Recipe: $2.95 | Per Serving: $0.75 | Yield: 4-6

I’d like to introduce the first-ever Pumpkin Recipe on Frugal Nutrition! (And it is SO easy, anyone can do it.) I’ve used plenty of other squashes (including Japanese pumpkin – Kabocha), but I’ve never ever bought a can of pumpkin and made a pumpkin-centric recipe for this blog. One time, Zac’s family graciously invited my brother and I to Thanksgiving at their house in California, and I brought chocolate pumpkin cheesecake bars. They were good, but the overwhelming reaction was: they probably would have been better as regular cheesecake bars. That was the last time I attempted a pumpkin recipe.

Until now, duh!

My lovely friend Kim in all her infinite food wisdom made an incredibly popular Pumpkin Pasta Sauce, which she used to make the most delicious baked ziti of all time. No joke. We’re talking macadamia nut ricotta, chicken sausage, mozzarella cheese, and pumpkin pasta sauce. It was amazingly addictive and delicious. Which inspired me to say, hey, let’s give pumpkin one more shot. Best decision of my week.

I’ve made this pumpkin sauce a couple of times, with different herb variations. Though Kim’s professional recipe calls for marjoram, I tried both basil and oregano (I mean, who has marjoram in their home kitchen?), and found that the combination of basil and oregano was perfect. This recipe is so super easy to pull together, just requires one burner, and doesn’t require any blending. Sure, you can make your own pumpkin puree, but you can also buy it in a can for about $1.99. (It might be cheaper at Trader Joe’s, though.)

Do yourself a solid and make this delicious, creamy, awesome pumpkin sauce. Even if you’re a pumpkin-hater, like I was.