Scalloped Pumpkin and Spinach

I used 1/4 c of cornstarch instead of flour and the sauce was thick and bubbly. I think it would have been better with fresh spinach. Overall, a nice side dish but not great. I gave it three stars because I don't think it was worth the effort of cutting up a fresh pumpkin.

I was excited to try this, because I like all of the ingredients and wanted a new fall side dish. I did not care for the sauce's consistancy. I would have preferred to be creamier. I put the flour in some butter before adding the broth as suggested by another reader. I don't know that I will bother making it again.

I came across this recipe when I was looking for something to serve at Thanksgiving that could work as a side dish for the meat eaters, but would be filling enough to be an entree for vegetarians. This was terrific. It was pretty on the table, it was a little unusual but still very Thanksgiving-y, and the combination of flavors was great together. It was fairly easy to make (except for cutting up the pumpkin, which is a huge pain but can be done in advance). I did cook the flour in a little butter to make a roux before adding the broth - I just didn't trust the sauce to thicken otherwise. And I substituted veggie broth for the chicken broth since I was serving to vegetarians.

I changed it up just a little. I had a package of low fat mixed cheeses that I used and I added a dash of ground cayenne pepper. I also had to subtitute pumpkin spice for nutmeg. It came out wonderful. I will make it again and again. We I made it up a hour or so before guests arrived so I could clean up. It went well with the grilled chicken and salad.

If you love pumpkin, you'll love this dish. The trick is the sauce has to be really thick or you'll end up with a runny dish. The spinach, even though squeezed dry, continues to release liquid with cooking. To blend the flour more easily, I melted a little (2 Tblspns) butter into the pan before adding the flour.