Ask Cheryl: What can I do with leftover pumpkin “guts”?

Every year, I tell my daughter that we are going to make a face mask with the pumpkin guts left over from carving jack-o-lanterns—and every year, about three weeks later, I end up throwing away a moldy container full of the stuff.

This year, determined to do better, I turned to Take Root Hospitality co-owner Michael Gallina for some better ideas about how to use this often-discarded ingredient. Gallina—whose acclaimed restaurants include Vicia, Winslow’s Table, and Bistro La Floraison—is one of the region’s biggest champions of reducing food waste, but even he admits that he’s often been tempted to throw pumpkin innards into the trash. To avoid this, he suggests having a few ideas—even if you only execute one, you’ll have reduced your home’s food waste. Here are some of his suggestions:

Make a stock. According to Gallina, pumpkin guts can be thrown into a pot with water, then strained to make a flavorful, vegetarian stock. “We do this at the restaurant, and it is very delicious and pumpkin- or squash-forward,” he says. “You can use it as base for soup broth or even use it to glaze other vegetables, because it adds a bit of flavor.”

Use the seeds for pesto. One of Gallina’s favorite things to do with pumpkin seeds is to make a nut-free pesto. “Toast the seeds, add a little salt, and blend them with different herbs,” he suggests. “They have a great viscosity that is great for pesto.”

Try a squash curry. Gallina understands that the pumpkin innards can be unattractive, but they make a wonderful curry base after being cooked down and blended. “Add a little curry powder, onion, and garlic powder. Then cook them down for a nice squash curry.”

After Halloween, use the skins, too. Even the jack-o-lantern itself can be repurposed into a delicious ingredient, says Gallina. He suggests slicing them up, dehydrating them, then grinding them up into a powder. Add salt or sugar to make a flavorful pantry staple.