitous jack-o\u2019-lantern or carving pumpkin. Cooking pumpkins are thick-walled, with more flesh that ranges from light to deep orange or orange-red. Carving pumpkins are relatively thin-walled, making them easier to clean out and carve, but their flesh is neither as flavorful nor as plentiful.<\/p>\n<p>And what killer names they have: Jarrahdale, Tiger Stripes, Cheese Wheel, Red Warty Thing, Knucklehead, Fairytale, Porcelain Doll and the Cinderella or Rouge Vif d\u2019Etampes, an heirloom French variety.<\/p>\n<p>You can prepare pumpkin meat just as you cook other squashes: whole roasted; cut into large or small sections that are then boiled, steamed or roasted; or even microwaved.<\/p>\n<p>Tastes and textures will vary too. The cooked flesh of a Jarrahdale, for example, isn\u2019t stringy like carving pumpkin flesh and tastes slightly nutty (cashew-like) with a cucumber-like aroma. A Cinderella, on the other hand, is stringier and less sweet than a Jarrahdale and very yam-like when cooked.<\/p>\n<p>When roasting a whole pumpkin, be sure to incise the walls in several places with a thin, sharp knife or long-tined sharp fork. You don\u2019t want the pumpkin to explode in the oven because of pent-up steam.<\/p>\n<p>Sure, the orange or carving pumpkin is everywhere to be found, especially at this time of year. And while you can use it for cooking, its flesh is neither flavorful nor plentiful. More and more grocery stores sell other cooking pumpkins, especially Cinderella and Jarrahdale.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>How to make savory oven-baked pumpkin fries<\/strong><\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_18859\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18859\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-18859\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/09104856\/Pumpkin-fries-sized.webp\" alt=\"A plate of savory oven-baked pumpkin fries.\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/09104856\/Pumpkin-fries-sized.webp 1200w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/09104856\/Pumpkin-fries-sized-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/09104856\/Pumpkin-fries-sized-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/09104856\/Pumpkin-fries-sized-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/09104856\/Pumpkin-fries-sized-150x100.webp 150w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/09104856\/Pumpkin-fries-sized-200x133.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-18859\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pumpkins are great for much more jack-o&#8217;-lanterns and pie. Try making these delcious savory oven-baked pumpkin fries. Photo: Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Adapted from a recipe at <a href=\"https:\/\/marisolio.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">marisolio.com<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Ingredients<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>1 cooking pumpkin (approximately 4 cups flesh)<\/li>\n<li>1 teaspoon curry powder<\/li>\n<li>1 teaspoon garlic powder<\/li>\n<li>1\/2 teaspoon onion powder<\/li>\n<li>1\/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper<\/li>\n<li>1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Directions<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the pumpkin for cooking by cutting it in half lengthwise (if it&#8217;s not too large) or into quarters. Remove seeds and inner fibers. Peel off the skin. Cut the flesh into 1\/4- to 1\/2-inch thick strips that resemble French fries.<\/p>\n<p>In a large bowl, mix the seasonings and olive oil. With your hands, toss to coat the pumpkin strips completely. Arrange the fries in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or until cooked through, turning once if desired. Note: The fries may not be crisp-skinned, depending on the initial moisture level of the pumpkin. But they will be delicious!<\/p>\n<p><em>About Bill St. John: Bill has written and taught about restaurants, food, cooking and wine for more than 40 years, locally for Rocky Mountain News, The Denver Post and KCNC-TV Channel 4, nationally for Chicago Tribune Newspapers and Wine &amp; Spirits magazine. The Denver native lives in his hometown. <\/em><em>Contact Bill at <a href=\"mailto:billstjohn@gmail.com\">billstjohn@gmail.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Boo. I am pretty sure most American children believe that pumpkins come in but two forms: the ones with triangular eyes that they see on front stoops this time of year, and the ones grown in cans at the giant Libby\u2019s Pumpkin Farm. \u201cWe are the weird ones who use [pumpkins] mostly for decoration,&#8221; says [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2197,"featured_media":18860,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[4799,9187,4415],"class_list":["post-18847","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthy-living","tag-bill-st-john","tag-readysetco","tag-recipes"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.5 (Yoast SEO v28.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Cooking with pumpkins: Oven-baked pumpkin fries - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Most Americans picture two kinds of pumpkins: jack-o&#039;-lanterns and cans. 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