Description
A festive and flavorful Halloween dish featuring mini pumpkins stuffed with a savory wild rice and vegetable mixture, enhanced with pecans, dried fruits, and feta cheese, perfect for a seasonal centerpiece or a hearty vegetarian meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Pumpkins
- 5 medium-sized mini pumpkins
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Stuffing
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 160 grams (1 cup) wild rice
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 600 ml (2 ½ cups) vegetable stock
- 100 grams broccoli, steamed or boiled
- 65 grams (½ cup) pecans, toasted and chopped
- 40 grams (⅓ cup) dried cranberries
- 40 grams (⅓ cup) prunes, quartered
- 80 grams (⅓ cup) feta cheese, diced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare pumpkins: Preheat your oven to 200 °C (400 °F). Cut off the tops of the mini pumpkins and scoop out the seeds carefully using a spoon. Drizzle the pumpkin exteriors and interiors with olive oil, then place them on a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes. The pumpkins should be tender yet firm enough to hold the stuffing.
- Make the stuffing: In a skillet, sauté the chopped shallot and minced garlic with a bit of olive oil until translucent and fragrant. Add the wild rice along with whole sprigs of rosemary and pour in the vegetable stock. Cover and cook the rice mixture until the rice is fully cooked and tender, approximately 40 minutes or according to package instructions. Remove the rosemary sprigs once cooking is complete.
- Combine stuffing ingredients: Stir in the steamed or boiled broccoli, dried cranberries, chopped prunes, toasted pecans, and diced feta cheese into the rice mixture. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper, mixing everything thoroughly to incorporate the flavors.
- Carve pumpkins and stuff: Carefully carve two small triangles on each mini pumpkin to create jack-o-lantern eyes; optionally carve a mouth if desired. Spoon the prepared stuffing into each pumpkin cavity, filling them generously but without overpacking.
- Bake stuffed pumpkins: Place the stuffed pumpkins back on a baking tray and bake in the oven for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until the pumpkins are soft and the stuffing is heated through.
- Serve and enjoy: Remove from oven carefully, let cool slightly, and serve as a festive and hearty main dish that embraces the flavors and spirit of Halloween.
Notes
- Use mini pumpkins that are firm and without blemishes for the best presentation and flavor.
- Be careful not to overcook the pumpkins during the first bake; they should hold their shape for stuffing.
- Wild rice can take longer to cook; check the package instructions and adjust cooking time accordingly.
- Feel free to customize the stuffing by adding other nuts or dried fruits to suit your taste.
- This recipe is vegetarian and can be made vegan by omitting feta cheese or substituting with a vegan cheese alternative.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 stuffed mini pumpkin
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 370 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Cholesterol: 12 mg
