Best Stuffed Pumpkins Recipes

SAUSAGE & RICE STUFFED PUMPKINS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°. Cut a 3-in. circle around each pumpkin stem. Remove tops and set aside. Remove strings and seeds from pumpkins; discard seeds or save for roasting. , In a large skillet, cook sausage, vegetables and garlic over medium heat 6-8 minutes or until sausage is no longer pink, breaking up sausage into crumbles; drain. Remove from heat; stir in rice, 3/4 cup cheese, eggs, parsley, salt and thyme., Place pumpkins in a 15x10x1-in. baking pan; fill with rice mixture. Replace pumpkin tops. Bake 30 minutes., Reduce oven setting to 350°. Bake 25-35 minutes longer or until pumpkin is tender when pierced with a knife and a thermometer inserted in filling reads 160°. Sprinkle remaining cheese over filling. Cut to serve.

SAUSAGE-STUFFED PUMPKINS

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring the water, rice, bouillon and curry powder to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 45-50 minutes or until tender. , Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink, breaking it into crumbles; drain and set aside. In the same skillet, saute the mushrooms, onion and shallots 3-5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. , Reduce heat; add the currants, broth, poultry seasoning, sage and marjoram. Return sausage to the pan. Cook and stir 5-7 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat; stir in rice., Wash pumpkins; cut a 3-in. circle around each stem. Remove tops and set aside. Remove and discard loose fibers; save seeds for another use. Prick inside each pumpkin with a fork; sprinkle with salt and garlic powder. Stuff with sausage mixture; replace tops. , Place in a 13x9-in. baking dish; add 1/2 in. water. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes. Cover loosely with foil; bake 45-50 minutes longer or until tender. Cut each pumpkin into 4 wedges to serve.

STUFFED BABY PUMPKINS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Wash the pumpkins. With a small, sharp knife, remove the tops as if for a jack-o'-lantern. Scoop out the seeds and stringy insides with a spoon, leaving the flesh intact. Rinse, then rub with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper.
• Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat, then add the scallions and cook for a few minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute or so, until fragrant. Add the kale and cook until it just wilts, about 3 or 4 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the lemon juice and transfer to a bowl. Add the bread crumbs, cheese, pine nuts, nutmeg, red pepper flakes, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon black peppers. Mix well, then stir in the cream.
• Divide the filling into the pumpkins and replace the tops. Rub a baking dish with olive oil and arrange the filled pumpkins in the dish.
• Bake for 1 hour, watching to make sure the tops don't brown too much. Test the pumpkins by piercing with a fork. If the skin doesn't pierce easily, remove the tops and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes. Replace the tops and serve hot.

SPINACH-STUFFED PUMPKINS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Cut off tops and remove seeds from pumpkins. Coat the insides with butter, and season with salt and pepper. Replace lids. Place in a shallow baking dish with a small amount of water to prevent bottoms from scorching during cooking.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until insides have darkened yet outsides remain firm. Meanwhile, small saucepan, stir softened cream cheese into spinach until melted and well-blended.
• Fill pumpkins with spinach mixture, and top each with a slice of cheese. Return to the oven for 3 minutes to melt cheese if serving immediately. Pumpkins may be covered and refrigerated at this point until ready to serve. May be reheated in the microwave for 2 minutes.

BABY STUFFED PUMPKINS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the top off each pumpkin in a zigzag pattern. Scrape out the seeds with a teaspoon. Season with salt and pepper. Place 1/2 tablespoon of butter in each pumpkin. Rub the outsides and lids with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the lid on each, but slightly ajar. Place in a baking pan and pour in 1/2 cup water. Roast 20 to 25 minutes, until the pumpkins are slightly softened. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, cut the bread into 1/2-inch cubes and place in a bowl. Add the milk and let stand until the bread absorbs most of it. Squeeze the bread lightly and pour off excess milk. (Bread should be moist.) Add remaining ingredients and stir well. Season with salt and pepper.
• Divide the stuffing evenly among the pumpkins. Replace the lids. Add additional water if pan is dry. Roast 40 to 50 minutes, or until the stuffing is cooked through and pumpkin is tender. Test by inserting a paring knife into the center of the stuffing for 5 seconds. (The knife will come out warm when the stuffing is cooked.) Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

STUFFED PUMPKINS

Steps:

• Thoroughly clean the outside of the pumpkin. Cut off top of pumpkin to make a lid. Remove the seeds and scrape out any stringy pulp. Combine stuffing ingredients and mix well in a bowl. Fill the pumpkin with the stuffing. (Be sure to leave some space at top.) Cover with lid, and bake on an oiled cookie sheet for 50 minutes at 400 degrees. Lower the temperature to 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until the stuffing sets. (The stuffing is set when a fork is inserted in the center and comes out clean.)
• Cut the pumpkin into eight sections and serve the wedges topped with either cranberry sauce or gravy

MEAT-STUFFED SUGAR PUMPKINS

Steps:

• Wash each pumpkin. Cut top 1/4 off each pumpkin; remove and discard seeds and fibers. Cut the tops of the pumpkins into small cubes, trimming off and discarding the pumpkin skin from each cube. Mince the pumpkin cubes in a food processor until pumpkin meat is finely ground.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In large skillet, saute meat until no pink remains. Add onion and celery and cook 5 minutes longer. Stir in minced pumpkin, rice, tomatoes, eggs, salt, basil and thyme.
• Place pumpkins in roasting pan. Pack stuffing into pumpkins. Extra stuffing that overflows can be placed at the base of the pumpkins, in the pan.
• Place a piece of aluminum foil over top and crimp it over the sides of the pan.
• Bake 45 minutes or until pumpkins are just tender. Watch carefully at end of roasting time so pumpkins don't overcook.

STUFFED PUMPKINS WITH HERBS AND BREAD CRUMBS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325*.
• Cut off pumpkin tops and set aside.
• Scoop out the seeds and membranes.
• Place the pumpkin shells on a large baking sheet.
• In a medium bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.
• Pack the stuffing tightly into the pumpkin cavities.
• Cover with the reserved tops.
• Bake until the pumpkin shells are tender, about 45 minutes.
• Serve hot.

STUFFED THANKSGIVING PUMPKINS (DIABETIC FRIENDLY)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice off the top 1/2 inch of each pumpkin and scoop out the seeds. Bake pumpkins for 15 minutes.
• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat stock to simmering and cook onions until softened but not browned.
• Add garlic, sage, thyme, and bread crumbs. Cook, stirring, 1 minute, then remove from.
• heat and stir in remaining ingredients.
• Fill pumpkins with stuffing. (Any remaining stuffing may be baked separately in a lightly oiled baking dish.).
• Bake for 15 minutes, or until stuffing is lightly browned and heated through. Be careful not to over bake the pumpkins, because they will split.

ROASTED PUMPKINS STUFFED WITH ROAST DUCK AND WILD MUSHROOM RISOTTO

Steps:

• In a medium pot, bring the stock salt + pepper to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and cover to keep warm. In a large pot heat the oil and melt the butter until foamy over medium-high heat. Add the shallots garlic and duck liver if using, and cook stirring for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms + cook stirring until the mushrooms give off their liquid about 3 minutes. + the rice stirring to coat with oil, and cook, stirring constantly, until opaque, about 2 minutes. Add the wine to deglaze the pan and cook, stirring until the liquid is reduced by half, about 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium. Add 1 cup of the hot stock + until nearly all the liquid has been absorbed Continue adding more stock 1/2 cup at a time as it is absorbed and cook stirring constantly until the rice is tender and just al dente about 12 minutes total cooking time. When all the stock has been added, fold in the duck meat reserved pumpkin butter thyme, and oregano. Add 1/2 cup of the cheese and mix well Remove from the heat Place the pumpkins in the center of 4 large serving plates and surround each with a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds. Divide the risotto among the pumpkins and top each serving with 2 tablespoons of the remaining Parmesan. Place the lids on the pumpkins and serve immediately.

SPINACH-STUFFED PUMPKINS

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 2. Cut off tops and remove seeds from pumpkins. Coat the insides with butter, and season with salt and pepper. Replace lids. Place in a shallow baking dish with a small amount of water to prevent bottoms from scorching during cooking. 3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until insides have darkened yet outsides remain firm. Meanwhile, small saucepan, stir softened cream cheese into spinach until melted and well-blended. 4. Fill pumpkins with spinach mixture, and top each with a slice of cheese. Return to the oven for 3 minutes to melt cheese if serving immediately. Pumpkins may be covered and refrigerated at this point until ready to serve. May be reheated in the microwave for 2 minutes.

MINIATURE PUMPKINS STUFFED WITH SPICED LENTILS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F Fill a 9X13-inch baking pan with 1 inch of water. Set whole pumpkins in pan and bake 40 to 45 minutes, until blade of a knife penetrates flesh easily. (or microwave: With tip of a sharp knife, poke holes in each pumpkin. Set pumpkins in a microwave-safe plastic wrap, and microwave on high for 7 minutes. Rotate pumpkins and microwave 4 to 5 minutes longer.) Let cool, then carefully remove tops to make a lid. Scoop out seeds.
• While pumpkins are baking, in a large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce, sugar, cumin, paprika, and cinnamon. Add lentils and broth. Cover and cook until lentils are tender, 40 to 45 minutes. Drain into a colander. Season lentils with salt and cayenne.
• Fill hollowed pumpkins with equal amounts of hot lentil mixture. Cover each pumpkin with its lid and serve at once.
• In the past, I've also baked a pretty medium-sized pumpkin at 325 (It takes longer, depending on size) and used it as a serving bowl.