Thanksgiving Roast Stuffed Pumpkin

Roasted Stuffed Pumpkin, filled to the brim with a savory multigrain stuffing, dried and fresh fruits, nuts, and warm, toasty seasonings is the perfect vegetarian centerpiece for your holiday meal.

Are you looking for a warm, rich, and satisfying vegetarian main dish for your holiday menu? Something that everyone will love? Stuffed Pumpkin is just what you're looking for!

Jump to:

• A Vegetarian Thanksgiving Feast
• Stuffed Pumpkin Ingredients
• How to Make Stuffed Pumpkin
• Substitutions
• Variations
• FAQ
• More Thanksgiving Recipes
• Roasted Stuffed Pumpkin with Multigrain Dressing

A Vegetarian Thanksgiving Feast

Back in my late teens, I had two magazine subscriptions – Mother Earth News and American Songwriter. In November circa 1986, Mother Earth News published a recipe for stuffed pumpkin as an alternative to the traditional meat-based holiday fare.

I wasn’t a vegetarian back then (nor am I now), but it sounded good, so I decided to give it try. Since then, I’ve made stuffed pumpkin nearly every year as part of our Thanksgiving menu.

Over time, this Stuffed Pumpkin recipe has evolved into something uniquely mine, but (like Mother Earth and American Songwriter today) the original flavor and feel is still there, deliciously down-to-earth as ever.

Stuffed Pumpkin Ingredients

Pumpkin

The most important thing when choosing a pumpkin is to pick one meant for baking, not carving.

Carving pumpkins (i.e, jack-o-lantern pumpkins) have paler, thinner flesh with a pale, thin flavor to go with it. They work great for creative cutting, but they don't taste like much.

Baking, or pie pumpkins, generally have darker, thicker flesh and a richer, sweeter flavor. We suggest using a Sugar Pie or a Cinderella pumpkin. Both have thick, sweet flesh, few if any strings, and a lower water content.

Choose a 8-9 pound pumpkin (no larger), or use a group of smaller pumpkins for a lovely Thanksgiving centerpiece and main dish.

The pumpkin used for the images on this post was a 9-pound Cinderella pumpkin, and the amount of stuffing in the recipe filled it perfectly. If your pumpkin is smaller, put any extra stuffing in a small casserole dish.

(And yes, that is the real, unedited color of these pumpkins! Aren't they stunning‽)

Fruit & Nut Stuffing

The vegetarian stuffing recipe we use for our stuffed pumpkin is amazing; filled with savory multigrain goodness, dried and fresh fruits, nuts, and warm, toasty seasonings, it is perfect for Thanksgiving and/or Christmas dinner.

Read Multigrain Stuffing with Fruits & Nuts for more detailed instructions and ingredient substitutions. You can also use your own stuffing recipe.

• Bread cubes: You will need a whole loaf (or almost a whole loaf) of hearty, whole grain bread (about 1½ pounds). We always make this stuffing with either Dave's Killer Good Seed Bread, or a hearty honey-wheatberry bread.
• Dried fruits: We usually use a mixture of golden raisins and dried cranberries. Other fruits that work well are chopped dried apricots, peaches, and figs.
• Nuts: The recipe lists walnuts and Brazil nuts, but you can use other nuts as desired. Pecans, pine nuts, and hazelnuts (filberts) are all good substitutes.
• Onions: Use a sweet or yellow onion for this recipe.
• Celery
• Apples: Use any good baking apple. We tend to like the sweet-tart varieties for this stuffing; Braeburn and Honeycrisp work particularly well.
• Mushrooms: Use regular white, or button, mushrooms. Crimini mushrooms will also work.
• Wine: The best choice is probably a dry chablis. That said, I've made this stuffing using everything from a Reisling to plain white grape juice. It always turns out.
• Butter: Use real, salted or unsalted butter.
• Eggs: Use large eggs. Add an extra egg if your eggs are smaller.
• Sage: Fresh sage is in season during the holidays, so if you can use fresh, do so.
• Oregano
• Basil
• Cumin
• Nutmeg: Use Freshly ground if possible. It really does make a difference.
• Salt: We always use kosher salt for this recipe.
• Pepper

How to Make Stuffed Pumpkin

Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).

Make the Stuffing

Toast the bread slices one at a time in the toaster or on a tray in the oven. Do not stack the slices as they cool. When all the toasted bread has cooled, cut it into ½- to ¾-inch cubes. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the sage, oregano, cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, salt,and pepper. Set aside.

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat until bubbly.Sauté onion over until translucent; 8-10 minutes. Add chopped celery and sliced mushrooms, and cook 5 minutes more.

Season with a pinch of salt as the mushrooms begin to release their juices. Remove from heat.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sautéed vegetables, bread cubes, herb and spice mix, chopped apples, nuts, and dried fruits. Toss gently to combine, and set aside.

In a small skillet, heat remaining butter over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in wine.

Slowly drizzle the butter mixture into the beaten eggs, whisking as you do. Pour the garlic sauce over the stuffing mix and toss gently to coat.

If the mixture seems too dry, don't worry too much: the pumpkin juices will add to it as it bakes.

Stuff the Pumpkin

The pumpkin must be room temperature before you begin or it will not cook properly.

Preheat oven to 350°F | 175°C.

Cut the top off the pumpkin as you would a Jack-o-Lantern. Remove the seeds, strings, and guts. Use ¼ cup of butter to give the outside and inside of the pumpkin a light, all-over butter rub-down before proceeding.

Filled the hollowed pumpkin loosely with prepared stuffing. You don't want the stuffing to be too compacted, or the pumpkin may get overdone before the stuffing has finished cooking.

For pumpkins larger than 7½ or 8 pounds only

Use the handle-end of a wood spoon to make a hole in the stuffing (not the pumpkin) vertically down the middle. Move the spoon handle around a little so that there is a 1-inch hole that goes from the top to bottom of the stuffing.It's OK if some stuffing falls back into the hole when you remove the soon handle. This hole will allow the center to cook more efficiently, so that the pumpkin itself doesn't overcook while roasting.

To assist in removing the pumpkin intact when it has finished cooking, layer two sheets of parchment under the pumpkin before putting it into the pan.

(I forgot to put the parchment down before taking these pictures: don't forget to do it, though. It can be very difficult to lift the pumpkin out of the pan without it. A silicone mat will also work.)

Bake the Pumpkin

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

Baking time can take anywhere from 1 to 2½ hour total, depending on how big your pumpkin is, how thick its walls are, and how dense the stuffing is.

Bake the pumpkin in the preheated oven with the lid on for the first half hour, then remove the pumpkin lid. (You can remove the lid from the oven if it is tender, or set it on the side of the pan to continue cooking it.)

After an hour, check the doneness of the pumpkin by piercing the flesh with a fork. If it is difficult to pierce, bake an additional 15 minutes and try again.

If the pumpkin begins to brown too much, loosely tent it with aluminum foil.

Continue cooking the pumpkin for at least an hour; until the internal temperature of the stuffing reaches at least 165°F (74°C). Remove the roasting pan from oven.

Let the pumpkin rest in the roasting pan at least 30 minutes before lifting it out. If you move it too soon, the pumpkin skin may tear.

To serve, cut into pumpkin onto wedges and spoon on stuffing over the top. Serve with pumpkin gravy if desired.

Pumpkin Gravy (Optional)

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium pan. Add any drippings from the pumpkin.

Whisk in 2 tablespoons of flour, stirring constantly. Cook for 1 or 2 minutes.

Pour in 2 cups of vegetable stock, plus any pan drippings, all at once and stir to thicken. Remove from heat.

No Pumpkin Drippings? If the skin of the pumpkin wasn't pierced during the cooking process, you may not have any drippings in the pan.

If this is the case, and you want to make pumpkin gravy, use a skewer to pierce a four or five small holes at the base of the hot pumpkin. Be careful not to tear the skin as you do this; just poke it enough so some of the juices slowly run out.

As the pumpkin sets and rests, the running juices will slow and stop.

You can also flavor the gravy with a couple of tablespoons of leftover pumpkin puree.

Substitutions

Stuffing: You can use any dressing/stuffing (even StoveTop!) to fill the pumpkin: once filled with of your choice dressing, the process of roasting the pumpkin will be the same.

Variations

This recipe is very easy to adapt for vegans.

• Replace the butter with vegan soy butter or coconut oil.
• Use a vegan-friendly bread for the stuffing.
• Replace the 2 eggs in the stuffing with either ½ cup plain or vanilla soy yogurt or 2-egg equivalent of your favorite egg replacer.

FAQ

More Thanksgiving Recipes

One of our Thanksgiving traditions is to listen to Arlo Guthrie sing Alice's Restaurant whilst we prepare Thanksgiving dinner. What are your favorite holiday traditions?

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Originally published November 13, 2013. This post has been updated with new content, images, and recipe instructions to improve reader experience.