Anyone else looking for a pumpkin dessert for the fall season or you have no clue what to do with your mountain of leftover pumpkins? I have just the thing for you, Pumpkin con miel.
“I think you’ll like it,” Kylie said to me with an excited smile, “It tastes just like Thanksgiving.” My interests peaked. As a devout foodie, I was sure anything that tasted remotely close to Thanksgiving was going to be delicious. Micah brought in the little styrofoam box from the car, some of the sticky sugary liquid escaping from the sides of the box. One of his Honduran farm workers had brought Chayote con Miel for him to try.
After spilling some (ok, maybe a lot) of the syrup on the floor and cleaning up the sticky mess. I popped open the lid of the container and a small puff of steam rolled off the pieces of squash swimming in milk and sugar.
And Kylie was right, it tasted like Thanksgiving or a good piece of pumpkin pie. After that, I was resolved to make an AIP friendly version Chayote con Miel.
If you’re looking for more fall recipes that use winter squash, check out the Fall Harvest Hash!
What is Chayote con Miel?
Chayote (pronounced eye-o-te) con Miel is a traditional Honduran dish and pumpkin dessert. When the weather begins to cool down, you can expect whole houses to smell like panela and cinnamon and find a pot of Chayote con Miel simmering on the stovetop. Traditional Chayote con Miel is cooked with winter squash or pumpkin, milk or water, and a whole block of panela (unrefined sugar).
The great thing about Pumpkin con Miel is that it is pretty simple to make. All it takes is a sweet winter squash, coconut milk, water, honey, and spices. You can cook the pumpkin pretty quick in the liquid, but for the best results the longer it can cook, the better the honey and spices will infuse into the squash. one of my favorite things about It is it has almost a pumpkin pie kind of flavor without being in pie form (so it’s more healthy right?). It is a great pumpkin dessert to make for breakfast, brunch, or as a Thanksgiving side.
Tips on making this delicious pumpkin dessert
For this recipe you can use any kind of winter squash that has sweet undertones. For my recipe I used a butternut squash variety I grew in my “garden.” But some other great options would be pumpkin, acorn squash, or “fairytale” pumpkins. Again, the key is to use a squash that already tastes a little bit sweet.
This recipe can easily be made vegan by substituting the 1/3 cup honey for 1/3 cup maple syrup.
When you serve your dish, you can serve it with additional milk and a drizzle of honey, or just like it comes out of the pot. If you run out of the syrup to serve with your pumpkin, you can easily dump in some more coconut milk and a drizzle of honey and simmer it on low for 10-15 minutes.
Pumpkin con Miel can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. You can reheat this dessert in the microwave, but my favorite way is to heat it up on the stove top with a little bit of milk and honey.
Steps to making Pumpkin con Miel, a pumpkin dessert
Start by cutting the squash into sections. Cut the squash into halves and scoop out the seeds. Next cut the halves into quarters and then cut them into “serving sized” portions. It’s easiest to have them already in serving sized pieces so you can serve them right out of the pot. Once your squash is cut into pieces, place the squash into the pot.
Mix the milk, honey, and cinnamon together then pour over the pumpkin. Add the cloves into the pot and fill the rest of the pot with water, about 3-4 cups. You want the pumpkin to be mostly covered.
Don’t worry too much about the water levels, as the pumpkin cooks it will release juices, and the liquid will cook down to more of a syrup.
Put the pumpkin on medium low heat and simmer covered for about 45 minutes. The squash should be cooked through at that point. You can serve it then, but I highly recommend letting it simmer longer.
Cook on the stovetop for the next 1-2 hours uncovered on the stove. Cook down until the liquid is covering one-forth of the squash or less. The syrup will start to thicken and turn a milky brown color.
You can serve immediately with the liquid, a drizzle of honey, and a sprinkle of cinnamon, or store it to serve later.
Pumpkin con Miel (AIP, Paleo, Vegan Friendly)
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Pumpkin including seeds about half a small pumpkin
- 3-4 Cups Water until the squash is mostly covered
- ¾ Cup coconut milk
- ⅓ Cup honey substitute maple for vegan
- 1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
- 5 Whole cloves
Instructions
- Start by cutting the squash into sections. Cut the squash into halves and scoop out the seeds. Next cut the halves into quarters and then cut into “serving sized” portions.
- Once your squash is cut into pieces, place the squash into the pot.
- Mix the milk, honey, and cinnamon together then pour over the pumpkin. Add the cloves into the pot and fill the rest of the pot with water, about 3-4 cups. You want the pumpkin to be mostly covered.
- Don’t worry too much about the water, it will cook down to more of a syrup.
- Put the pumpkin on medium low heat and simmer covered for about 45 minutes. The squash should be cooked through at that point. You can serve it then, but I highly recommend letting it simmer longer.
- Cook on the stovetop for the next 1-2 hours uncovered on the stove. Cook until the liquid starts to thicken and turns a milky brown color.
- You can serve immediately with some syrup from the bottom of the pot, a drizzle of honey, and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
