Salted Garlic Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

I think I mentioned before that I love pumpknins, yes?

I also love being as efficient as possible. So that I can go sit on the couch for extended periods of time and pour over Pinterest pins. (I may have a problem. I've accepted it.)

In the name of efficiency, whenever I make homemade pumpkin puree out of pie pumpkins, I also roast the seeds.

 

Really, you could probably sprinkle just about any type of salt on these and be happy with the result, but so far my favorite is Garlic Salt. I’ve tried seasoned salt but that was a bit…predictable. I tried a couple of different Mrs. Dash Blends, but they just fell flat for me.

But Garlic Salt? It came through with flying colors! Because, ya know, garlic. And salt. They are both awesome. Next time maybe I will move out of my comfort zone and try something new…

Now I’m just kidding myself. I won’t. Once I find a flavor combo I like it’s really hard for me to stray…

Below I have two pumpkins worth of seeds but you could easily halve or double this recipe.

 

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients:

Pumpkin seeds

1 or more tsp of garlic salt (or other flavored salt)

Savory oil ( I use EVOO)

Tools:

A baking pan with sides

Aluminum foil for easy clean up

 

Directions:

1.       Preheat oven to 350°. While you wait, remove the large chunks of brains from the seeds.

 

2.       Rinse the seeds really well.

 

3.       The brains don’t taste all that great once cooked so try to get as much of it off as possible.

 

4.       Pat them dry-ish with a paper towel, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and lay them out. You may want to pat them dry a bit more. (I do.) Drizzle on the EVOO.

 

5.       Season with Garlic Salt.

 

6.       I basically sprinkle until each seed is evenly coated. For this amount of seeds I like about a teaspoon and a half, you might like more or less. This is your masterpiece…make it your way!

 

7.       Total baking time varies based on your preference of crunchiness and how wet (or, fresh out of the pumpkin) the seeds were. I know, I can’t make anything simple, can I? But here are some ballpark timelines for you:

-If you rinse them and let them sit out to dry while you are cooking the pumpkin puree, total cook time is about 30-45 minutes.

-If you cook them right away, total cook time is about 40-50 minutes.

-What I do: I usually let mine dry out while I make the puree, then pop ‘em in the oven for about 20 minutes, and take them out to stir and evaluate.

 

8.       Then I usually roast for another 10-15 minutes (so that’s a total of about 40-45minutes) until the color looks like this:

 

Mmm, mmm. Delicious.

 

Have you tried another winning flavor combo for pumpkin seeds? If so, please post in the comments section. that will make branching out a little easier for me.

 

Happy snacking friends and whatever you make, make it yours!

Here are some other recipes for ya to check out: