A show stopper savory pumpkin recipe. We stuffed the pumpkins with wild rice, mushrooms, vegan chorizo, acorn squash, cranberries and carrots for a truly delicious fall and thanksgiving dinner recipe!
Time for the fall edition of the Starbucks chronicles! And surprisingly, there will be no mention of PSL whatsoever (pumpkin spice latte, for those of you who don't speak Starbucks). I know you've all been waiting for it so... here we go.
Things that might happen while sitting at Starbucks trying to write about "Vegan Wild Rice and Chorizo Stuffed Baby Pumpkin":
- You might encounter a TV news reporter and her cameraman, who will actually wait till you get off the phone to ask your opinion about a "dumb criminal" story that happened the night before (and in case you're wondering, no, you won't see me on the evening news, due to my extreme allergy to cameras)
- The foreign older gentlemen sitting next to you might tell you that you're too smart to want to be on TV (not quite sure what that means, but sounds nice enough, right?)
- Bees might annoy the heck out of you
- The wind might annoy the heck out of you
- Sun glare might annoy the heck out of you
- Your coffee gone cold might annoy the heck out of you
- You might realize that you've been sitting there for nearly 3 hours and accomplished nothing but getting annoyed. And that might annoy the heck out of you, too.
But none of that matters really, because the excitement of sharing this recipe overshadows any annoyance. We have cute little pumpkins, we have vegan chorizo (thank you Upton's naturals), we have wild rice, rainbow carrots and acorn squash... And did we mention CUTE LITTLE PUMPKINS?!
I know, I know. We said we weren't going to get ahead of ourselves. But we're less than a month away from Thanksgiving, so we're allowed to start planning, aren't we?
Of course, we are 😉
Enjoy!
Vegan Wild Rice and Chorizo Stuffed Baby Pumpkin
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 mins
- Yield: 8 1x
Ingredients
- 4 baby sugar pumpkins
- ½ cup wild rice
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 16oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 1-8oz pack vegan seitan chorizo (here we used Upton's Naturals)
- 2 tsp dry thyme
- 4 large sage leaves, chopped
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt ( to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
- ½ cup frozen cranberries
- 3 rainbow carrots, sliced (you can also use regular carrots)
- 2 cups diced acorn squash
- ½ tsp salt (r to taste)
- ¼ tsp pepper (or to taste)
- 1 tsp lemon zest (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Cut out the tops of the pumpkins (do not discard) and empty the inside. Place pumpkins on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes. Keep the oven on and set aside
- In the meantime, cook rice in salted water according to instructions on the package (make sure to drain well after it cooks)
- While the rice and pumpkins cook, prepare the stuffing
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet. Add sliced mushroom and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring often
- Add chorizo, thyme, sage, salt and pepper and continue cooking for 4-5 minutes, stirring often. Add frozen cranberries and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on the same skillet. Add sliced carrots, acorn squash, salt and pepper and cook over medium hear for 10-12 minutes, until the carrots and squash start to soften
- Mix cooked rice and carrot/squash mixture with the seitan and chorizo. Add lemon zest (if using) and toss well so all the ingredients are well combined
- Fill the cooked pumpkins and bake at 350F for 25 minutes
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 mins
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: Kosher / Vegan
Arunima Das
These look so cute, I'm not sure about wild rice, whether we get it in India or not. Can I use regular rice?
Vicky & Ruth
Yes, you can try using regular rice. This dish will be delicious also if you added lentils instead of the rice .
David @ Spiced
Wow...this looks incredible! This is totally dinner party worthy! And good for you for not being on tv...that sounds like a pretty weak story to begin with. Must have been a slow news day in your area! 🙂
Vicky & Ruth
Thank you so much David!
Regina
This looks absolutely amazing! So comfy and cozy - perfect for the season.
I too work from coffee shops a lot and totally get the frustrations. Some days its great and I am super inspired, other days I forget my headphones and everyone is getting on my nerves 😉
Vicky & Ruth
That's what happens when we have to work in a "public" office 😉
Simon
No need to be annoyed if you can work at Starbucks haha. Lovely recipe! It would make a good bbq dish too! I'm going to search for those little pumpkins soon! This Looks Delightful!
Simon
Vicky & Ruth
Ha,Ha, you are right! Thank you for taking the time to comment 🙂
Rachelle @ Beer Girl Cooks
Oh my goodness! These pumpkins are adorable yet elegant! I almost never see rainbow carrots and always get annoyed when my coffee gets cold - especially if it's a PSL!
Vicky & Ruth
Thank you Rachelle. If you have a Trader Joes or Whole foods near by they carry rainbow carrots.
Derek
Love the addition of acorn squash and all the flavor combos here! Thanks for the recipe.
Vicky & Ruth
Thanks!
Ruby
You are making me crave Autumn with gorgeous food like this! So delicious 🙂
Fareeha
Wow, this is so super cool and delicious.. what a beautiful visual treat.. I am sure it would taste awesome too
Vicky & Ruth
Thank you Fareeha!
Bianca @ Confessions of a Chocoholic
I'm not the biggest fan of the PSL myself (I'm more of a salted caramel mocha kinda gal) but I am a big fan of baby pumpkin, rice, and chorizo - vegan or not! This looks delicious!
Vicky & Ruth
Thank you Bianca!
Sarah
Question: You state to cut of the tops of the pumpkin but not to discard them. But the tops are never mentioned again. And it's not explained if they should be cooked as well. I didn't cook them with the initial cooking if just the pumpkins and they are still bright orange while the pumpkin bodies are burnt orangish. So, I'm putting them in the oven for the last 25 min baking of the filled pumpkins. What did you do, specifically with the lids. They are cute to serve them with the dish, for aesthetics, but are less cute being a few shades off. Thanks in avance. Also, I tasted the stuffing before the final cooking and it's so good!
Vicky & Ruth
Hi Sarah,
Thank you for your comment. We did bake the lid, but we forgot to indicate that in the recipe. Thanks of noticing
Alene
It sounds like this could be a great rice dish without the pumpkins. I'm going to try that first.
Barbara
Would butternut squash work in place of the acorn squash? I thought as a time savor I could buy the already cut up butternut squash instead.
Vicky & Ruth
Yes, absolutely! Any kind of squash would work here. Enjoy!