Emily says: “These nachos are loaded with black beans and given a pumpkin twist – they make a great sharing dinner or snack.”

Serves 4–6

Ingredients

1kg (2¼lb) pumpkin (unpeeled)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp roasted pumpkin seeds (see below)
1 tsp Tajin seasoning
200g (7oz) tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
handful of coriander (cilantro), leaves picked and stems finely chopped
grated zest and fresh juice of 1 lime
4 tbsp soured cream
20g (¾oz) pickled jalapeños
400g (14-oz) can or 325g (11-oz) jar black beans, drained
100g (3½oz) cheddar, grated
salt and black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan/425°F/Gas 7).

Cut the pumpkin into 1cm (½-inch) ‘chips’ (fries) and spread out on a large baking tray or two. Drizzle with most of the oil, season well and scatter over the cumin and paprika.

Roast for 35 minutes, turning halfway, until tender and golden.

On a small tray, toss the seeds in the remaining oil and the Tajin seasoning. Roast for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the toppings. Stir together the tomatoes, onion, coriander stems and lime zest and juice, then season and set aside. In a small blender, whizz together the soured cream and jalapeños, then season and set aside.

Once the pumpkin chips are ready, pour the black beans over the top and cover with the grated cheese. Return to the oven for 5 minutes until melted and bubbling.

Dollop over the salsa and jalapeño soured cream. Sprinkle with the coriander leaves and the Tajin-spiced pumpkin seeds.

Roasted pumpkin seeds

Ingredients

seeds from 1 pumpkin

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan/350°F/Gas 4).

Remove the seeds from the pumpkin, dropping them straight into a bowl of water. Once you’ve got all of them, use your fingertips to rinse them well and remove any attached pulp. Put them in a small pan of water, bring to the boil and boil for 5 minutes. Drain, then pat dry with a clean tea towel.

Spread the seeds out on a baking tray and dry roast them for 10–12 minutes until crisp. Allow to cool and store in an airtight container for 2 months.

Don’t Waste Your Pumpkin: 3 inventive recipes to help use up leftover pumpkin this Halloween (that aren’t just soup)