Vegan Stuffed Mini Pumpkins

Filled with black rice, Stuffed Mini Pumpkins are sure to be a hit at Halloween parties! They're also a great appetizer for Thanksgiving dinner. This easy recipe is vegan and gluten-free.

Black Rice Stuffed Mini Pumpkins

Many years ago, I worked with a woman from Jamaica, and she said she didn’t understand why we decorate with pumpkins and then throw them away, since she’s used to eating them. Up until then, I don’t think I realized that people actually ate pumpkin. I knew that people ate pumpkin pie ­(although no one in my family did, so we never had it at Thanksgiving), but I didn’t really connect the two things. She was right though, why do we decorate with perfectly good food?

Actually, I did try to decorate with pumpkins when we moved into our own house. I was happy to finally be able to decorate the outside of the house for the holidays. I came home from the store with mums and large pumpkin and placed them on my porch with pride. The pumpkin was there was for less than five minutes before a squirrel started to chow down on it. (Deer later ate the mums, too.) So much for that. At least it didn't go to waste?

I stopped trying to decorate the porch for autumn, but I did buy a few mini pumpkins to decorate inside the house, mainly because they’re so cute.

I was looking at the display of mini pumpkins on my fireplace mantel and I thought of my ex-coworker. There really isn’t much inside a mini pumpkin, so it’s not like I’m wasting food by decorating with them. (I usually throw them outside at the end of the season, and the squirrels go at them with as much gusto as they did that first large pumpkin on the porch.) But could I use them in a dish? Of course I could!

I used them to make stuffed mini pumpkins, stuffing them with forbidden black rice to make them extra spooky for Halloween. 

What You Need

• Black rice
• Water
• Mini pumpkins
• Vegetable oil
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• Onion
• Garlic
• Mushrooms
• Dried thyme
• Baby spinach or baby kale
• Scallions
• Balsamic vinegar
• Roasted pumpkin seeds
• Parsley

See the recipe card for exact amounts.

How to Make Stuffed Mini Pumpkins

Don't let this long instruction list scare you – this recipe is easy to make!

• First you preheat your oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly oil a baking pan.
• Then you add the rice and water to a medium-sized pot, and bring to a boil. You cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Cook the rice for 40 minutes, or until it has absorbed all of the water.
• While the rice is cooking, slice the tops off of the mini pumpkins, and scrape out the inside. If they’re too tough to cut through, pop them in the oven for a few minutes to soften them.
• Next you rub the insides of the pumpkins with 1 tablespoon of the oil and sprinkle on ½ teaspoon of sea salt along with the black pepper. You place the pumpkins on the baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until they are slightly tender.
• Now you add the rest of the oil to a large pan over medium-high heat along with the minced onion and cook until the onion begins to turn translucent, about five minutes.
• Next you add the garlic, mushrooms, thyme, and the rest of the salt to the pan and cook everything for 5-10 minutes
• Then you add the scallions and spinach and cook for another minute or two,  just until the greens have wilted.
• In a large bowl, you mix together the cooked rice, the vegetable mixture, and the balsamic vinegar.
• Stuff the mini pumpkins with the rice mixture, and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until they are heated throughout.
• Serve you mini pumpkins garnished with parsley and pumpkin seeds.

Serving Your Stuffed Pumpkin Pumpkins

Serve your stuffed pumpkins as an snack at Halloween parties. You can place a mini fork in each one to make them easy to eat while mingling.

They also make a great appetizer for Thanksgiving dinner. You can also serve them as a side dish along with vegetables and a vegan roast.

They're perfect for Thanksgiving potlucks, too!

Recipe Notes

You can use brown or white rice if you can't find black.

Use a mixture of orange and white mini pumpkins for a little variety, if you like.

Stuffed Mini Pumpkins

Dianne

Filled with black rice, these Stuffed Mini Pumpkins are sure to be a hit at Halloween parties!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Servings 10 servings

Calories 63 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ½ cup black rice
• 1 cup water
• 10 mini pumpkins
• 2 tablespoons neutral-flavored vegetable oil divided
• 1 teaspoon sea salt divided
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 medium onion diced (about 1 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 6 crimini mushrooms coarsely chopped
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 cups baby spinach or baby kale
• 2 scallions sliced
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons roasted pumpkin seeds
• fresh parsley for serving, optional

Instructions

 

• Preheat your oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly oil a baking pan.
• Add the rice and water to a medium-sized pot. Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 40 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed all of the water.
• While the rice is cooking, slice the tops off of the mini pumpkins, and hollow out the inside. Save the seeds for roasting, if you like. If they’re too tough to cut through, pop them in the oven for a few minutes to soften them.
• Rub the insides of the pumpkins with 1 tablespoon of the oil and sprinkle on ½ teaspoon of sea salt along with the black pepper. Place the pumpkins on the baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until they are slightly tender.
• Add the rest of the oil to a large pan over medium-high heat along with the minced onion and cook until the onion begins to turn translucent, about five minutes. Add the garlic, mushrooms, thyme, and the rest of the salt. Cook for 5-10 minutes, until the mushrooms have browned. Add the scallions and spinach or kale, and cook just until the greens have wilted.
• In a large bowl, mix together the cooked rice, the vegetable mixture, and the balsamic vinegar.
• Stuff the mini pumpkins with the rice mixture, and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until they are heated throughout.
• Serve hot, garnished with pumpkin seeds and fresh parsley.

Calories: 63kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Sodium: 242mg | Potassium: 160mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 590IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg

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Serve Your Stuffed Pumpkins with

• Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
• Green Bean Casserole
• Mushroom Wellington
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Other pumpkin recipes include:

• Chili Roasted Pumpkin Nachos
• Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
• Pumpkin Noodle Bowl
• Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins