Pumpkins are everywhere. Whether they’re in your food, on your plate, or used as decoration around your home, pumpkins find their way into every facet of life during the fall season.

You may be used to consuming pumpkins in a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte, but there are plenty of savory pumpkin recipes that you can take advantage of.

Classically, pumpkins are baked in to create an earthy and reliable holiday dessert that is easy to love, but pumpkins are so much more than a go-to ingredient for sweet dishes. As a versatile fruit (that we often think is a vegetable!), pumpkins can be used as an integral component in a plethora of savory recipes constituting delicious options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Pumpkins can be used to satisfy a range of food desires through their ability to be integrated in sweet and savory recipes. And as if it couldn’t get any more versatile than that, pumpkins can also be used to ramp up and recipes, meeting the needs of a variety of dietary restrictions or preferences. Although pumpkins are most popularly used in mouthwatering yet sugary desserts, breads and drinks, there are many ways to use pumpkins in nutritious, healthy and equally flavorful ways as well.

Try to pumpkin “spice” up your diet with these healthy and creative pumpkin recipes:

1. Pumpkin Cream Sauce 

This smooth sauce is perfect for any pasta or potato dish and it's the perfect way to make use of any extra pumpkins that may be lying around your housing. To make your fall diet feel even more in-season, swap out a traditional tomato sauce with this delectable and vegan pumpkin sauce alternative to drizzle over your dishes.

To make your fall diet feel even more in-season, swap out a traditional tomato sauce with this delectable and vegan pumpkin sauce alternative to drizzle over your dishes.

2. Sausage and Rice Stuffed Pumpkins

Want to eat something festive, flavorful and fun this fall?

Then sausage and rice stuffed pumpkins are a must-try! This savory pumpkin recipe covers four of the five major food groups — vegetables, protein, grains, and dairy — and it's a creative and aesthetically pleasing way to incorporate the low-calorie and high-fiber squash into a meal. This satisfying and fulfilling meal is the perfect comfort food during a chilly winter evening.

3. Pumpkin Risotto with Bacon

Reviewed by the expert panel at healthyfood.com, this pumpkin risotto with bacon dish is a surefire way to quench your most savory pumpkin recipe desires. In just 45 minutes, you can create a 375-calorie rice dish incorporating pumpkins. 

This risotto would pair nicely with warm bread and a freshly-tossed salad.

4. Pumpkin Lasagna

Lasagna is the perfect comfort food. It’s thick, warm and hearty. Surely there’s nothing to make lasagna even better, right? Wrong! Add a fall touch to the year-round Italian classic by including a pumpkin puree filling.

5. Pumpkin Chili

In the same vein as pumpkin lasagna, adding pumpkin to an everyday chili recipe is a fall festive alternative that assembles a delicately sweet and earthy flavor.

This easy savory pumpkin recipe only takes 50 minutes to cook and is the perfect meal to fill both your belly and heart on a chilly autumn evening.

6. Roasted Pumpkin Nachos

Want to take your snacks to the next level? Try making a batch of roasted pumpkin nachos. This gluten-free and vegan meal encapsulates the taste of fall and the hot spices like cayenne and chili incorporated into this dish make for a healthy, peppery and flavorful finger food to munch on during the next football game.

Pumpkin season is in full swing, so there’s no better time to experiment with your favorite recipes by incorporating America’s beloved and orange winter squash.

From this short and nonexhaustive list, pumpkins prove themselves to be more than just a spice to add to your morning coffee. Pumpkins can satisfy a spectrum of cravings by being in sweet and savory recipes. Regardless of how they’re incorporated into a dish, they’re always delicious.

Utilize the abundance of pumpkins in your local supermarkets and farms and try out these creative dishes!