For the pesto
Grind the pumpkin seeds in a spice or coffee grinder. Add pumpkin seed oil, salt, and pepper to taste and grind again.
If the pumpkin seeds aren’t roasted, it is best to roast them before grinding in order to improve the flavor of the pesto. You can also use a mortar and pestle or a high-speed blender. There is no pepper in the original recipe. You can decide for yourself if you want to add it
Seasoning and serving
Cook spaghetti or tagliatelle and top with the pumpkin seed pesto. If you would like, you can also garnish with pumpkin seeds.
Detailed Nutritional Information per Person for this Recipe
The majority of the nutritional information comes from the USDA (US Department of Agriculture). This means that the information for natural products is often incomplete or only given within broader categories, whereas in most cases products made from these have more complete information displayed.
If we take flaxseed, for example, the important essential amino acid ALA (omega-3) is only included in an overarching category whereas for flaxseed oil ALA is listed specifically. In time, we will be able to change this, but it will require a lot of work. An “i” appears behind ingredients that have been adjusted and an explanation appears when you hover over this symbol.
For Erb Muesli, the original calculations resulted in 48 % of the daily requirement of ALA — but with the correction, we see that the muesli actually covers >100 % of the necessary recommendation for the omega-3 fatty acid ALA. Our goal is to eventually be able to compare the nutritional value of our recipes with those that are used in conventional western lifestyles.
This pumpkin seed pesto with pumpkin seed oil is not only quick and easy to prepare. It’s also healthy and tastes delicious. Bear in mind, however, that pumpkin seed oil has an extremely poor ratio of omega-6 (inflammation-promoting linoleic acid) to omega-3 fatty acids (anti-inflammatory alpha-linoleic acid). We don’t recommend consuming large quantities of pumpkin seed oil.
Pumpkin seed oil: Pumpkin seed oil is made from roasted pumpkin seeds. It is usually used in salads and drizzled over fresh and warm dishes. It is also an ingredient in some desserts.
Pumpkin seed made from Styrian oil pumpkins (Cucurbita pepo var. styriaca) is an Austrian specialty. It has a dark greenish-brown color and an aromatic nutty flavor.
When heated above 100 °C, pumpkin seed oil loses its greenish color, flavorsome taste, and some of its healthy nutrients. Its healthy fatty acids change into trans fats and it may develop unhealthy bittering agents.
According to the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), a healthy ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids should not exceed 5:1. See this article about avoidable nutrition mistakes.
Like with all oils, we recommend consuming pumpkin seed oil in moderation.
Tips
Storing: Pour the pumpkin seed pesto into sterile jars and cover with a layer of oil. When stored like this, the pesto can be kept in the refrigerator for several weeks.
Alternate preparation
Adding tomatoes: You can add cocktail tomatoes to give the dish an extra light, fresh flavor. Cut into quarters and add them to the dish.
Seasoning: In addition to pepper, you can season the pesto with garlic and a dash of lemon. This brings out the flavor of the pumpkin seeds.
