Pumpkin puree is a staple in most homes this time of year. The on;y problem is, it can be expensive, full of preservatives and even added sugar and color if you buy it in a can. There is a traditional way of making it with an oven and a few pans with water in them, but this can take a lot of watching and you can burn it easily as well. I decided to make mine in my slow cooker. It seemed easy enough as the slow cooker is one of my favorite “lazy” ways of cooking.
For this recipe, I just used a medium sized pie pumpkin, sometimes called a sugar pumpkin. It fit nicely in my 6 Qt slow cooker and the lid fit snuggly. The slow cooker did pretty much all the work for me and I was able to go about my day and just make some minor adjustments on temperature. If you plan on making pumpkin tasting goodies this holiday season, make this slow cooker pumpkin puree instead of buying canned. It will cost you about the same, sometimes cheaper, and it also freezes well.
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Puree
- 1 medium sized sugar pumpkin (pie pumpkin)
- ¼ cup water
- With a sharp knife, cut the stem and a circle portion of the top of the pumpkin off as if you were going to carve it for a Jack-o-Lantern.
- Cut your pumpkin in half and remove the seeds and "guts". Set aside to roast them if you desire.
- Place the water in your crock pot and the pumpkin halves face down in your slow cooker. It's OK if they overlap as long as you can securely place the lid on top with no cracks. If you need to, cut the pumpkin into quarters.
- Cook on high for two hours and then low for an additional 2 hours. The pumpkin should be very soft and allow a form to slide right in. Allow to sit for 45 minutes to an hour after you complete cooking to cool with the lid cracked on your slow cooker.
- After the pumpkin is cool, using a spoon, remove the meat from the peel. It should come out very easily.
- You can either process in a Ninja, Blendtec or another blender or you can do it by hand with a potato masher. Stores for 4-5 days in the fridge or several months if frozen.
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