Wild Rice Stuffed Mini Pumpkins

🥗 Why We Love This Recipe

• Super festive: These stuffed mini pumpkins are perfect to serve all Autumn long. They're in season, and look amazing as part of a holiday dinner.
• Great way to use pumpkin: Regular pumpkin is an underutilized in recipes, and mini pumpkins are used even less often, so this recipe is an awesome way to make use of an ingredient that deserves some more recognition.
• Hearty and filling: Not only does this recipe look great, but it's a hearty, satisfying dinner packed with fiber, protein, and vitamin A.

📋 Ingredient Notes

• Mini pumpkins: You should be able to find these in your local grocery store between September and November. In case you can't find any, you can use acorn squash instead.
• Mushrooms: We used cremini mushrooms in this recipe - they're also known as baby bellas. You can also substitute for your favorite type of mushroom.
• Wild rice: feel free to sub this out for the grain of your choice. Brown rice or quinoa would both work well in this recipe.
• Dried and fresh herbs: The most commonly used ratio is 1 teaspoon of dried herbs = 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs, so use that ratio if you decide to substitute fresh for dried or vice versa.

🔪 Step-by-step Instructions

(1) Preheat oven to 350˚F / 175˚C.

(2) To prep pumpkins, cut off the tops (but don't throw them away!), then scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Set aside.

(3) Cook wild rice according to package directions.

(4) Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a sauté pan. Add onion and sauté until translucent, or about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, celery, and garlic and continue to cook until all veggies are softened. Add basil, oregano, sage, parsley, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Add vegetable broth and let reduce for a minute of two.
Stir vegetable mixture into cooked wild rice, then stir in pecans, cranberries and ⅓ cup of the breadcrumbs

(5) Stuff each pumpkin with about ½ to ⅔ cup of filling, packing it in with a spoon.

(6) Replace pumpkin top and bake for 40 minutes. Stir together the remaining bread crumbs with ½-1 teaspoon of olive oil. Remove the pumpkins from the oven, remove the tops and set aside. Sprinkle stuffed pumpkins with remaining breadcrumbs and bake for 10 more minutes. Place tops back on pumpkins to serve.

💭 Expert Tips and FAQs

• You shouldn't have a hard time finding mini pumpkins at the grocery store, and if you do, you can use acorn squash instead.
• Make ahead: You can make this recipe ahead of time by preparing the filling and then storing it in an airtight container. Then, when you're ready to heat, simply prep and stuff the pumpkins and pop them in the oven.

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