Stuffed Pumpkins
If you thought for one second that I was going to let fall pass us by without a stuffed mini pumpkin recipe then how dare you?
These cuties have it all in one bite - they're savory, sweet, and salty - it even has toasted pecans for the very necessary crunch factor.
The recipe is designed to be able to tailor it with what you have at home to be able to turn these into whatever lil stuffed pumpkins you're craving - the base is wild rice and to build that flavor I decided to add in kale, apples and cranberries.
Definitely holiday dinner worthy and sure to impress your guests !
Stuffed Mini Pumpkins
* Serves 2 * Ingredients
1 tbsp - grapeseed oil ( for saluting )
1 cup - diced yellow onion
5 cloves of garlic - sliced or minced
2 tbsp - chopped fresh sage
1/4 cup - dried cranberries
1 tbsp - vegan butter
3/4 cup - white wine
2 cup - wild rice, rinsed + dried
5 cup - vegetable stock
1/4 cup - fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp - salt
2 bay leaves
4 cups - chopped kale
2 cups - peeled green apples
1/4 cup - cranberries
1/4 cup - toasted pecans
8 oz - tempeh ( see marinade below )
2 tbsp - freshly chopped flat parsley
1 lemon zested over top as garnish for the rice
vegan cheese to use as optional garnish ( I used Miyoko’s Mozzarella )
2 - small pumpkins (I would recommend picking the smallest one’s)
1 tbsp - olive oil ( for roasting the pumpkin )
1/2 tsp - salt (for seasoning the pumpkin)
Ingredients - Tempeh Marinade
1 tbsp - grapeseed oil
1 tbsp - soy sauce
1 tsp - hot sauce ( I used Frank’s Red Hot )
1 tsp - maple syrup
1/2 tsp - garlic powder
black pepper to taste
Tools you will need
Baking sheet tray
Parchment paper
A serrated pairing knife
Cutting board
Hand mixer ( optional )
Instructions
Step 1 - Gather all ingredients & bake your pumpkin
There is nothing worse than going to make something and realizing you don’t have the stuff !
First thing’s first, gut the pumpkins. There is so many ways to do this but a way that I like to do it is by of course cutting off the top. Using a small serrated knife will make this step easier. I recommend cutting a circle that is an inch or more away from the stem so it is easier to stuff later.
To scoop out the gunky bits I like to use a hand mixer with on of the whisk attachments inserted and this way it will do a lot of the hard work for you. You could also use a spoon or whatever handy pumpkin scooper you may have. Once its all cleaned out, preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and grease up the inside of your pumpkins with some olive oil and salt. Place them on a lined baking sheet and bake them with the open part down for the first 20 minutes and then flip them right side up and bake for another 20 minutes. Then set to the side and allow to cool. When I flipped the pumpkins for the last 20 minutes is when I also placed the pumpkin stems on the tray to bake for the last 20 minutes. Depending on the size of your pumpkins the baking time will vary.
Step 2 - Chop all the things !
For recipes as involved as this one, it makes it much easier to do the prep before hand. Take this moment to toast the pecans and set to the side. Peel the apples, cut them into a medium / large dice and let them soak in water to avoid browning. Cut the onion into a medium / large dice and set to the side. Chop up the fresh sage, garlic, parsley and kale and have everything ready on the side of your work area. This is when I start warming up the vegetable stock as well to have handy.
Chop up the tempeh and allow to sit in the marinade for a while before popping it into the air fryer at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.
Step 3 - Making the filling
Start by warming a large sauté pan with a bit of grapeseed oil and sautéing the onions till golden, then adding in the garlic and sautéing this together till the garlic has reached a golden color as well. Add in the cranberries, sage and vegan butter and allow everything to caramelize together. Let that saute together for about 2 minutes or so and then add in the white wine to deglaze everything. Let the alcohol cook out on medium heat and reduce by half. Once the wine has reduced, add in the rice and stir everything well to allow the rice to integrate with the onions and cranberries.
Bring the heat up to high and pour in the 5 cups of warm vegetable stock. Let this come to a boil and add in the salt and bay leaves, then lower the heat to medium. My technique for cooking wild rice is letting the stock simmer on medium low until the stock level is just over the rice and then I bring the heat down to low and cover the pan with a lid and steam for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, remove the lid and add in over top the apples, kale, pecans and remaining cranberries along with the lemon juice. With a spatula or spoon, give everything a good toss to allow everything to evenly combine. This is when I go in with all the remaining additives, stirring in the crispy tempeh from the air fryer along with zesting a lemon over top of the rice and a good sprinkling of chopped parsley,
Step 4 - Stuff the pumpkins
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and while that is heating up. Stuff the pumpkins with the rice, tempeh and kale filling to the top. These guys are so flavorful that you could skip the cheese topping. If I had my go-to vegan parmesan cheese block I would have opted for that but I had vegan mozzarella from Miyoko’s on hand and that worked nicely too. Once the pumpkins are stuffed, pop them in the oven to warm up everything together.
To plate you could serve a pumpkin per person but another way to serve them is by cutting the pumpkin in half and serving it open faced. You should have plenty of the rice mixture left over which is great to serve on the side or even use as stuffing in other recipes. The rice itself lasts in the fridge for maybe 3 days so enjoy those left overs !
