Edible and Easy: How to Stuff Roasted Mini Pumpkins

Roasted Mini Pumpkins make a gorgeous fall themed side dish and are quit easy to prepare. Whether you fill them with a rice pilaf or try something a bit more complicated, these little pumpkins make delightful table mates and edible dishware.

Pumpkin Season

This time of year pumpkins are everywhere. They are practically giving them away at the market. Just outside the door huge orbs of cheerful orange are stacked beside smaller warty Knuckleheads. Nearby, pale smooth Casper pumpkins offer an eerie contrast in color and form.

The abundance of pumpkins seems to inspire the creative nature in many unlikely artists. You have probably seen your share of festive pumpkin yard art on social media. And who can help but marvel at some of the intricate pumpkin carving even our most practical neighbors occasionally try their hand at these days?

I have never felt inspired to spend much time carving pumpkins for my porch. I am even less motivated since my children hit the teen years. Always charmed by miniatures, however, I still love the idea of small edible pumpkins carved for use as a bowl to cradle soup or a side dish. I have been cutting out photos and recipes for that kind of pumpkin art for years.

Roasting Mini Pumpkins

Finally, this year I decided to cook Roasted Mini Pumpkins for myself. In the end I totally ignored the clipped recipes and instructions. Instead, as I put a chicken in the oven to roast I saw the mini pumpkins I had bought at the market sitting on the countertop. Right then I decided it was time to use them. I washed them, pierced each one near the top with a sharp knife and set them in the oven alongside the chicken. You can rub them with olive oil and dust them with salt and pepper if you like. I didn’t bother.

Pumpkins and squash are great for multitasking in the kitchen. They are good at sharing oven space with other recipes as they are small and can be roasted at most any temperature. The trick is to leave them in the oven just until they can be easily pierced with a fork. I roast chicken in a hot oven so these pumpkins were cooked at 450F for about 20 minutes. Allow for a longer cooking time if your oven is set at a lower temperature.

Edible and Easy

Once tender, I removed the Roasted Mini Pumpkins from the oven and let them cool for another 20 minutes or so. Once they were cool enough to handle I removed the lids as if I were carving a jack-o-lantern. Then I scooped out the squishy pulp and seeds. That left the sides and hull in place to make a sweet little bowl.

The recipes I have collected recommend filling the little pumpkins with everything from soup to risotto to a sweet custard type dessert. Frankly it all seemed like overkill as I finished the chicken and a vegetable side dish. Maybe next time. This time I opted to keep it simple. I already had a rice pilaf made from a boxed mix on the stove. I decided to simply stuff the pumpkin shells with that otherwise unadorned rice.

More Ideas for Stuffing Mini Pumpkins

My Roasted Mini Pumpkins made a gorgeous fall themed side dish. Even better, they could scarcely have been simpler to prepare. The way I did it this time was super easy. In the future I can see taking it up a notch. I can imagine filling them with Basic Italian Polenta drizzled with a touch of olive oil or maple syrup. I think they would also make interesting little bowls for individual servings of Corn Salad with Pecan Dressing or Moroccan Chickpea and Barley Salad. A mini pumpkin might hold could also be used to hold a cup-sized serving of Squash and Hominy Stew. Or they could be filled with the same herbed rice and pine nut mixture I used for Stuffed Patty Pan Squash. Just rebake the stuffed pumpkins according to those directions.

Whether you take the easy approach or try something a bit more complicated these little pumpkins make delightful table mates and edible dishware. Try them. Use your imagination. Enjoy!

Roasted Mini Pumpkins

Course: Sides, VegetablesCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Total time

35

minutes

Roasted Mini Pumpkins make a gorgeous fall themed side dish and are quit easy to prepare. Whether you fill them with a rice pilaf or try something a bit more complicated, these little pumpkins make delightful table mates and edible dishware.

Ingredients

• 6 mini pumpkins

• a little olive oil

Directions

• Preheat oven to 450F. (See note below.)
• Wash mini pumpkins. Pierce each one near the top with a sharp knife. Rub with a little olive oil if you like. Arrange pumpkins on a parchment lined baking sheet.
• Place pumpkins in preheated oven. Bake at 450F for approximately 20 minutes, or until they can be easily pierced with a fork. (The baking time will vary according to the size of the pumpkins.)
• Remove pumpkins from oven. Allow them to cool until easy to handle, approximately 20 minutes.
• When cool, remove the top of the pumpkin, cutting at an angle around the top quarter of each pumpkin as you might for carving a jack-o-lantern. Scoop out the pulp and seeds leaving the fleshy sides and hull intact.
• Fill as desired. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

• Pumpkins and other squash are good at sharing oven space with other recipes. They can be roasted at most any temperature, from 350F to 450F. The trick is to watch carefully and leave them in just until they can be easily pierced with a fork.
• Roasted Mini Pumpkins can be filled with anything from soup to dessert. Try stuffing yours with a rice pilaf, a grain salad, a corn side dish or a pudding for dessert.