This recipe has been floating around my house for years. It’s from one of my favorite cookbooks, Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table. For some reason, I had never made it before recently, which is silly because it couldn’t be simpler or more perfect for the fall. A small pumpkin is hollowed out and stuffed with anything you like, then baked until the inside is hot and bubbly. It’s a great dish for cleaning out your fridge and can work as a hearty side, a decadent main course or a vegetarian entree. The whole pumpkin can be brought to the table for a lovely display and then scooped out, sliced up, or served individually to your guests - perfect for Thanksgiving Dinner!
Pumpkin Stuffed With Everything Good
1 Pumpkin, about 3 lbs (I used one 1.5 lb baking pumpkin and one 1.5 lb Acorn Squash)
Salt and fresh ground pepper
¼ lb stale bread, thinly sliced and cut into ½ inch chunks
¼ lb cheese, such as Gruyere, Emmental, Cheddar, or a combination, cut into ½ inch chunks
2-4 garlic cloves (to taste), split, germ removed, and coarsely chopped
4 slices bacon, cooked until crisp, drained and coarsely chopped
¼ cup snipped fresh chives or scallions
1 tbs minced fresh thyme
⅓ cup heavy cream
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Pop your slices of bacon in a 400 degree oven and bake until well-crisped. Meanwhile, cut the top of your pumpkin as you would a Jack O’Lantern, scraping out seeds and pulp. I used one 1.5 pound pumpkin and one 1.5 lb acorn squash (cut a small bit off the bottom of the squash to ensure that it stands up straight). Rough chop your garlic and scallion. Cut bread and cheese (I used a combination of Emmental for its melty, gooeyness and Irish White Cheddar for it’s sharp and salty flavor) into ½ inch cubes. Salt and pepper the inside of your pumpkin.
Mix bread, cheese, bacon, scallion, garlic, thyme and more salt and pepper together in a bowl. Stuff into your pumpkin filling all the way to the top. Grate some nutmeg over your heavy cream, add a little salt and pepper and pour mixture into pumpkin. Place pumpkin on a lined baking sheet.
Pop in a 350 degree oven and bake. My two 1.5 pound pumpkins took 1 hour and 15 minutes. Pumpkins are done when the filling is hot and bubbly and interior flesh is soft. Scoop filling and pumpkin onto a plate and enjoy!
Other things you can stuff into your pumpkin: sausage and kale for a hearty supper; chicken curry for a one-pumpkin meal; cherries and wild rice for a vegetarian main; pumpkin pie filling, cranberry bread and custard for a charming pumpkin bread pudding.
For more fall recipes and ideas, join The Chopping Block for one of our seasonal classes coming up this November: Thanksgiving Workshop on Saturday, November 12th (other dates and locations are available too) and Autumn Soups and Stews on Saturday, November 19th at Lincoln Square.
Our chefs are also whipping up classic Pumpkin Pies (as well as our famous Apple Pies) for Thanksgiving. Place your order for your holiday pies now!
