Red Chile Roasted Pepitas
Spoiler alert: These nuts are seriously addictive. While you can keep these stored for a couple weeks, I challenge you to not eat them in one sitting. I like to keep these handy to add to salads (like pictured) or as a topper to hummus, roasted squash, or soup. They add the perfect amount of crunch, salt, and spiciness. If you’re looking for a snack on the run, you’ve struck gold. Just package them in an airtight container and pop in your purse, bag, backpack, or travel gear to enjoy on the road or on the trail.
Takes: 12 minutes, 2 min. to prep, 10 min to bake
Makes 1 cup
1 cup raw pepitas
2 tsp olive oil
Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. Place raw pepitas in bowl. Add olive oil. Mix to combine and fully coat. Evenly spread pepitas on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake pepitas in oven for 8-10 minutes or until they become fragrant and start to crackle. Feel free to shake the baking sheet after 4-5 minutes to redistribute nuts and ensure even roasting.
Meanwhile mix powder and salt into a bowl large enough to hold pepitas. Remove roasted nuts from oven and add to powder/salt mixture. Toss to combine and fully coat while pepitas are still warm. Allow to cool.
Serve slightly warm or store in airtight container for later use. Keeps for 1-2 weeks.
Cook's notes: Pepitas are pumpkin seeds without the shell and are only found in some pumpkin varieties. (We have a Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seed Recipe too!)
The longer the pepitas sit after baking, the crispier they will become. Feel free to add other spices or ingredients to your mixture depending on what you’re making. You can use Desert Provisions Hatch Green Chile Powder as well. Find raw (not roasted or salted) pepitas in the bulk section of most grocery stores.
