Just because Halloween is over doesn’t mean you should forget about pumpkins. Gourds aren’t just for carving! Pumpkin season is still at its peak. Thanksgiving and Christmas are fast approaching, which means you will need to treat your family and guests to something mouthwatering and delicious. Try one of these awesome pumpkin recipes from savory pumpkin soups to pumpkin cannelloni and pumpkin cinnamon rolls. This holiday season, your gatherings will be a lot tastier.
1. Baked Stuffed Pumpkins
You will need miniature pumpkins such as Jack Be Little, Small Sugar, Wee Be Little, Baby Boo, or Munchkin. The stuffing can be whatever you like and you can mix and match your favorite ingredients to make baked stuffed pumpkins, but I suggest you try one of my fav pumpkin recipes. If you don’t have sweet Italian sausage or you are on a diet, opt for chicken or turkey.
Ingredients:
- 4 miniature pumpkins
- 2 cups pumpkin, chopped
- 4 oz. sweet or mild Italian sausage
- 1 cup Israeli couscous
- ½ cup onion, chopped
- ½ cup Granny Smith apples or any apples you have handy, chopped
- 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ cup white wine
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ tsp. fresh ground pepper
- 1 tsp. fresh oregano
- 1 tsp. fresh thyme
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Place crumbled sausage in a large pan and cook over medium-low heat till it’s almost done. Remove the sausage, and add chopped pumpkin and onion to it. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes or until pumpkin begins to soften. Add sausage and chopped apple and saute for 2-3 minutes, then add white wine and saute for another 2 minutes.
In a large bowl, mix dried cranberries, couscous, olive oil, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper. Add your sausage-onion-pumpkin-apple mixture to it.
Hollow out your miniature pumpkins and fill them with your stuffing. Place them in a baking dish, cover it with aluminum foil and bake for 25-27 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and bake for 8-10 minutes.