Description
These Pizza-Stuffed Pumpkins are a fun and festive appetizer perfect for parties or holiday gatherings. Soft biscuit dough is filled with a rich ricotta and mozzarella cheese mixture, shaped into pumpkins using kitchen twine, baked until golden, brushed with garlic butter, and topped with pretzel sticks to resemble pumpkin stems. Serve them warm with tangy marinara sauce for dipping.
Ingredients
Scale
Cheese Filling
- 2 cups (16 oz.) ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Dough
- 1 (16.3-oz.) tube Pillsbury Grands Southern Homestyle Biscuits
Garlic Butter Glaze
- 1 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tsp. paprika
Garnish
- 16 (1″-long) thin pretzel sticks
- Marinara sauce, for serving
- Kitchen twine (for shaping pumpkins)
Instructions
- Prepare Cheese Filling: In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Mix well, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Shape Dough Balls: Cut each biscuit into 16 pieces. Using your hands, shape each piece into a ball and then roll out each ball into a 3 1/2 to 4-inch round disc.
- Fill and Seal: Place 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture in the center of each dough round. Gather the sides of the dough around the filling and pinch to seal. Gently press the dough to create a flat bottom. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with all pieces, then refrigerate for about 20 minutes to chill.
- Preheat and Prepare Twine: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Cut sixteen 17 to 20-inch pieces of kitchen twine. On a cutting board, lay a strip of twine horizontally. Place a stuffed dough piece in the center, loosely tie around it, then flip and tie again as if wrapping a gift bow. Rotate and tie once more to create a pumpkin shape. Secure with a loose knot and trim excess twine. Repeat with all dough pieces. Arrange the tied dough pumpkins on a parchment-lined baking sheet spaced 1 to 2 inches apart.
- Bake: Bake the pumpkins in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes.
- Make Garlic Butter: While the pumpkins bake, melt unsalted butter in a small pot over medium-low heat. Add finely chopped garlic, chopped fresh parsley, and paprika. Cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is fragrant and slightly browned, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- Glaze and Cool: Remove baked pumpkins from the oven and brush them generously with the garlic butter. Transfer pumpkins to a wire rack to cool slightly. Carefully remove the kitchen twine from each pumpkin.
- Garnish and Serve: Insert a pretzel stick into the top of each pumpkin to resemble a stem. Serve warm alongside marinara sauce for dipping.
Notes
- Make sure not to overfill the dough rounds to prevent bursting during baking.
- Chilling the stuffed dough before baking helps maintain shape and prevents spreading.
- The kitchen twine should be tied loosely to allow the dough to expand while keeping a pumpkin-like shape.
- Use fresh garlic for best flavor in the garlic butter glaze.
- This recipe yields 16 stuffed pumpkins, perfect for serving as appetizers or snacks.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 stuffed pumpkin
- Calories: 190
- Sugar: 1.5g
- Sodium: 430mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 6.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4.5g
- Trans Fat: 0.2g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Fiber: 0.8g
- Protein: 7g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
