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Mini Pumpkins Stuffed With Portabellas, Brussels Sprouts And Wild Rice

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Mini pumpkins are a seasonal favorite. Bursting with color and character, they make me smile. I don’t always think to cook with mini pumpkins because I'm usually decorating with them instead. But, when I tried cooking with them I found they were adorable and delicious! I grew the mini pumpkins pictured in this recipe and that made them even more delicious to me.

Mini pumpkins are a seasonal favorite. Bursting with color and character, they make me smile. I don’t always think to cook with mini pumpkins because I'm usually decorating with them instead. But, when I tried cooking with them I found they were adorable and delicious! I grew the mini pumpkins pictured in this recipe and that made them even more delicious to me.

Soooo… I’m a little bit of a lazy gardener. There was a time when I would plant the most elaborate vegetable gardens and commit an hour to tending it at the end of every work day; then, I wised up. There are vegetables you can almost plant and forget- like squash! This past year, I planted five pumpkin varieties, gourds and butternut squash. They can all grow together and intermingle.

Squash attract the most important floral specialists in all of agriculture, *the bees*, which also make me smile. The only bummer is that when you plant multiples of the same crop, you can’t save the seeds for next year since the bees did such a good job of pollinating your squash plants. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can try, but you'll never know what you’re going to get. A friend of mine used seeds from a pumpkin that was grown with zucchini the year prior and grew a super long, orangey/green pumpkin. FUN!

So, back to this recipe. Since I work for a mushroom grower, I put mushrooms in everything. On my way home from working at the office, I often stop at the mushroom farm and hand pick what I want for dinner (kinda spoiled, I know!) For this recipe, I decided I wanted to use portabellas because I knew I wasn’t going to be cooking with meat and I wanted something substantial. Portabellas (aka portabello- curious why? Read more on our brown mushroom web page) give that awesome umami mouthful that satisfies my desire for red meat. Did you know Monterey Mushrooms popularized the portabella back in the 90s? So, for that reason, it’s a favorite of mine.

The toughest part of this recipe is cutting off the top of the pumpkins. You have to be super careful and ensure you have a sharp serrated knife and maybe even a friend for moral support. After you've accomplished that, you're off to the races! HAVE FUN!!

Mini Pumpkins Stuffed With Portabellas, Brussels Sprouts And Wild Rice

Description

These stuffed mini pumpkins will add festivity to your holiday table. Using this recipe as a baseline, you can be creative and stuff with all the interesting things you might have in your pantry.


Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups pre-cooked wild rice
  • 6 mini pumpkins
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 Monterey MushroomsÒ portabella caps
  • 3/4 pound Brussels sprouts halved
  • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme chopped
  • 1 cup raw nuts, chopped (walnuts or pecans are great!)
  • 1/4 apple cider (or fresh apple juice)
  • 1 cup dried cranberries
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Carefully slice the top 2 inch of your pumpkins off with a serrated knife. Scoop out the inside fibers and seeds. Lightly brush or rub each pumpkin with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes or until pumpkins are soft.
  3. Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add enough extra virgin olive oil to coat the pan. Add halved brussels sprouts and season with salt and pepper. Brown a bit (about a minute or two) and then turn the heat down to medium, add the cubed portabella mushrooms and cook an additional 10 minutes or until tender. Add the thyme, nuts and apple cider/ juice, and cook until the flavors meld, about 3 to 5 minutes.
  4. In a large bowl, mix together cooked rice and the brussels sprouts mixture. Stir in dried cranberries.
  5. On the same baking sheet used to cook the pumpkins, stuff each pumpkin with the rice-portabella-brussels sprouts mixture.
  6. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until the pumpkins the wild rice is heated through. Serve warm and enjoy!
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Mini Pumpkins Stuffed With Portabellas, Brussels Sprouts And Wild Rice


Description

These stuffed mini pumpkins will add festivity to your holiday table. Using this recipe as a baseline, you can be creative and stuff with all the interesting things you might have in your pantry.


Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups pre-cooked wild rice
  • 6 mini pumpkins
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 Monterey MushroomsÒ portabella caps
  • 3/4 pound Brussels sprouts halved
  • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme chopped
  • 1 cup raw nuts, chopped (walnuts or pecans are great!)
  • 1/4 apple cider (or fresh apple juice)
  • 1 cup dried cranberries
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Carefully slice the top 2 inch of your pumpkins off with a serrated knife. Scoop out the inside fibers and seeds. Lightly brush or rub each pumpkin with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes or until pumpkins are soft.
  3. Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add enough extra virgin olive oil to coat the pan. Add halved brussels sprouts and season with salt and pepper. Brown a bit (about a minute or two) and then turn the heat down to medium, add the cubed portabella mushrooms and cook an additional 10 minutes or until tender. Add the thyme, nuts and apple cider/ juice, and cook until the flavors meld, about 3 to 5 minutes.
  4. In a large bowl, mix together cooked rice and the brussels sprouts mixture. Stir in dried cranberries.
  5. On the same baking sheet used to cook the pumpkins, stuff each pumpkin with the rice-portabella-brussels sprouts mixture.
  6. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until the pumpkins the wild rice is heated through. Serve warm and enjoy!

Save Time and Satisfy Your Tastebuds With Sizzling Sautés

These are just a few of the tasty recipes featuring Monterey Mushrooms Sizzling Sautés. Our Sizzling Sautés recipes will ensure you are enjoying quality food in no time flat. Sizzling Sautés are versatile and work well as a stand-alone side dish, meat replacement, or meat complement. 

If you want to spend less time cooking and more time enjoying incredible meals, you can find more recipes and learn more about our Sizzling Sautés in our free cookbook. 

If you can’t find Monterey Mushrooms Sizzling Sautés in your favorite grocery store, visit our Where to Buy page to see what stores carry them near you. 

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About Author

Lindsey
Lindsey

Lindsey loves the art and science of growing (and cooking) mushrooms!