Description
A hearty and comforting dinner baked inside a pumpkin, featuring seasoned Italian sausage mixed with sautéed vegetables, fragrant herbs, and wild rice. This rustic and flavorful dish is perfect for fall and is as visually impressive as it is delicious.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Pumpkin and Filling
- 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
- Prep Pumpkin: Cut the top off each pumpkin, leaving an opening large enough to fit your hand and a spoon inside. Remove all seeds and stringy insides until the inner pumpkin walls are smooth. Season the inside of each pumpkin with salt and pepper.
- Preheat Oven: Set your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit to prepare for baking.
- Brown Meat: Remove the casings from the Italian sausage and add the sausage to a skillet over medium-high heat. Break it into small pieces and cook until browned. Optionally, use paper towels to blot off excess grease.
- Add Vegetables: Add diced onion, shredded carrot, diced red bell pepper, and chopped celery to the skillet. Sauté the mixture for 8 to 10 minutes until vegetables soften. Stir in minced garlic, fresh or dried thyme, rosemary, sage, salt, and pepper. Finally, mix in the cooked wild rice until evenly combined.
- Spoon Mixture Into Pumpkins: Fill the prepared pumpkins with the sausage and vegetable wild rice mixture. Place the pumpkin lids back on top.
- Bake: Place the filled pumpkins on a lined or greased baking sheet. Position the sheet on the lowest oven rack or a rack that centers the pumpkin in the oven. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the pumpkin flesh is tender when pierced with a fork.
- Serve: Scoop the cooked pumpkin flesh from the sides as you spoon the filling into bowls. Optionally, top with hot sauce and add extra salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- Yield: Each 6-inch pumpkin serves 2 people; recipe serves 6 in total.
- Make Ahead: The sausage and rice filling can be prepared up to 2 days in advance and kept refrigerated. The stuffed pumpkin can also be assembled a day ahead and refrigerated until baking.
- Freezing: Freeze the filling mixture separately in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6th of recipe (approx. 1 stuffed pumpkin portion)
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 520 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 36 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 22 g
- Cholesterol: 60 mg
