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Savory Baked Stuffed Pumpkin

This Savory Baked Stuffed Pumpkin is the perfect dish for your next fall party. It’s delicious, filling and full of flavor that will make you want for more – even after one slice!

Savory Baked Stuffed Pumpkin

This year, make your table the centerpiece of any gathering with one dish: The Savory Dressing and Meat Stuffed Pumpkin. This recipe is full of warmth in every bite- so much that you’ll want it for other seasons too!

This pumpkin has all sorts or stuffing goodness like apple slices cranberries sausage bits bread cubes to give this dish an extra delicious flavor explosion before dinner unfolds. Guests will be raving on it’s savory taste and how beautiful it looks on a fall tablescape!

How to Make a Meat Stuffed Pumpkin

Why You’ll Love Savory Stuffed Pumpkin

  • It’s Fun and Easy to Make!
  • Creative Alternative To The Standard Soups, Stews, And Pot Roasts!
  • Perfect For Fall!
  • Versatile!
  • Healthy!
  • Delicious!

Tools You’ll Need:

  • A big, sharp knife (a chef’s knife might be a good idea) – make sure it is big enough to cut through your pumpkin without too much trouble.
  • Heavy duty kitchen shears– this will help you cut through the tough skin and strings.
  • A spoon or pumpkin scoop – to scoop out the seeds and guts!

How to Make a Savory Baked Stuffed Pumpkin

What is a Sugar Pie Pumpkin?

A sugar pumpkin is a variety of pumpkin that grows to about 3-5 pounds in size. They are firm and have a dense flesh with a pale orange color. Sugar pumpkins can be used in cooking as well as carving for Thanksgiving decorations.

The best way to describe the difference between a sugar pumpkin and a jack-o-lantern type pumpkin is that sugar pumpkins are much more dense and sweeter than the jack-o-lantern variety. The flesh of a sugar pumpkin becomes very soft when cooked and has a wonderful, rich flavor.

Other Alternatives to Sugar Pie Pumpkin 

If you can’t find a sugar pie pumpkin in the store, not worries there are other alternatives you can use to make this recipe.

  • Kabocha or Hubbard Squash – Hubbard squash is larger in size than sugar pumpkins, so make sure to use small-medium sized ones for this recipe. 
  • Butternut Squash -Butternut squash has a sweet flavor and can be used as an alternative.
  • Acorn Squash -Acorn squash has a similar taste to Kabocha pumpkin. Acorn squash is bigger in size compared to sugar pumpkin or butternut squashes, so make sure you use medium-sized ones for this recipe.

Stuffed Pumpkin Ingredients

1 sugar pie pumpkin
2-3 cups dried bread cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 onion, diced
3-4 celery stalks, diced
1 pound ground mild sausage
2 apples, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chicken stock
2 eggs
1 tablespoon chopped sage
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup dried cranberries

How to Make a Savory Stuffed Pumpkin

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

Wash and dry the pumpkin. Cut a circle out of the top of the pumpkin at a 45 degree angle and set aside.

Scoop out the seeds and strings as best you can using a large spoon or a pumpkin scoop. (You can save the seeds, clean them, season with salt and roast for delicious pumpkin seeds if you’d like.)

Season the inside of the pumpkin with salt and pepper and place it on a baking dish.

Cut bread into cubes, place in a bowl and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add diced onion, celery, garlic, salt to taste, sage and rosemary and sauté for about 30 seconds to a minute.

If the sausages are in casings, remove and discard the casings. Add the sausage to the skillet and cook with spices and vegetables until fully cooked through and browned. Add the chopped apples to the skillet and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Add the skillet mixture to the bowl of cubed bread and stir. Mix the cooled chicken broth with eggs in a separate bowl and combine. Pour the chicken broth and eggs mixture into the filling bowl and toss.  Add dried cranberries to the filling.

stuffed pumpkin

Fill the prepared pumpkin with the meat filling, cover the lid on top. Bake the stuffed pumpkin for 40 minutes, then open the lid and cook for another 20 minutes.

Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. (Be careful when moving the dish, as the pumpkin can be fragile.)

How to Serve a Meat Stuffed Pumpkin

You can serve this dish in two ways: cut it into pieces and serve, or simply scoop out the insides by scraping off the pumpkin pulp for each serving. Salt and pepper for flavor.

Savory Baked Stuffed Pumpkin

Savory Baked Stuffed Pumpkin

Yield: Serves 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

This Savory Baked Stuffed Pumpkin is the perfect dish for your next fall party. It's delicious, filling and full of flavor that will make you want for more - even after one slice!

Ingredients

  • 1 sugar pie pumpkin
  • 2-3 cups dried bread cubes
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 onion, diced
  • 3-4 celery stalks, diced
  • 1 pound ground mild sausage
  • 2 apples, peeled and diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon chopped sage
  • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 cup dried cranberries

Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
    2. Wash and dry the pumpkin. Cut a circle out of the top of the pumpkin at a 45 degree angle and set aside.
    3. Scoop out the seeds and threads as best you can using a large spoon or a pumpkin scoop. (You can save the seeds, clean them, season with salt and roast for delicious pumpkin seeds if you'd like.)
    4. Season the inside of the pumpkin with salt and pepper and place it on a baking dish.
    5. Cut bread into cubes, place in a bowl and set aside. 
    6. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add diced onion, celery, garlic, salt to taste, sage and rosemary and sauté for about 30 seconds to a minute.
    7. If the sausages are in casings, remove and discard the casings. Add the sausage to the skillet and cook with spices and vegetables until fully cooked through and browned. Add the chopped apples to the skillet and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
    8. Add the skillet mixture to the bowl of cubed bread and stir. Mix the cooled chicken broth with eggs in a separate bowl and combine. Pour the chicken broth and eggs mixture into the filling bowl and toss.  Add dried cranberries to the filling.
    9. Fill the prepared pumpkin with the meat filling, cover the lid on top. Bake the stuffed pumpkin for 40 minutes, then open the lid and cook for another 20 minutes.
    10. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. (Be careful when moving the dish, as the pumpkin can be fragile.)

How to Serve a Meat Stuffed Pumpkin

You can serve this dish in two ways: cut it into pieces and serve, or simply scoop out the insides by scraping off the pumpkin pulp for each serving. Salt and pepper for flavor.

Notes

Other Alternatives to Sugar Pie Pumpkin 

If you can't find a sugar pie pumpkin in the store, not worries there are other alternatives you can use to make this recipe.

  • Kabocha or Hubbard Squash - Hubbard squash is larger in size than sugar pumpkins, so make sure to use small-medium sized ones for this recipe. 
  • Butternut Squash -Butternut squash has a sweet flavor and can be used as an alternative.
  • Acorn Squash -Acorn squash has a similar taste to Kabocha pumpkin. Acorn squash is bigger in size compared to sugar pumpkin or butternut squashes, so make sure you use medium-sized ones for this recipe.

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