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Pasta-with-pumpkin
These days it seems like you can’t go very far without seeing, smelling, or tasting pumpkins. From spiced lattes to pies, and from muffins to soups, pumpkin flavor officially rules the fall season. Because the taste is most often associated with indulgent holiday desserts and sugary coffees, the health benefits of pure canned or fresh pumpkin puree is overlooked.
Pumpkin is low in calories and nutrient dense. One cup of canned pumpkin has seven grams of fiber, three grams of protein, and yet contains only 80 calories and one gram of fat. Pumpkin is also rich in iron, antioxidants, beta-carotene, and vitamins. It provides over 50% of the daily value of vitamin K, thought to reduce the risk of certain cancers, as well as over seven times the daily value of vitamin A, a vitamin known to support healthy vision and the immune system.
All of these health benefits make pureed pumpkin the perfect ingredient to easily add to many foods that children love to eat. Best of all, pumpkin’s flavor is just subtle enough to keep even the pickiest of kids from tasting it! Here are a few ways to sneak a little bit of healthy pumpkin into your children’s favorite foods:
- Add a cup of pumpkin puree to a jar of pasta sauce before serving
- Stir in a spoonful of pumpkin into plain or vanilla Greek yogurt
- Mix a bit of pumpkin puree into hot oatmeal
- Add pumpkin to your favorite smoothie recipe
- Thicken soups and stews with canned pumpkin instead of heavy cream
- When baking, substitute ¾ cup of pumpkin for every cup of butter or oil called for in a recipe
- Add a cup of pumpkin into your favorite macaroni and cheese recipe (check out this simple pumpkin mac and cheese recipe from Betty Crocker here
