Maple Roasted Pumpkin Crostini with Blue Cheese & Pumpkin Seeds

Name: Maple Roasted Pumpkin Crostini with Blue Cheese and Pumpkin Seeds
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 (3-pound) sugar pumpkin, seeds removed, (peeled and chopped into 2” pieces); 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, (plus an additional ¼ cup); 2 tablespoons maple syrup; Kosher salt, (as needed); 1 French baguette, (sliced into 1/2”-thick slices, approximately 15 slices); 6 tablespoons unsalted butter; Handful sage leaves; ½ cup crumbled blue cheese; 1 tablespoon pepitas pumpkin seeds

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 35 mins

Mashing the pumpkin by hand after it’s roasted gives it a rustic feel and allows it to be spread more easily on the crostini.

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This simple crostini recipe combines so many of my favorite warm fall flavors into one. The maple roasted pumpkin contrasts nicely with the sharp, salty flavor of blue cheese.

Maple Roasted Pumpkin Crostini with Blue Cheese & Pumpkin Seeds

Maple Roasted Pumpkin Crostini with Blue Cheese & Pumpkin Seeds

Key Ingredients in This Recipe

Pumpkin – “Sugar”, “sugar pie” or “pie pumpkins” are the best types of pumpkins to use for baking. Larger varieties used for carving jack-o-lanterns often have a much tougher texture and lack the sweetness of the smaller pumpkins. Pumpkin seeds removed from pumpkins look different from store-bought pumpkin seeds or “pepitas”. The pumpkin is peeled and cut and the seeds are scooped out with a spoon before the pumpkin is roasted on a baking sheet.
Maple – Maple syrup sweetens the pumpkin as it roasts in the oven.
Pepitas – While the pumpkin seeds you remove from the pumpkin are white and thin, pepitas are green and small and while they are indeed pumpkin seeds they only come from certain pumpkins that don’t require shelling, namely oilseed or Styrian pumpkin varieties. Save the seeds from the pumpkin and roast for a snack rather than wasting time shelling them to obtain pepitas (or just grab a bag from the nut section of the grocery store).
Blue cheese – Blue veined cheese have a characteristic sharp, salty flavor. They complement the warm nutty flavor of the pumpkin. If you aren’t a big fan of blue cheeses try this recipe with Gorgonzola dolce, which is a young, milder and creamy variety of the cheese.

Maple Roasted Pumpkin Crostini with Blue Cheese & Pumpkin Seeds and sage

How to Make Maple Roasted Pumpkin Crostini with Blue Cheese & Pumpkin Seeds

Heat the oven. Heat oven to 400ºF (200ºC).
Roast pumpkin. Arrange pumpkin on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and maple syrup and gently toss to combine. Season with kosher salt. Roast until the pumpkin is fork tender, about 25 minutes. Remove to a large bowl and mash with a fork then set aside.
Broil crostini. Preheat the broiler to high. Add about 1/4 cup of the olive oil to a shallow dish and dip one of the cut sides of each baguette slice in the olive oil, then arrange the slices, oil-side up on a baking sheet. Broil them just until golden brown, about 1 minute.
Add to a platter. Arrange the crostini on a platter.
Fry the sage. Heat a small nonstick sauté pan over medium heat, add the butter and allow to melt and bubble. Add the sage leaves and fry until just crisp and fragrant, turning once, about 30 seconds. Drain on a paper towel lined plate.
Assemble and serve. Top each with a spoonful of the mashed roasted pumpkin followed by crumbled blue cheese and pepitas. Garnish with sage leaves and serve immediately.

Tips and Tricks for This Recipe

Swaps and substitutions

The pumpkin can easily be swapped with other winter squashes like butternut squash.
While I simply mash the pumpkin with a fork, it can be pureed until smooth in a food processor or blender for a cleaner look.

How to Prep the recipe in advance

To cut down on prep time I recommend slicing the bread ahead of time. It can be cut and stored in a resealable plastic bag for up to 3 days in advance.
The pumpkin can be roasted and mashed up to 4 days in advance. Simply store refrigerated in an airtight container until ready to use and reheat in the microwave when ready to serve.

Maple Roasted Pumpkin Crostini with Blue Cheese & Pumpkin Seeds and sage recipe

Other Recipes to Try

If you enjoy this roasted pumpkin crostini recipe, I recommend checking out some of these:

Maple Roasted Pumpkin Crostini with Blue Cheese and Pumpkin Seeds

Print Pin

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 35 mins

Serves

US Customary – Metric

Ingredients:

1 (3-pound) sugar pumpkin, seeds removed, peeled and chopped into 2” pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus an additional ¼ cup
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Kosher salt, as needed
1 French baguette, sliced into 1/2”-thick slices, approximately 15 slices
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Handful sage leaves
½ cup crumbled blue cheese
1 tablespoon pepitas pumpkin seeds

Instructions:

Heat oven to 400ºF (200ºC).
Arrange pumpkin on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and maple syrup and gently toss to combine. Season with kosher salt. Roast until the pumpkin is fork tender, about 25 minutes. Remove to a large bowl and mash with a fork then set aside.
Preheat the broiler to high. Add about 1/4 cup of the olive oil to a shallow dish and dip one of the cut sides of each baguette slice in the olive oil, then arrange the slices, oil-side up on a baking sheet. Broil them just until golden brown, about 1 minute.
Arrange the crostini on a platter.
Heat a small nonstick sauté pan over medium heat, add the butter and allow to melt and bubble. Add the sage leaves and fry until just crisp and fragrant, turning once, about 30 seconds. Drain on a paper towel lined plate.
Top each with a spoonful of the mashed pumpkin followed by crumbled blue cheese and pepitas. Garnish with sage leaves and serve immediately.

Maple Roasted Pumpkin Crostini with Blue Cheese & Pumpkin Seeds