Can you even think of a more festive fall meal than dinner in a pumpkin? In this recipe, sausage and veggies are smothered in a creamy cheese sauce, then stuffed into a pumpkin and baked. I can solidly say that this is the tastiest dinner in a pumpkin recipe you will find!
I have the perfect dinner for your Halloween night: it's Dinner in a Pumpkin with Creamy Sausage and Vegetables!
This isn't your regular "dinner in a pumpkin" recipe. It's full of fresh veggies (and a fruit too!), flavorful sausage, and no "cream of canned" anything!
I love this recipe on Halloween night because I can prep it early and get everything cleaned up during its long baking time. That way I can focus my early evening hours on getting ready for trick or treating, instead of cooking. And when dinner is done, clean up is a breeze so you can get out to that candy quicker!
Let's talk about how good it is for your senses too! The baked pumpkin comes out of the oven in the most sublime color of burnt orange. Just looking at it feels like late autumn.
And then there is the smell! Not only does the creamy sausage and vegetables smell delicious, but the baking pumpkin will take you back to the Halloween nights of your childhood. Remember the tantalizing scent of candles burning in jack-o-lanterns?
I'm really talking up Halloween for this recipe, but honestly, it would make a delicious dinner anytime during the fall.
And how great would it be on Thanksgiving!
The ingredient for this recipe that you'll find in the bulk section is the whole grain (i.e. rice, farro, barley, etc) that you choose to serve the casserole and pumpkin over.
Enough talk, let's get this party started.
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🥫 Ingredients
- 1 pound pork sausage roll
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 head of broccoli, chopped
- 2 large carrots, chopped
- 1 large apple, diced (I recommend Honeycrisp or Granny Smith)
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- salt
- pepper
- dash of pumpkin pie spice
- 1-2 pie pumpkins
- Your favorite grain (white or brown rice, farro, barley, etc) to serve the baked stuffing over. We used white rice for the longest time, but have branched out and tried other grains (thanks to this blog) and they are all delicious with this recipe.
A note on the pumpkins: I recommend using pie pumpkins for this recipe because they have the best flavor and texture for eating. They are usually small, however, so I end up having to put the stuffing into two pumpkins.
If you don't plan on actually eating the pumpkin flesh with your dinner in a pumpkin, you could technically use any type of medium pumpkin to bake the casserole in.
📖 Instructions
Start by removing the top rack from your oven and preheating it to 350 degrees. Put a piece of tin foil down on top of a cookie sheet or 9x13 pan.
Next, wash your pumpkin and cut the top off. Remove the seeds and stringy bits. Season the inside with salt, pepper, and just a bit of pumpkin pie spice.
Slice and dice all the fruit and vegetables into bite-sized pieces.
Then, in a large saute pan or skillet, brown the sausage until no pink remains. Add in the garlic, onions, broccoli, and carrots. Saute until veggies are soft, about 5-7 mins.
Next, add the cream cheese, milk, parmesan, and cheddar cheese to the skillet and stir occasionally until the cheeses have all melted, creating a creamy sauce over the meat and vegetables. Add in the diced apples.
Carefully spoon the creamy mixture into the prepared pumpkin and place it on the cookie sheet or 9x13 pan.
Place in oven and bake for 1.5-2 hours at 350 degrees. (Cooking time depends on the size of your pumpkin).
You'll know it is done when the pumpkin is fork tender and a beautiful burnt orange color.
To serve, scoop out the filling and serve on top of hot rice, or other grain of your choice. Make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the pumpkin out. The pumpkin meat goes great on the side of the casserole.
🔁 Substitutions
Make this meal vegetarian by leaving out the sausage and adding mushrooms instead.
You could use ground chicken or turkey instead of the sausage, although the sausage adds such a delicious savory flavor.
If you love this casserole filling as much as my family does and want to eat it more often than when pumpkins are available, you technically could just make it in the skillet and serve it over rice, omitting the pumpkin baking step. The flavor will be a little different, but still great.
🥣 Storage
Scrape out all the stuffing from the pumpkin, as well as any pumpkin meat you want to save. Store separately in airtight containers for 3-5 days in the fridge.
The outer shell of the pumpkin should be tossed out.
💪 Nutrition
This truly is a complete meal, full of veggies, meat, and grains. Between the pumpkin, broccoli, carrots, apples, and onions, this meal provides your body with a bunch of vitamins and minerals. I mean, check out that insane amount of Vitamin A on the nutrition label.
The sausage provides a great amount of protein.
You can up the nutritional value by serving the casserole filling over a healthy whole grain, like brown rice or farro. This will increase the meal's fiber and potentially its protein, depending on the grain you choose.
All the creamy goodness of the meal does come with a cost of a high amount of saturated fat. But the cheeses aren't all bad, as they also provide a high amount of calcium.
Check out this nutrition label to learn more.
✨ Top tips
If you are using a non-stick skillet, you don't need to add oil when browning your sausage, because it will create its own oil as it cooks. If you are not using a non-stick pan, you might want to add a small bit of oil or cooking spray to prevent the meat from sticking to the pan.
I highly recommend lining your baking pan with tin foil for easy cleanup, as sometimes the filling will bubble over the pumpkin, making a big mess. The pumpkin also creates some juices as it cooks.
Remember, it takes about 2 hours to bake, so don't forget to start cooking early!
🥗 Serve With
We usually serve the casserole and pumpkin over white rice, but it honestly would be delicious over so many whole grains. Here are some links to how to cook a few that would be great
🍽️ Equipment
Here are some items you might need to make this recipe. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying orders, at no cost to you. Thanks for supporting The Incredible Bulks!
Well, I hope you've loved this meal as much as I do!
✌️Ems
📖 Recipe
Dinner in a Pumpkin with Creamy Sausage and Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1 pound regular pork sausage roll like Jimmy Dean sausage roll
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 head of broccoli, chopped
- 2 large carrots, chopped
- 1 large apple, diced
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper
- dash of pumpkin pie spice
- 1-2 pie or sugar pumpkins
Instructions
- Start by removing the top rack from your oven and preheating it to 350 degrees. Put a piece of tin foil down on top of a cookie sheet or 9x13 pan.
- Next, wash your pumpkin and cut the top off. Remove the seeds and stringy bits. Season the inside with salt, pepper, and just a bit of pumpkin pie spice.
- Slice and dice all the fruit and vegetables into bite-sized pieces.
- Then, in a large saute pan or skillet, brown the sausage until no pink remains. Add in the garlic, onions, broccoli, and carrots. Saute until veggies are soft, about 5-7 mins.
- Next, add the cream cheese, milk, parmesan, and cheddar cheese to the skillet and stir occasionally until the cheeses have all melted, creating a creamy sauce over the meat and vegetables. Add in the diced apples.
- Carefully spoon the creamy mixture into the prepared pumpkin and place it on the cookie sheet or 9x13 pan.
- Place in oven and bake for 1.5-2 hours at 350 degrees. (Cooking time depends on the size of your pumpkin). You'll know it is done when the pumpkin is fork tender and a beautiful burnt orange color.
- To serve, scoop out the filling and serve on top of hot rice, or other grain of your choice. Make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the pumpkin out. The pumpkin meat goes great on the side of the casserole.
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