This Stuffed Pumpkin with mushroom rice and cranberries makes a stunning vegan centrepiece for a celebratory meal.
Sweet, tender pumpkin stuffed with a mixture of basmati and wild rice, onions, mushrooms, cranberries, pecans and fresh herbs.
stuffed pumpkin – the perfect holiday centrepiece
Tender, sweet roasted pumpkin stuffed to the brim with a savoury blend of fragrant fluffy rice, crunchy nuts, vegetables, dried cranberries and aromatic herbs is a dish that’s not only visually stunning, it’s also bursting with vibrant flavours.
Make this when pumpkins come into season – I promise it will bring a real “wow” factor to any special occasion meal.
Ingredient list
- One medium sized pumpkin, around 1kg in weight
- Rice. I used a basmati and wild rice mix. You could use all wild rice if you prefer, or just plain white rice.
- Mushrooms. I used chestnut mushrooms but any variety would be fine.
- Onion (red or white)
- Garlic
- Dried cranberries
- Orange zest
- Pecan Nuts
- Vegetable stock
- Spices – ground allspice, nutmeg and a cinnamon stick
- Fresh herbs – I used dill and parsley, but feel free to experiment with your favourite herbs.
- Pomegranate seeds for garnish – optional, but looks really pretty and perfect for this time of year when pomegranates are everywhere.
how to prepare a pumpkin for roasting and stuffing
- Slice off the top of the pumpkin and set the top aside (don’t throw it away)
- Remove the seeds and stringy flesh from the inside of the pumpkin.
TIP – Don’t throw the seeds away – take a look at this useful post on how to use pumpkin seeds, or roast them in a little oil and salt and scatter them over a bowl of pumpkin soup or sprinkle on top of homemade pumpkin spice muffins.
- Rub all over the pumpkin and lid with olive oil and season generously.
- Bake for around 30-40 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender. Obviously, the timing will depend on the size of your pumpkin. My pumpkin weighed 1kg.
- While the pumpkin is roasting, you can get on with making the rice filling. Gently fry a peeled and finely chopped onion in olive oil until soft. Add crushed garlic, a cinnamon stick, nutmeg, ground allspice and the mushrooms and fry until the mushrooms are beginning to turn golden.
- Add the rice and vegetable stock. Place a lid on the pan, turn down the heat to the lowest setting possible and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the rice has absorbed all the liquid and is tender.
- Remove from the heat, fluff the rice up with a fork and stir in the dried cranberries, pecan nuts and herbs. Check the rice for seasoning before filling the pumpkin.
How much rice will i need for the pumpkin?
I picked up this tip from one of my favourite festive cookbooks, Nigella Christmas.
To check how much rice you’ll need for your size of pumpkin, place a freezer bag inside the hollowed-out pumpkin.
Fill the bag with enough rice to come halfway up the cavity. Pour the rice into a measuring jug and use double the amount of stock to rice. Easy!
And even if you somehow do end up with too much rice, it’s not a huge deal. It makes a fabulous rice salad for the next day!
what to serve alongside this roasted stuffed pumpkin
While this stuffed pumpkin is a delicious option for vegans/vegetarians, you could also serve this alongside roasted meat. It’s especially good with a roast chicken, turkey or pork.
Simply cut the pumpkin into wedges and serve with the nut and fruit studded rice. It’s also very good with a green salad or bitter leaves such as Radicchio.
can i use mini pumpkins instead?
You could use mini pumpkins if you like – they would look super cute! Just remember to use the freezer bag method for measuring the rice. You should be able to fill about 6-7 little pumpkins with the amount of rice in this recipe.
variations
- swap the pecan nuts for walnuts or pistachios
- If you aren’t a fan of mushrooms, you can leave them out.
- replace the cranberries for dried cherries or apricots
I hope you love this stuffed pumpkin recipe! If you try it, be sure to come back to rate the recipe and let me know what you thought!
Stuffed pumpkin with mushroom rice and cranberries
This stuffed pumpkin with mushroom rice and cranberries not only looks beautiful - it tastes delicious too! It makes a really gorgeous vegan centrepiece for a celebration meal.
Ingredients
- 1 Medium Pumpkin - aoout 1kg in size
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 Onion, peeled and finely diced
- 2 Cloves of Garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
- 1/4 Teaspoon Freshly grated or ground nutmeg
- 1/2 Tsp Ground Allspice
- Zest of one small Orange
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- Generous grinding of freshly ground black pepper
- 125G Mushrooms, roughly chopped
- 250G Wild or Long Grain Rice
- About 500ml vegetable Stock
- 80G Dried Cranberries
- 50G chopped Pecan Nuts
- Handful of freshly chopped Dill
- Handful of freshly chopped Parsley
- 1/2 Tablespoon Olive Oil for drizzling over the top before roasting
- Pomegranate seeds, to decorate (Optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/180Fan/Gas Mark 6/400F. Cut the top off your pumpkin and remove the seeds and stringy flesh from the inside. Don't throw the top of the pumpkin away.
- Rub 2 tablespoons of olive oil all over the pumpkin inside and out. Season the pumpkin well and roast for about 30-45 minutes or until tender (including the lid).
- In a large pan, gently fry the diced onion until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the crushed garlic, cinnamon stick, nutmeg, allspice, orange zest, mushrooms and salt and pepper. Stir in the rice, then pour in the hot stock. Place a lid on top, turn the heat to low and cook for about 10-15 minutes or until the rice has absorbed all the liquid and is soft and fluffy.
- Remove the rice from the heat and stir in the chopped pecans, cranberries, dill and parsley. Taste the rice to see if you want to add more salt and pepper. Spoon the cooked rice into the roasted pumpkin, drizzle the top with 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and bake for a further 15-20 minutes or until very hot.
- Remove from the oven and scatter with pomegrate seeds, if using, before serving.
Notes
To check how much rice you'll need for your size of pumpkin, place a freezer bag inside the hollowed out pumpkin. Fill the bag with enough rice to come halfway up the cavity. Pour the rice into a measuring jug and use double the amount of stock to rice.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 276Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 508mgCarbohydrates: 38gNet Carbohydrates: 0gFiber: 6gSugar: 18gSugar Alcohols: 0gProtein: 5g
Good recipe, no doubt. Thanks a lot!
one comment, 1 litre stock for this much rice is WAY too much! I used 750ml and had to spend 15 minutes more boiling off the excess. I would start with 500ml and add more if required.
Loved is recipe. I used 4+ cups of vegetable broth to 2 cups rice. I also used fresh sage and thyme instead of dill and parsley. It was a huge hit.
I’m so pleased you liked it Barbara, thank you for letting me know 🙂
How do you serve this? Do you scoop it out, taking some of the pumpkin flesh with the rice or do you slice it? Thanks.
Hi Anne, I find it easiest to slice the pumpkin and serve spoonfuls of the rice alongside 🙂
Hi Nikki, I’ve just come across this recipe and love the sound of it, however, I don’t eat rice, preferring quinoa instead. Would quinoa work and if so, would the amounts be the same? Many thanks!
Hi Yvonne, I’m so pleased you like the look of the recipe! I’ve only cooked Quinoa once (a long time ago), so I’m afraid I don’t know very much about it. It could definitely be done, but you might need to decrease the liquid as (or so I believe) Quinoa absorbs less water than rice. Without testing it out myself, I’m not sure exactly how much Quinoa you would need, but if you ended up with too much you could always make a salad with the leftovers. Sorry I can’t be more specific! Let me know how it goes if… Read more »