Roasted Sugar Pumpkin Wedges

Start with a small sugar or pie pumpkin. Olive oil, salt, and pepper let its sweetness come through without turning dinner into dessert.

The small skill: leave the rind on while roasting. It holds the wedges together, and you can scoop the soft flesh away afterward.

The Gardening Chef

Roasted Sugar Pumpkin Wedges

A simple savory side of sugar pumpkin, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast with the skin on and scoop the tender flesh from the rind at the table.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Servings: 4 side-dish servings

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 sugar or pie pumpkin about 2 pounds whole
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt or kosher salt or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Equipment

• 1 Chef’s knife
• 1 Cutting board
• 1 Spoon
• 1 Sheet pan

Method

 

1. Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Wash the pumpkin under running water and dry it. Set a cutting board on a damp towel so it stays put.
2. With a sharp chef’s knife, carefully trim a thin slice from the bottom so the pumpkin stands securely. Keep fingers away from the blade. Cut down one side of the stem and through the pumpkin; turn and repeat on the other side to divide it. Do not force the knife through the hard woody stem. If the pumpkin is too hard to control, choose a smaller one rather than forcing the cut.
3. Scoop out seeds and strings, saving the seeds for roasting. Cut the halves into roughly 8 wedges, about 1 inch thick at their widest part. Leave the skin on.
4. Coat wedges with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Arrange on a sheet pan in one layer, with a cut face against the pan.
5. Roast about 30–40 minutes, turning onto the other cut face halfway through. Begin checking at 25 minutes. A fork should slide easily into the thickest flesh and the edges should be golden. Serve warm; scoop the flesh away from any tough skin.

Notes

Choose a sound sugar or pie pumpkin such as Small Sugar, rather than a large watery carving type. Wedge thickness and variety affect roasting time. Refrigerate leftovers in a shallow covered container within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F) and use within 3–4 days.

There Is More Food in Your Pumpkin Patch. Explore our pumpkin guide, then join The Gardening Chef Weekly for more garden-to-kitchen discoveries. Free to join; unsubscribe anytime. You can also browse our Recipes section.

Further reading: Nebraska Extension’s guide to selecting and preparing food pumpkins.