Healthy Pumpkin Recipes

While pumpkin pie deserves respect as a Thanksgiving icon, it's fun to shake up tradition. Surprise your family and friends with a frozen pie this year--it just might become one of their holiday favorites. No need to let them know how easy it is.

These healthy pumpkin brownies are packed with mini chocolate chips. Warming spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves pair well with the chocolate for a seasonal twist on a classic dessert. The batter will be thick, so be sure to spread it an even layer for even baking.

This riff on the Thanksgiving favorite combines a traditional pumpkin pie filling with swirls of sweetened cream cheese. And since it's only Thanksgiving once a year, we've topped it all off with a buttery spiced-pecan topping. This easy pie recipe will please anyone at your table this holiday.

These healthy pumpkin-oatmeal muffins will get you in the mood for fall. Sprinkling the muffins with pecans adds a nutty crunch to every bite. Serve them for breakfast or as a grab-and-go snack.

The deep flavors of molasses, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and nutmeg make these wholesome pumpkin cookies delicious without the addition of butter--and they lend themselves beautifully to the inclusion of whole-wheat flour. They are also the perfect texture for a sandwich cookie--fill them with a slightly sweetened cream cheese frosting.

This pumpkin baked oatmeal is warm and comforting with the combination of pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon. The pecans add toasty flavor to this easy breakfast dish that's perfect for guests. Serve with yogurt for creaminess and maple syrup for added sweetness.

This pumpkin spice bread recipe is a snap to pull together. Pumpkin puree and maple syrup add sweetness to help cut down the amount of added sugar while ensuring this healthy loaf stays moist and tender. This easy quick bread is finished off with a sweetened cream cheese spread over the top to complement the spices.

Get into the fall spirit with this one-pan gnocchi with a creamy pumpkin sauce. Some pumpkin and other squash sauces can be cloyingly sweet, but not this one--it's savory all the way, thanks to the bacon, garlic and thyme. Instead of being boiled, a package of store-bought gnocchi--one of our favorite convenience products--is browned and crisped in a little bit of bacon fat. Then the sauce (made with canned pumpkin--another great convenience product) is prepared right in that same pan, so cleanup is minimal too. Serve with a simple green salad for an easy dinner that comes together in 30 minutes.

This creamy pumpkin pasta sauce, spiked with fresh herbs and Parmesan cheese, is a great fall alternative to traditional tomato-based sauce. Here, we serve it with pasta, but it can also be used on pizza or as a dipping sauce alongside fresh-baked breadsticks.