20 Genius Ways to Use Canned Pumpkin -- It's More than Just Pie Filling!

Pumpkin puree, especially abundant on grocery-store shelves in the fall, is a convenient and nutrient-rich pantry staple. Stock up, then think outside the pie plate!

Health Benefits: You reap all the goodness of pumpkin without the fuss of slicing, roasting, and scooping out the squash. One half-cup serving of pumpkin has a mere 42 calories and provides a full serving of vegetables, 14 percent of your daily quota for fiber, about 380 percent of your recommended immunity-boosting vitamin A, and healthy doses of vitamin C and potassium.

Shopping Tip: Make sure you grab a can of the real deal (the ingredient list should have just one item: pumpkin) and not pie mix, which is packed with added sugar and has more calories and sodium.

Gooey melted cheddar gets an assist from pumpkin puree and fresh sage in this sweet-and-savory grilled cheese.

Too early for pumpkin pie? Enter these fall-perfect waffles made with pumpkin puree and warming spices and finished with toasted pumpkin seeds.

Swap out the usual dates for pumpkin puree in this Thanksgiving take on sticky toffee pudding. And what is hard sauce, you ask? It’s the fluffy concoction you get when you cream butter and sugar with booze -- in this case, bourbon -- and it makes this dessert even more irresistible.

How can you possibly make cinnamon rolls even more ooey-gooey and irresistible? By adding pumpkin and spice and everything nice.

White chocolate ganache mixed with mascarpone and orange zest makes a sensational filling for this rolled pumpkin cake.

Use pumpkin puree to add an extra boost of flavor to your favorite cinnamon sugar cookie. 

Here's a pumpkin-spice breakfast treat that's actually good for you: Blend nutrient-packed pumpkin puree and banana with fresh ginger, cinnamon, and a drizzle of maple syrup for a sweet start to your day.

Tender pumpkin-spice scones are the perfect fall brunch pastry.

Oh, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves: A touch of spice goes oh-so nice with pumpkin in cake form. Fluffy cream cheese frosting takes the dessert to the next level.

Homemade pumpkin ice cream + homemade gingerbread cookies = the best kind of summer-fall fusion.

Team a buttery graham cracker crust with a rich pumpkin-cream cheese filling and crunchy streusel-like pecan topping for these crowd-pleasing bars.