Waste Not Wednesday kickoff! How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds

I am really excited about starting a Wednesday series called Waste Not. My intention is to share ideas of how to reduce waste in our lives by offering clever projects, recipes and more. If you are a reader with an idea to share, please consider being a guest blogger and email me at RandomRecycling (at) gmail (dot) com.

With that being said, my first Waste Not project is to use my pumpkin seeds I saved from our friend’s annual Pumpkin Carving party. I always pack my own Tupperware container to save my seeds. (Yes, I still have some plastic containers in my storage rotation. They are perfect for projects like this.) My husband was kind enough to weed out the seeds from the guts of the pumpkin. We carved a very large pumpkin and typically the insides are not worth saving to eat, but they are great for our compost pile.

Once all the seeds are cleaned off, I leave them to dry overnight on a baking sheet covered with a non-stick pad or parchment paper. Do not use paper towels, the seeds will stick to them!

The next day I’m ready to roast the seeds.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake seeds in the oven (naked) for 20 minutes.

Next, choose your salt and spice preference. You can’t go wrong with a tablespoon of olive oil and kosher salt to taste. If you want to kick it up a notch, I like to add a 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.

Sweet & Salty Pumpkin Seeds
My favorite roasted pumpkins seed recipe is a mix of the following ingredients:
1 Tbl olive oil
1/2 Tsp Kosher salt
1 pinch cinnamon
1 pinch cumin
1 pinch cayenne pepper (gives the seeds a nice color)
1 Tbl honey

Wondering how much is a pinch? Here is a picture of a pinch of cinnamon.

While the pumpkin seeds are roasting, I mix all ingredients in a large bowl. After the first 20 minutes of roasting, add seeds to the bowl and mix thoroughly. Transfer seeds back to baking sheet and cook for another 15 minutes. Let cool completely before eating or storing. Stir the seeds while they cool as the honey makes them VERY sticky.

How do you like your pumpkin seeds?
Hope everyone is excited for the Halloween weekend ahead!