Pumpkin Puree is a delicious side dish, which suites this time of the year well!
I went a step further and enriched my pumpkin mash with carrots and some spices to give it an extra health boost!
While browsing through my old recipe posts, I noticed that I was short on interesting side dishes and tantalizing salads.
How did it come to that?
Well, I believe side dishes are not really recipe worthy material and often I feel they are just too simple and uninteresting.
Is it just me or how do you feel about recipe side dish posts?
I am picky and I want to share complicated and interesting recipe ideas and not just plain ol’ mash potato and buttery Cauliflower chunks.
I know they taste fantastic and yes they go with many popular mains but honestly, do you really need a recipe for those?
Perhaps I am taking it too far and in fact you, my reader, would welcome side dishes and salads.
If that is the case then don’t hesitate and let me know.
Oh and in general if you have any recipe requests then don’t feel shy, just send me a mail or leave a comment in one of my posts and I ll get back to you asap!
Potato and Vegetable puree prepared with an immersion blender are a frequent treat in my house.
Simple and quick to make, they had to end up often on our dinner table.
Potato mash is for sure the most common puree type in the whole world, yet did you know you could turn other veggies into delicious kicking mashes as well?
Vegetables such as Pumpkin, Carrot, Cauliflower, and Kohlrabi were literally created just to be mashed, seasoned and indulged as exciting sides with meat dishes (see serving suggestion with this pumpkin puree after the recipe below).
My all-time favorite way to eat mashed veggies is with a fried egg.
Might sound barbaric to you, but that’s how it is, when I am tired of cooking and I want something heavier and easily cooked to satisfy my hunger and taste buds.
Surely I am not the only one in the world who needs a break from bigger cooking projects every once in a while, right?
Anyway, because I had placed my mash potato and fried egg madness into my top 5 favorite meals, I ended up cooking it frequently, so that I needed new mash recipes.
That is how I discovered my love for this pumpkin puree!
The flavors complete each other and all that too with a spicy twist!
As we have entered the realm of autumn, pumpkins are pretty much available everywhere.
The spiced pumpkin puree with carrot is a testament of this colorful period of the year, where we get used to warmer taste palettes again.
More Carrot Recipes
With what are you planning to serve your spiced pumpkin puree with carrot?
Spiced pumpkin Puree with Carrot Recipe
Ingredients
- 14 ounces Pumpkin
- 7 ounces Carrot
- 2 Tablespoon Butter
- 1 small Onion
- 1/2 cup Milk
- pinch Salt
- pinch Pepper
- 1 Teaspoon Ginger + Garlic
- 1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- Cilantro aka Coriander, to garnish
Instructions
- Peel your Pumpkin and Carrot and cut into smaller dice. Place into a pot and cover with water. Cook for 15 minutes or until soft on a medium stove heat.
- Peel and chop your Onion. Fry the onion with the butter translucent in a smaller pot. When soft take from the heat.
- Add the cooked pumpkin, carrot to the soft fried onion and also add in milk, salt, pepper, ginger garlic paste, cayenne pepper, turmeric powder to the pot with the fried onion.
- With a hand stick blender puree the mixture to a smooth puree and then transfer back to the stove and warm up until you can see the first bubbles forming.
- Take from heat, garnish with chopped coriander before serving hot as a side dish.
FARIDA BANU says
wow I like this combination of pumpkin and carrot. super recipe
Anu says
Nice to know something that is light, easy to cook and can be eaten when you are not that hungry. With doctors telling me not to eat sugar or salt, I guess these recipes is what I need to try.
Is hand stick blender a must for this? Any alternative?
Helene Dsouza says
Hi Anu,
You can use a regular kitchen mixer/blender too. It’t just faster with the stick blender and in turn the stick blender is easier to wash. 🙂
Terra says
What a fun recipe, and it would be fabulous for a holiday side dish! This is a better dish then mashed potatoes really with all the vitamins and minerals packed in one bowl! Yum, Hugs, Terra
Ash-foodfashionparty says
Not sure how I missed this colorful side. Love how colorful and absolutely healthy it it. Leftovers, if there is any could be mixed in with whole wheat flour and make chapathis..awesome.
Helene Dsouza says
Yeah I absolutely need to check out the stuffed chapati version. awesome idea ash. =)
Cass @foodmyfriend says
Such a beautiful colour! I could definately eat a big full bowl of this 🙂
Helene Dsouza says
I wish I could share it with you Cass =D
Nithya says
Delicious soothing recipe..
Helene Dsouza says
thanks
Ramona says
I would eat that mash right out of the bowl… no main dish needed. 🙂
Helene Dsouza says
I noticed many ladies wouldn’t mind just the side by itself. Another reason why I should post more sides in the future. Thank you Ramona for your input.
Kitchen Belleicious says
this is so cool and looks so yummy! My favorite flavors and spices all together in one bowl! I love it
Helene Dsouza says
Then it’s the right side for you =D
Purabi Naha | Cosmopolitan Currymania says
Hi Helene! Yumm…this mash is going to rock in my house, as I am very fond of incorporating veggies in my family’s diet. Love these spices in this mash: these just lift up the dish even higher in terms of taste. I love side-dish recipes. Would love to learn more Goanese vegetarian dishes from you.
Helene Dsouza says
Oh goan veg sides. Well I just posted a snake gourd bhaji the other day and another one is coming up soon. =)
Eva Taylor says
I usually oven roast my vegetables for a mash to get the most sweetness out of them. One of my all time favourites is the cauliflower and celeriac mash in place of potatoes, it’s simply delicious. Pairing it with an egg (I prefer poached) is really clever, I will try it next time.
Helene Dsouza says
Great tip Eva! I am usually too lazy to roast my veggies first. lol But I agree for sure flavorful that way. Oh yes I forgot to mention that I like to have my mash with poached eggs too. thank you Eva!
Laura @ Family Spice says
Actually, side dishes are my favorite part of dinner! I love roasting and smashing squash in the fall. Love that you used pumpkin in a savory recipe. Beautiful pictures, too!
Helene Dsouza says
Oh yes? Need to note that down. Looks like I totally underestimated sides. 😉 Thanks so much Laura!
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
I usually make mashed pumpkin or mashed sweet potato but I’ve never mixed carrot in there. Sounds delicious, Helene!
Helene Dsouza says
Yeah mashed pumpkin and mashed sweet potato… done that too and there are countless recipes in the web for that. =)
Katherine Martinelli says
This sounds like such a delightful side, and a nice change of pace from regular mashed potatoes! Perfect for autumn!! And such gorgeous photos.
Helene Dsouza says
I see it the same way that this spiced pumpkin carrot mash is a nice change. Thank you for your compliments, I appreciate it Katherine.
Sanjeeta kk says
Awee…this is such a wonderful recipe….could add up as a healthy spread to roits or sandwiches. Lovely clicks, Helene!
Helene Dsouza says
Oh excellent idea Sanjeeta! Need to do that next time when I make roti at home. =) Thank you for your compliment, it means a lots coming from you.
azita says
I like side dish recipes a lot actually, specially when they are versatile and can be enjoyed as a light meal on their own. This soup is a great and very appetizing fall recipe so personally I’m delighted you chose to share it.
Helene Dsouza says
Thanks for letting me know. So I might just rethink my point of view towards sides and share more of our favorites. Hope you ll enjoy it azita!
Soni says
Ooh love the Indian twist you’ve given here 🙂 I love the addition of coriander and the drops of mustard oil! My mom uses drops of mustard oil in some Bengali recipes! So yum 🙂
Helene Dsouza says
So agree Soni, a few drops of mustard oil can give a dish a whole new dimension. Thank you!
Asmita says
What a delicious recipe! love it!
Helene Dsouza says
thank you. Hope you ll treasure it as much as we do.
Kumar's Kitchen says
we got hooked to the sunny color of this beautifully curried mash…it is such a healthful and flavorful way of devouring carrots and pumpkins….loved this dish and is going to be a sure hit during today’s lunch…thanks for sharing 🙂
Helene Dsouza says
Hope you enjoyed the mash and you are right, it’s stuffed with nutrients and it’s a healthy treat for the whole family.
mjskit says
Oh I think sides and salads are as exciting and important as main dishes! My SIL is always asking me for recipes for vegetable sides. In fact, sometimes I’ll just make a meal out of two sides. Thank goodness Bobby loves it as much as I do. 🙂 I definitely would serve your delicious looking mash as a side or as a main dish any night of the week. Love the color and the flavors!
Helene Dsouza says
I don’t mind having two sides as a main but my husband won’t follow my trip lol. It’s quite a bright side no? Enjoy MJ 😉
rebecca says
this looks great and I agree great to share sides too
Helene Dsouza says
so maybe I might just post more sides in the future. thank Rebecca
swasthi says
This looks yum and perfectly soothing Helen. Nice click
Helene Dsouza says
Thanks Swasthi =)
Jeanette says
I love how flavorful this sounds with all the different spices and the mustard oil.
Helene Dsouza says
Thank you
Paula @ Vintage Kitchen Notes says
When I have no will to cook but still want veggies, I just roast some squash and carrots, blend them with stock and call it a soup!
Helene Dsouza says
Yeah I know what you mean and I feel the same way on those days. Of course you could call it a soup and enjoy it by itself but the spiced pumpkin and carrot mash here is suppose to be served as a side with something else. I will leave that to you to choose. =)
john@kitchenriffs says
I always enjoy recipes for side dishes – they’re usually tasty, and I often learn something new. This recipe, for example. I do mashed sweet potatoes all the time, but never pumpkin and carrots. Great idea! And you’ve spiced them so nicely. Good stuff – thanks!
Helene Dsouza says
Thank you for the compliments John, happy to hear that you would enjoy this side dish.