I have a confession to make. These aren’t really pumpkin seeds. They’re butternut squash seeds, but Curry Roasted Squash Seeds just didn’t have the same ring to it. Also, you would probably think I was a weirdo for eating squash seeds. Because I thought it was weird to eat squash seeds when I first saw someone on Food Network do it. But then a few weeks ago I was making spaghetti squash and thought to myself “hmmm, I should probably try to roast these seeds instead of just throwing them down the garbage disposal.” So I did, and they turned out fantastically. Ever since that fateful day (yeah, dramatic, i know) I’ve been roasting squash seeds any chance I get. These particular seeds happen to be from a butternut squash I made into this soup (if you want to get really crazy like I did, toss a few of the seeds into the soup, it adds an extra bit of delicious). But you could also use the squash for this pasta. Or any number of other delicious squash containing dishes.
I almost feel bad calling this a recipe because it’s so easy. But I promise the results are delicious. For these particular seeds I used curry powder (as you could probably tell from the name) and gram marsala, but you can use any combination of spices your heart desires. And if your heart desires no spices (in which case I don’t know what’s wrong with you. JK. Kind of…) you can just roast them up plain and they’ll add a delicious crunch to whatever you add them into, or serve as a nice little snack.
Basically, you rinse the seeds to get rid of the slime and any extra squash strings (yes, I realize this sounds disgusting). Then you dry roast them (I’m told this is to help make them crispy by evaporating moisture, I don’t question Food Network, but if I’m being completely honest I’ve definitely skipped the dry roasting step because I have no patience… don’t tell on me). As you can see I roasted my seeds on foil (because I absolutely despise doing dishes), but this is totally optional.
After they’re nice and dry you add some oil and spices and bake some more.
Ta da!
Curry Roasted Pumpkin (or Squash) Seeds
Ingredients:
Seeds from a buttner squash (or pumpkin or any other squash)
1 teaspoon Olive oil
1 tablespoon Curry Powder
1/2 teaspoon Gram Marsala
dash of salt
cooking spray
– Preheat oven to 350 °F
– Lightly spray a baking sheet or a piece of foil with cooking spray
– Spread the seeds onto the foil in a single layer
– Roast for about 20 minutes, until slightly browned, stirring halfway thorugh (if you’re using larger seeds, i.e. pumpkin, you may have to roast for longer)
– Remove from oven, pour oil and spices over seeds, stir, and return to oven for 15-20 minutes, until desired doneness
– Allow to cool before eating, the seeds are extremely hot when removed from the oven
– NOTE: Spices and oil can be varied based on your taste and amount of seeds
