I first published this spicy roasted pumpkin on my Dutch blog on December 8, 2007. It was among the first recipes I posted ever. At that time my blog was still on iWeb and only in Dutch. I noticed that the picture (I had only one picture) as the article were very outdated. So I decided to revamp and restyle everything, except for the recipe, which is still the same.

I prefer to use a small Hokkaido pumpkin for this recipe, you know, the orange one. They are also known as red kuri squash. Of course you can also use a butternut. Then you have a bit less color and a bit a smoother taste. For that reason I prefer a (small) Hokkaido as it has more taste.

The surprising trick for this recipe is that you don't even have to peel the pumpkin. On the contrary, you should keep it! While baking it caramelizes a bit and gives a lot of taste, adding to the spices.

I often make spicy roasted pumpkin with leftovers from other pumpkin meals. Some pumpkins are so big, that you never can use them completely, unless you are cooking for an army. This is perfect to use the leftovers for a snack or an easy lunch.

You do not need to stick to the spices as indicated in the recipe. Be bold and experiment with your own favorite flavors! And let me know! Maybe I will try your variant also! If you want it more spicy, you can surely add a second chili pepper or chili flakes. I do that also often for myself. I am absolutely a fan of the fennel seeds in this recipe. They combine perfectly with the baked pumpkin and the other spices.

Also Jamie Oliver is a fan of baked pumpkins. He likes to add sage and cinnamon to his roasted butternut. For sure this is much better than my recipe... But I really like the fennel seeds in my recipe 🙂