Miniature pumpkins are stuffed with quinoa, apples, onion, kale, pistachios, dried fruit, and parmesan. A festive meatless fall meal!
Mini pumpkins: they’re not just for decoration any more! Guys. I seriously can’t get over these adorable stuffed pumpkins.
I’ve purchased these cuties for years to decorate my fall table, but only recently discovered that you can cook and eat them just like larger pumpkins!
What’s in the stuffing?
As with any stuffed squash variety, the world is your oyster when it comes to the stuffing. In this particular case, I averted my eyes from the gruyère and bacon pumpkins calling my name (but let’s be real, Dorie Greenspan’s
If you’re making this for a crowd, you’ll need to double or triple the recipe, as the recipe below only makes two mini pumpkins. No matter how many you make, you’ll want to bake these in a pretty dish so you can bring them straight to the table. Do not pass go, do not collect 200 dollars. Seriously, bring this straight to the table and impress everyone you know with your culinary prowess 😉 If you’ve got a mother-in-law who is difficult to please, here’s your test, girlfriend. Bring this to Thanksgiving. If she doesn’t act impressed, give up. It ain’t gonna happen.
Great times to make this dish:
- Halloween
- Thanksgiving
- Fall Dinner Parties
- Date Night
- Meatless Monday
- Fall Lunch for Ladies (looks great on a pretty salad plate!)
This is a filling meal all on its own, but if you’d rather serve these as a side dish, they’ll pair beautifully with pork.
Have you ever cooked a mini pumpkin in the fall? If so, let me know all about it in the comments. I’d love to explore more mini pumpkin recipes!
If you give this recipe a try, we want to see your masterpiece! Tag us on instagram @fridgetofork or give us a shoutout on Facebook.
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Quinoa Stuffed Mini Pumpkins
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hr
- Total Time: 1 hr, 30 mins
- Yield: 2 mini pumpkins 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Miniature pumpkins are stuffed with quinoa, apples, onion, kale, pistachios, dried fruit, and parmesan. A festive meatless fall meal!
Ingredients
- 2 miniature pumpkins, uncooked
- 2 c chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 c uncooked quinoa
- Kosher salt
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/3 of a medium onion, roughly diced
- 1 medium apple, roughly diced
- 1 1/2 c kale, chopped with stems removed
- 1/2 tbsp. dried Rosemary
- 1/2 c dried fruit (craisins, raisins, cherries, diced apricot, or a mixture)
- 1/2 c chopped, shelled pistachios
- 1/2 c freshly shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400º F.
- While the oven is preheating, you’ll steam your pumpkins. This will make it easier to cut them and clean the insides out. Add 2-3 inches of water to a large pot fitted with a steamer basket. Bring the water to rolling boil over high heat. Sit your pumpkins down in the steamer basket and cover the pot with a lid. Steam with the lid on for 15-20 minutes, adding water to the pot as necessary. Remove the pumpkins and let cool on the counter.
- While the pumpkins are steaming, cook the quinoa. Start by rinsing the quinoa in a fine mesh sieve. This will remove any bitterness. Add the quinoa, the chicken or vegetable stock, and several dashes of salt to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and then turn the heat down to a simmer. Put the lid on the pot and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the liquid has evaporated and the quinoa can be fluffed with a fork.
- Once the pumpkins have cooled, cut the tops off and scoop out the seeds. You can save the seeds for roasting, if you like.
- Rub the insides of the pumpkins lightly with olive oil, and salt and pepper the insides. They are now ready for stuffing.
- To complete the quinoa stuffing mixture, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sautée until lightly browned and fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Add diced onion and apple and sautée 3 minutes or until slightly softened. Add in chopped kale and stir until wilted. Stir in 2 cups of the cooked quinoa, 1-2 tablespoons more olive oil, and the rosemary. Salt and pepper liberally. Add in the dried fruit of your choice (I used a combination of golden raisins and craisins), as well as pistachios and parmesan cheese.
- Scoop the quinoa mixture into the hollowed out pumpkins, packing it down as you add. Pile the quinoa stuffing high — the more it’s overflowing, the prettier it will look! Place the top of the pumpkin atop the stuffing, and bake in the oven for 10-20 minutes, until heated through and cheese is melted.
Notes
Here are two ways to prep this ahead:
- Steam the pumpkins, scoop out the seeds, and cook the quinoa ahead (steps 1-4). Then when it’s time to cook and serve, you can pick up at step #5 above.
- Alternately, you can prep the pumpkins and prep the stuffing in advance. Then just refrigerate in an airtight container and when it’s time to cook and serve, you’ll only have step #7 remaining.
Keywords: vegetarian, pumpkin, quinoa, meatless
