Stuffed Mini Pumpkin Recipes

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.

PUMPKIN STUFFED WITH EVERYTHING GOOD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees with a rack set in the center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with a nonstick baking mat or use a Dutch oven that is slightly larger in diameter than your pumpkin (in which case, you will need to serve your pumpkin from the Dutch oven, as it may stick, but it will keep its shape better this way).
• Using a sharp, sturdy knife, cut off top of pumpkin, working around the top with the knife inserted at a 45-degree angle to cut off enough to make it easy to work inside the pumpkin; reserve top. Remove seeds and strings from cap and pumpkin. Season inside of pumpkin generously with salt and pepper. Place on prepared baking sheet or in Dutch oven; set aside.
• In a large bowl, toss together bread, cheese, garlic, bacon, chives, and thyme until well combined. Pack into pumpkin; it should be well filled but not overstuffed. You may need to add some bread and cheese or some of the filling may not be necessary to use. In a small bowl, stir cream and nutmeg to combine. Pour over filling; filling should be moist but not swimming in cream -- you may need to use more or less accordingly.
• Place top on pumpkin and transfer to oven; cook until filling is bubbling and pumpkin flesh is tender, about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Remove top and continue baking until liquid is slightly evaporated and top of filling is browned, 20 to 30 minutes more.
• Carefully transfer pumpkin to a serving platter (or serve in Dutch oven, if using) and serve.

STUFFED PUMPKIN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Cut the top off the pumpkin or squash and use a metal spoon to scoop out the seeds. Get rid of any pithy bits but keep the seeds for another time (see our pumpkin seed recipe ideas). Put the pumpkin on a baking tray, rub with 2 tbsp of the oil inside and out, and season well. Roast in the centre of the oven for 45 mins or until tender, with the 'lid' on the side.
• Meanwhile, rinse the wild rice well and cook following pack instructions, then spread out on a baking tray to cool. Thinly slice the fennel bulb and apple, then squeeze over ½ the lemon juice to stop them discolouring.
• Heat the remaining 2 tbsp oil in a frying pan. Fry the fennel seeds and chilli flakes, then, once the seeds begin to pop, stir in ½ the garlic and the fennel. Cook for 5 mins until softened, then mix through the apple, pecans and lemon zest. Remove from the heat. Add the mixture to the the cooked rice, then stir in the chopped parsley and taste for seasoning.
• Pack the mixture into the cooked pumpkin and return to the oven for 10-15 mins until everything is piping hot. Meanwhile, whisk the remaining lemon juice with the tahini, the rest of the garlic and enough water to make a dressing. Serve the pumpkin in the middle of the table, topped with pomegranate seeds and the dressing.

BAKED MINI PUMPKIN POTS

Steps:

• » Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice the top quarter off each pumpkin and remove the seeds and stringy bits.
• » In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, sauté the sausage for 3 to 4 minutes, until cooked through. Drain off any rendered fat and set aside.
• » Whisk 1 of the eggs, and toss it in a large bowl with the sausage, bread cubes, sage, parsley, salt, and pepper until well combined.
• » Fill each pumpkin with the stuffing mixture to a little less than 1 inch from the top, and place it on the prepared sheet. Bake for 40 minutes, until the pumpkins have soft- ened. Remove the pan from the oven and use a spoon to compress the stuffing a little. Pour 1 of the remaining 4 eggs into each pumpkin. Lightly cover the pumpkins with a sheet of aluminum foil. Increase the heat to 400 degrees F and return the sheet to the oven. Bake for another 10 minutes, until the eggs are just set.
• » Serve hot, topped with about a teaspoon of crème fraîche and more salt and pepper to taste.

BAKED MINIATURE PUMPKINS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Cut off the top of the pumpkin and scrape out all the seeds. Place the butter or margarine and brown sugar inside the pumpkin and sprinkle with ground cinnamon. Put the pumpkin lid back on and place pumpkin in a baking pan with a little water in the bottom.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 30 minutes or until tender. These can also be baked in the microwave on high for about 10 to 15 minutes.

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.

STUFFED HOLIDAY MINI PUMPKINS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Drain yams and mash or puree in a food processor with egg yolk, salt, cinnamon, and melted butter; beat egg white until stiff and fold into yam puree.
• Cut top 3/4" of pumpkins off and set aside; scoop pulp from pumpkin; spoon yam filling into pumpkins and set aside.
• Topping: Mix topping ingredients together and sprinkle on top of filling in each pumpkin; partially spear each pumpkin with a toothpick near the top edge; push reserved pumpkin top onto the remaining portion of exposed toothpick until top sits firmly attached to pumpkin, like a tipped hat.
• Bake pumpkins on a baking sheet until fork can pierce pumpkin shell in an inconspiuous place, 30-60 minutes depending on size of pumpkin.