Baked pumpkin with cheese (more delicious). In just a few minutes an excellent, easy and quick dish: just peel the pumpkin, slice it and arrange it on a baking tray with a few aromatics for quick cooking, then add the cheese at the end to give that extra tasty touch that makes the pumpkin so good everyone will crave it. Adults and kids love it prepared like this — a bit like little mini pizzas without sauce. If you want, you can also add a little tomato passata over the cooked slices and the cheese and you’re done; children will think they’re eating delicious mini pizzas, and you’ll be surprised to discover they’ll love pumpkin — a vegetable often not appreciated, not only by children but also by adults. I always have a hard time convincing my husband to eat it, but I guarantee that prepared this way he had the courage to tell me: “You know, it’s really good!”
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 12 slices (2-4 people)
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, Autumn, Winter and Spring
Ingredients for tasty baked pumpkin with cheese
- 1/2 butternut squash
- 1 clove garlic
- to taste rosemary
- to taste extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 1 chili pepper
- to taste salt
- 1 tablespoon grated Grana Padano or Parmesan
- 2 oz Asiago cheese
Tools to prepare baked pumpkin with cheese
- 1 Peeler
- 1 Knife
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Baking tray
- 1 Scissors
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Pastry brush
Steps to prepare the tastiest baked pumpkin with cheese
Cut the pumpkin in half, removing the wider part so that you only slice the fleshy section. Before slicing, peel it with a vegetable peeler — it only takes a moment. Then slice on a cutting board with a large chef’s knife into even slices about 3/16 in (≈0.20 in) thick, or slightly thicker.
Place a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on the baking tray, brush the base so the slices don’t stick, and lay the slices flat on the tray. Brush the top of the slices with EVOO using a pastry brush, sprinkle with salt, and arrange them slightly overlapping. You can leave a single slice in the center to form a flower shape.
Season with one sliced clove of garlic, chopped rosemary (using scissors) scattered over each slice, and the chopped chili pepper.
Bake for about 10 minutes in a preheated fan oven at 392°F. Check them and, if they’re ready, remove from the oven and sprinkle with the grated Parmesan and the Asiago cut into small cubes, placing at least 3 cubes on each pumpkin slice. Return to the oven for a few minutes until the cheese melts and lightly browns, then remove and enjoy immediately while the cheese is stringy.
You can also prepare and cook the pumpkin in advance and add the cheeses only when serving, popping it back into the oven for the last few minutes so it’s served hot and melty.
If there are leftovers, they can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of days and are great cold or reheated.
