Roasted Pumpkin Seeds {Pumpkin Carving Fun}
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Roasted pumpkin seeds are a healthy snack, often made during the season of Halloween. They’re a great treat after a night of pumpkin carving!
Carving pumpkins can take a long time, so being able to make (and eat) roasted pumpkin seeds afterward is a great reward.
One year, we hosted a pumpkin carving party for our church middle school youth group. Josh, the youth leader, supplied the pumpkins and carving tools, and we supplied the dinner.
I made a big pot of white chicken chili, a healthy salad, and a batch of Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes for dessert.
We try to stay out of the way for these events, well, except for the picture taking thing. So I busied myself in the kitchen, cleaning the zillions of pumpkin seeds that came out of all of those pumpkins. Youth leader, Josh brought lots of good sized pumpkins and patterns for the girls to choose from.
Five girls cleaned and carved pumpkins, under shop lights, on a perfectly pleasant Saturday evening.
Cleaning the seeds out of the pulp takes FOREVER! There are all those little stringy bits that stubbornly cling to the seeds. Aw, what the heck. I’d had a busy day…the slippery seeds and water streaming through my fingers was a bit cathartic.
I decided to roast the pumpkin seeds with a couple of different flavors, just because. Wasabi makes a great seasoning for roasted pumpkin seeds!
They “picked” out their designs using a plastic awl. Then they finished the design using mini saws. It was quiet, except for the Halloween tunes playing softly in the background, as they all concentrated on their designs,.
The girls were so engrossed in carving their pumpkins, they didn’t sit down to eat dinner until after eight. The carving party ended late, so we had an impromptu sleep over!
The next morning, I made them pumpkin spice pancakes for breakfast. Roasted pumpkin seeds were ready for them to take home, too.
Here’s the roasted pumpkin seeds recipe:
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds with Wasabi Seasoning
Ingredients
- 2 cups Raw pumpkin seeds
- 1 Tablespoons everything but the bagel seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325*
- Clean the seeds well under cold, running water.
- Toss with your choice of seasonings, kosher salt, garlic salt, Greek seasoning, chili powder and salt, wasabi powder and salt or whatever tickles your fancy.
- Spread seeds out in an even layer.
- Roast for 30 to 45 minutes, until seeds are golden brown and dried.
I agree, these make a great snack. We like them just plain, not even any added salt! It’s such a shame to throw them away!
What a fun night for the girls and the jack-o-lanterns turned out great!
Those carved pumpkins are impressive!
The pumpkins turned out very beautifully! Impressive carving skills!
I’m now feeling incredibly guilty, Cynthia. I made some pumpkin soup and tossed out the seeds and now I see this! I should give these roasted seeds a try, even if it means cleaning these blighters. Sounds so delicious and healthy too.