Spiced pumpkin hummus is a delicious vegan filling in these fall quesadillas! Load them with guacamole, greens & if not vegan, cheese! Weeknight-friendly.
Here’s my question for all of you pumpkin lovers out there – what do you do with your leftover pumpkin puree?
So many recipes (including my own) call for 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree. Whether I open a can or roast a whole pumpkin, I’m always left with leftover mash. It calls at me from the fridge saying “how about pumpkin cookies?” or “let’s make muffins.” But after consuming too many pancakes for the making of last week’s post, I wasn’t in the mood for anything sweet.
So I got this idea for pumpkin hummus… and I thought it would be great smushed in between tortillas with a little melty cheese. The nice part about these is that the hummus replaces the need for tons of cheese but still makes the quesadillas stick together.
I usually make quesadillas by piling more cheese on Jack’s and less on mine… which means I usually end up with wimpy flat tortilla wedges. But not this time! These are filling and creamy in the middle, and they’re especially tasty with a little slather of avocado on top.
Apologies in advance for another recipe with 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree – might I suggest pancakes with your leftovers if you haven’t made them already?
Pumpkin Hummus Quesadillas
- ½ cup pumpkin puree*
- 1½ cups chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder (or part of a small garlic clove)
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Juice of ½ a lemon
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 large tortillas
- Handful of spinach or arugula
- ½ cup chickpeas
- A few handfuls of grated jack cheese
- ½ avocado
- Big squeeze of lemon
- Pinch of chile flakes
- Salt & pepper
- Make the hummus by pulsing the pumpkin puree, chickpeas, garlic, spices, salt and pepper in a food processor. Add the lemon and olive oil and puree until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Assemble 2 tortillas with a big scoop of hummus, a few chickpeas, a few greens and sprinkle of grated cheese. Place 2 remaining tortillas on top.
- Heat a medium skillet to medium heat. Brush the pan with a little bit of oil and cook each quesadilla for few minutes per side or until the tortillas are golden brown and the cheese is melted.
- Meanwhile, use the back of a fork to mash together the avocado, lemon, chile flakes, salt and pepper.
- Slice quesadillas into 4 wedges each and serve with simple guacamole.
- Store extra hummus in the fridge for a few days and slather on sandwiches or eat with chips or toasted pita.
Make these gluten-free by using gluten-free corn tortillas.
Make these vegan by subbing vegan cheese or omitting the cheese altogether.
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This is still my husbands and my favorite meal for pumpkin season! We’ve turned so many of families and friends on to it too. we get so excited when canned pumpkin shows up at Trader Joe’s because we know it’s pumpkim quesadilla time! We like to substitute pepper jack for an extra kick. Thanks for creating such an easy, weeknight favorite dinner for us!
Made these the other night and my wife and 2yr old loved them. I made an extra batch of the hummus to freeze and see how it does as a quick meal with less dishes. Glad I found your site. Making the butternut squash risotto right now.
Ha – glad the recipes are 2 for 2 – let me know how the freezing the hummus works out!
Thank you so much for the ideas!! I always have a bunch of pumpkin puree left over from making pies and I usually stick it in the freezer, and forget it. Quesadillas, hummus, and pumpkin are all my favorite things, so it’s a win already! Thanks again! Can’t wait to try these ideas!
The pumpkin hummus is one of the tastiest things I’ve made. Thank you!!
These look so good! Quick question: Is there another cheese besides Monterey Jack that you’d recommend?
Thanks for this recipe! These were a huge hit at our party halloween night. For the leftover puree, I’m determined to find a way to add pumpkin to those vegan waffles you posted a bit ago!
These look amazing. Def. saving this recipe!
rae of love from berlin
hello would like to know what camera it was taken with these photos
?
Hi Sara, we use a canon 5d mark II
Nice!
Another fun recipe idea is leftover pumpkin croquettes, with quinoa or another grain, and some fresh herbs 🙂
Fun twist to quesadillas!
i usually just give the leftover purée to my dog, a few spoonfuls at a time. She loves pumpkin. But I will have to try this! I love savory pumpkin recipes.
I don’t have any problem with leftover pumpkin as I can easily make it into Thai dessert or stir-fried. Though after seeing your pancake & hummus, I am going to set some pumpkin aside for your recipes 🙂
Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes as always. 🙂
Hi there! I just found your blog, and wanted to let you know how much I enjoy your posts. Love this idea for pumpkin leftovers. My husband has a family favourite pie recipe. I’m looking forward to indulging this weekend. Cheers, Nancy (Stonecrop Sister)
Sounds amazing. But indeed, pumpkin puree/hummus goes with everything. SO GOOD!
I love this creative use of pumpkin!! YUM!!
These look great!
(I usually use the tin of pumpkin to make 2 pies, while I’m at it, or else one pie and the left-overs for pumpkin muffins with raisins.)
Thanks for the pumpkin hummus idea.
These look great!
(I usually use the tin of pumpkin to make 2 pies, while I’m at it, or else one pie and the left-overs for pumpkin muffins with raisins.)
Thanks for the pumpkin hummus idea.