Oven-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.
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A Vegetarian Thanksgiving Feast
Are you looking for a warm, rich, and satisfying vegetarian main dish for your holiday menu this year? Something that everyone will love? Stuffed Pumpkin might be just what you're looking for!
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.
What Goes into this Recipe
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‽)
Vegetarian Stuffing with Fruit & Nuts
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 a detailed breakdown of the stuffing ingredients and substitutions.
That said, 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.
How to Make Stuffed Pumpkin
Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
Make the Stuffing
Read Multigrain Stuffing with Fruits & Nuts for more detailed instructions. You can also use your own stuffing recipe.
Multigrain Stuffing with Fruits & Nuts
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.
FAQs & Expert Tips
We suggest using a Sugar Pie or Cinderella pumpkin for this recipe. Both have thick, sweet flesh, few if any strings, and a lower water content.
This recipe is very easy to adapt for vegans.
Vegan adaptations:
• 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.
I shared this Roast Pumpkin recipe on the Weekend Potluck. Check it out!
More Thanksgiving Recipes
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Roasted Stuffed Pumpkin with Multigrain Dressing
Equipment
- 1 roasting pan
- 2 squares of parchment or silicone mat
- 1 large mixing bowl
Ingredients
Pumpkin
- 1 medium pumpkin 8-10 inches / 8-9 pounds max; or 2 smaller pumpkins
- ¼ cup butter
Multigrain Stuffing
- 20 leaves fresh sage finely chopped; or 1½ teaspoons dried sage
- 1½ teaspoons dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon fresh nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt plus more, as needed
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper or white pepper
- ½ cup butter divided
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1½ cups sliced mushrooms
- 20 slices hearty whole grain bread ~1½ pounds
- 1 large apple chopped; or 2 small
- ½ cup walnuts finely chopped
- ¾ cup Brazil nuts finely chopped
- ¾ cup golden raisins or a mix of dried fruits; raisins, dried cranberries, chopped dried apricots, etc.
- 2 whole eggs
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 cup white wine
Pumpkin Gravy
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour or Wondra
- drippings from pumpkin
- 2 cups vegetable stock
Instructions
Make the Stuffing
- Read Multigrain Stuffing with Fruits & Nuts for detailed instructions. You can also use your own stuffing recipe.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.
- 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 onlyUse 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.
Bake
- Preheat oven to 350°F | 175°C. Baking time can take anywhere from 1 to 2½ total time, 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).
- Let the pumpkin rest at least 30 minutes before trying to remove it from the roasting pan. If you do 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 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 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.
Notes
- Replace the butter with soy vegan 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.
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
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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.
Kris says
This is such a fun recipe! The family loved it.
Cathleen says
I am so excited to make this for Thanksgiving next week! Bookmarked for later, thanks so much for the recipe 🙂
Amy says
Oh wow such an impressive main course, such a great idea!