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Dinner in a Pumpkin Recipe

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4.2 from 14 reviews

This cozy and hearty Dinner in a Pumpkin recipe features a deliciously seasoned Italian sausage and vegetable filling combined with wild rice, baked inside a beautifully roasted pumpkin. It’s a perfect autumn or winter meal that makes for an impressive centerpiece and blends savory flavors with the natural sweetness of pumpkin.

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

  • 3 (6 inch) pumpkin pie pumpkins (or 1 regular medium-size pumpkin)
  • 1 pound Italian sausage (mild or hot, casings removed)
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 1 cup red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 large carrot, shredded
  • 2 ribs celery, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped (or 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme)
  • 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped (or 3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary)
  • 2 teaspoons fresh sage, chopped (or 3/4 teaspoon dried sage)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
  • 2 cups cooked wild rice

Instructions

  1. Prep Pumpkin: Cut the top off each pumpkin to create a large enough opening to fit your hand and a spoon. Remove all seeds and stringy pulp from inside the pumpkin, smoothing the inner walls. Lightly season the inside with salt and pepper.
  2. Preheat Oven: Set your oven to 350°F (175°C) to prepare for baking.
  3. Brown Meat: Remove casings from the Italian sausage and place the meat in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, breaking the sausage into small pieces, until nicely browned. Drain any excess grease by blotting with paper towels if needed.
  4. Add Veggies and Seasonings: To the browned sausage, add diced onion, shredded carrot, diced red bell pepper, and chopped celery. Sauté the mixture for 8-10 minutes until vegetables are softened. Stir in minced garlic, fresh or dried thyme, rosemary, sage, kosher salt, and black pepper. Finally, incorporate the cooked wild rice and mix well to combine all flavors.
  5. Fill Pumpkins: Spoon the sausage-vegetable-rice mixture into each prepared pumpkin. Replace the pumpkin tops to cover the filling.
  6. Bake: Place the filled pumpkins on a lined or greased baking sheet and position on the oven rack that places the pumpkin in the oven's center. Bake for 50-60 minutes until the pumpkin flesh is tender and can be easily pierced with a fork.
  7. Serve: To serve, scoop out the cooked pumpkin flesh from the sides of the pumpkin and combine it with the filling as you dish it into bowls. Optionally, season with additional salt, pepper, or a splash of hot sauce to taste.

Notes

  • You can use either smaller pie pumpkins or one medium-sized regular pumpkin depending on availability.
  • For a milder flavor, use mild Italian sausage; for heat, opt for hot sausage.
  • Cook the wild rice ahead of time as this recipe depends on pre-cooked rice.
  • Save pumpkin seeds for roasting as a tasty snack if desired.
  • Make sure not to overfill the pumpkins to avoid spillover while baking.
  • This recipe can be adapted to a vegetarian diet by substituting sausage with plant-based alternatives and omitting meat.

Find it online: https://cookedbygrace.com/dinner-in-a-pumpkin-recipe/