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.Inspired by a recipe in Mother Earth News, circa 1986.
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
We suggest using Sugar Pie pumpkin or a Cinderella pumpkin for this recipe. Both have thick, sweet flesh, few if any strings, and a low water content.Vegan adaptations:
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 information does not include values for Gravy.