I was so excited when I saw this recipe on the list for October. What a perfect way to end the week! I actually made this recipe for a luncheon, and I wasn’t too keen on using one big pumpkin, though. I thought I’d be able to do this with tiny pumpkins, but because the really tiny ones don’t have a lot of meat, I went with the pie pumpkins. I actually ended up with way too much food, but better too much than too little!
I made the pumpkin with rice instead of bread. In my head it seems a little healthier that way!! I also added spinach to the mix. Dorie wasn’t kidding when she said it would come out like risotto. The only thing that I would do differently next time is to taste the mixture before I stuff the pumpkins. The whole thing could have used a bit more salt, but I think that depends on the type of cheese and other fillings you use.
I think this stuffed pumpkin would make a perfect Halloween dinner. I would definitely make it in one big pumpkin so that you don’t have to clean out three. After the pumpkin and the cornish hen, I think I’m done with gutting for a couple of weeks!
This week was a success! Stay tuned for Monday when I’ll share the results of tonight’s chili cook-off! Have a great week-end everyone!
*What is French Fridays with Dorie? An online cooking group dedicated to working our way through Dorie Greenspan’s newest book, Around My French Table. We try a new recipe each week and post about it on Fridays. If you’re interested you can pick up a copy of the book and follow along with us here.
Trix
/ October 28, 2011I used rice too – loved it. I was afraid the bread would seem too soggy, but I think I will try it like that sometime. Just to see.
Adriana
/ October 28, 2011I definitely need to try the rice variation. I have a friend who makes a divine pumpkin risotto that would be so much fun to adapt to this cooking method.
Robin
/ October 28, 2011I’m using rice next time! Good tip about the little pumpkins, I thought about using those next time too. This was such a yummy dish!
SoupAddict
/ October 28, 2011I love how the rice becomes risotto-ish … so delicious!
Krissy
/ October 28, 2011Glad to see this also works well with rice. I had considered rice but stuck more to Dorie’s recipe…it was great, but I’d still like to try with rice.
Eileen
/ October 28, 2011I can’t wait to try this with rice. I love how versatile this dish is. Yours looks great, and it’s a fun thing to serve for a luncheon.
K
/ October 28, 2011Happy to see you tried it with rice as well. Your pumpkin looks fantastic!
Kathy
/ October 28, 2011Love that you used rice. Risotto and pumpkin sounds wonderful. We really loved this one…will definitely be making it for Thanksgiving. Your little pumpkins look so perfect!
alice
/ October 29, 2011hmm, pairing it with cornish hen sounds amazing!
I filled ours with rice too and I think I would make it with rice everytime and skip the bread…
Confessions of a Culinary Diva
/ October 29, 2011Always better to have too much food than not enough! Sounds like a great pairing! Trying with rice next time….Happy French Friday!
Cakelaw
/ October 29, 2011I love the look of the rice filling – if I make this again, the rice is the way to go, I think.
Cher
/ October 29, 2011Love the idea of a stuffed pumpkin rice risotto type deal.
And let me tell you, I was way happier to stick my hands in side of a pumpkin instead of a piece of poultry
Elaine
/ October 29, 2011I remember how wonderful the rice was with the stuffed peppers so I can imagine how wonderful it was with the pumpkin.
Mom
/ October 30, 2011Do you remember the pumpkin stuffed with beef we did for Hallowe’en?Was a great tradition.Had a young girl appoach me last night who enjoys your blog,you are quite international.Love you
rose
/ October 31, 2011Your little pumpkins look delicious. I also went the baby pumpkin route and liked that they took a little less time in the oven. We loved this recipe and will definitely be making it again, I’m thinking rice with apples and sausage next time.
Carol Egbert
/ October 31, 2011A great flavor combo. Thanks for a tasty post.
jora
/ November 1, 2011You’ve convinced me to try the rice variation next time! I love the idea of risotto in a pumpkin. Your photos are gorgeous…
DessertByCandy
/ November 1, 2011Mmm, the rice variation looks tempting, especially when you said it came out like risotto. Love the cut profile of the whole pumpkin!
Tricia S.
/ November 1, 2011I was tempted to make rice but was running too late and getting too excited with all the options I wanted to throw into my pumpkins ! Yours turned out beautiful- great photos and risotto in a pumpkin sounds fab to me. Nana loved this one too and we will be playing around with more fillings …including rice !