An orange vegetable that is rich in vitamins and minerals is called pumpkin. If you stuff it correctly and bake it in the oven, you can get not just a tasty, but also healthy dish for the body.
The pulp of the fruit contains vitamins A, E, C, D and group B. Among the minerals, it contains a lot of fiber, calcium and iron. Doctors prescribe fruit juice to pregnant women to get rid of swelling. If kidney function is impaired, then this vegetable will also be useful.
Thanks to this vegetable, you can get rid of a couple of extra pounds, because with its help, metabolism is accelerated, cholesterol is removed and fat cells are burned.
Below I will present 5 dishes that are not just tasty, but also healthy and do not burden the body. I'll show you how to stuff a pumpkin with meat, vegetables, cereals and dried fruits. Use the recipes below for a holiday feast or a regular evening.
Baked pumpkin stuffed with millet in the oven
We will stuff the first pumpkin with millet and add some raisins. Cereals have a beneficial effect on the body. The composition contains amino acids, which are building materials for skin and muscles. Therefore, the dish can be considered healthy.
Ingredients you need to prepare:
- pumpkin – 1 medium;
- millet – 100 g;
- milk – 250 ml;
- water – 50 ml;
- salt, cinnamon - a pinch;
- sugar – 1 tbsp. l.;
- butter – 80 g;
- raisins - a handful;
- honey - to taste.
Cooking time: at least 2 hours 30 minutes.
Start cooking by preparing the vegetable. You need to cut out the cap and remove the seeds. Also pour boiling water over the raisins in advance if necessary. Next we proceed according to plan.
1. Pour milk and water over millet. Salt and add sugar. Stir and simmer until half cooked.
2. At this time, trim the walls of the fruit a little. The resulting pulp will then need to be mixed with cereal.
3. Place the chopped pumpkin pulp in a pan with porridge. Add soft raisins, cinnamon and honey to taste. Stir well.
4. Place a portion of butter cut into small pieces at the bottom of the pumpkin.
5. Next, lay out the filling completely.
6. Next, add a little butter. Cover with the fruit cap.
7. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Bake for 2 hours 30 minutes.
When ready, place the vegetable on a large platter. Open the lid. Mix the filling well. Now you can put it on the table.
Advice! You can arrange it in portions, but it won’t look so impressive.
How to bake a whole pumpkin in the oven with sugar
Let's start with the simplest version of baking pumpkin with sugar. I don’t even know if sugar can be called a filling, but due to the fact that the sugar syrup that forms during heating does not go anywhere. As a result, the pulp is well soaked and becomes very juicy.
I will show this for clarity using the example of nutmeg pumpkin. It’s true that you’ll have to cut it in half to make it easier to cook, but if you use the more familiar round-shaped varieties, you’ll only need to cut them if they’re very large.
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The only ingredients we need are a pinch of salt and sugar.
Preparation:
1. Wash the pumpkin and cut it in half, then remove the seeds and fibers with a spoon.
2. Sprinkle the pulp with a small pinch of salt and leave for 5-10 minutes so that the pumpkin begins to release juice. This is necessary so that when we sprinkle it with sugar, it does not fall to the bottom, but remains on the pulp. While we wait, you can turn on the oven to preheat, setting the temperature to 180 degrees.
3. After a few minutes, you will already be able to see that the surface of the pumpkin has become moist, which means it’s time to sprinkle it with sugar. The amount of sugar depends on the size of the pumpkin. It needs to be poured and rubbed over the entire surface of the pulp.
The more sugar, the sweeter.
4. After this, bake the pumpkin on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in an oven preheated to 180 degrees. Cooking time varies depending on the size of the vegetable and can range from 30 to 45 minutes.
You can check readiness by piercing the pulp with a wooden stick. If it reaches the peel without resistance, it’s ready.
While the pumpkin is cooling, pour the syrup that has accumulated in the cavity of the pumpkin over the pulp. And then you can cut it into sweet, soaked pieces and serve.
Bon appetit!
Whole pumpkin with meat and rice
We will not use large fruit in this recipe. We will stuff small pumpkins, the size of a pot. We will make the filling from rice and chicken. It turns out not only tasty, but also beautiful.
Prepare the following ingredients:
- mini pumpkin – 3 pcs.;
- chicken fillet – 1 pc.;
- rice – 3 tbsp. l.;
- onion – 1 pc.;
- vegetable oil - a couple of tbsp. l.;
- salt and pepper - your choice.
Cooking time – 1 hour 30 minutes.
1. Start again by preparing the pumpkin. Cut off the cap. Clear away seeds and other debris.
Advice! Sometimes you may get a fruit that is too round and cannot stand with its cap facing up. In this case, you need to cut off the “butt” a little.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Rest the vegetables for 30 minutes to soften and make them easier to cook in the future. Don't forget to wrap the tails of the caps in foil, otherwise they will burn.
3. At this time, pour a portion of oil into the frying pan and send to the fire.
4. Cut the onion into large cubes. Send to sauté.
5. Prepare the chicken. Rinse, trim off excess skin if using thigh fillet. Also remove bones if necessary. Cut into small cubes.
6. When the onion is browned, add the meat. Fry for a couple of minutes, add salt and pepper.
7. Rinse and dry the rice. Add the cereal to the chicken. Stir.
8. Pour boiling water. Determine the quantity yourself. It is necessary that the water slightly covers the contents of the pan.
9. Cover with a lid. Simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.
10. Remove rice from heat. Take out the pumpkins. We won’t use them right away, let them rest for 5 minutes.
Reference! There is no need to turn off the oven after you remove the vegetables. We'll need it a little later.
11. When the fruits have cooled, use a spoon to collect some pulp from the walls. Then combine with rice. Mix well.
12. Grease the inside of the fruit with butter. Then you can stuff it to the top. Next, cover with caps and place in the oven. Bake at the same temperature for another 20 minutes.
Then you can serve it to the table. Bon appetit.
Sweet recipe
Bon appetit!
Whole baked pumpkin can serve not only as breakfast or part of a hearty lunch, but also as a delicious dessert.
Pumpkin is a good option for breakfast or a main course for lunch. And stuffed pumpkin with cottage cheese, baked in the oven, will definitely not leave anyone indifferent.
- Pumpkin – 1 pc.
- Crumbled cottage cheese – 200 g.
- Raisins – 50 g.
- Apple – 1 pc.
- Sugar – 2 tsp.
- Cinnamon – ½ tsp.
- Rinse the pumpkin well, remove the tail and carefully cut off the top. Cut out the pulp with a tablespoon. You should end up with a small pumpkin pot for the cottage cheese.
- Mash the cottage cheese with a fork, add raisins, sugar and cinnamon. Transfer everything into the pumpkin.
- Cut the apples into slices. Distribute evenly over the curd mass. “Wrap” another portion of cottage cheese on top.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Place the pumpkin on a baking sheet or roasting pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes until the pumpkin is soft.
Cooking pumpkin with meat and potatoes
This is an original dish that is suitable not only for a regular evening, but also for a holiday. It can be included in the list of recipes for March 8th. Preparing delicious food is not difficult.
Ingredients you need to buy:
- pumpkin – 1 pc. by 2 kg;
- bell pepper and hot pepper – 1 pc.;
- onion, carrot and garlic clove - 1 pc.;
- champignons – 300 g;
- potatoes – 5 large pieces;
- meat (pork/beef/chicken, etc.) – 300 g;
- tomato paste and mayonnaise - 1 tbsp. l.;
- hard cheese – 100 g;
- butter – 50 g;
- sweet paprika, ground pepper and salt - your choice.
Cooking time – 1 hour 40 minutes.
Start traditionally by preparing the pumpkin. Cut off the cap and clean the inside. A large fruit will have some pulp when you remove the lid. It should be preserved. Then start directly to the process.
1. Rinse the meat and dry it. Cut into small pieces. I used pork, you can use whatever you like.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan. Place the meat. Fry until half cooked. Don't forget to add salt, pepper and paprika.
3. At this time, take care of the potatoes. Wash and clean. Cut into cubes. The fruit pulp can be cut as desired.
Reference! If potatoes are baked quickly in your oven, then make the pieces large; if slowly, then make them small.
4. When the pork reaches the desired condition, transfer it to the pumpkin.
5. In the same frying pan, fry the potatoes and the pulp of the main vegetable. Don't forget to add a little oil. You can add salt and other spices.
6. Next after the pork, place undercooked potatoes.
7. Cut the champignons into small slices. Then fry them in a clean frying pan. Add spices. Then place the next layer in the pumpkin.
8. Peel and chop the onions. In the same frying pan, sauté the onion until slightly browned.
9. At this time, wash and peel the carrots. Pass through a grater. Add to onions. Sauté for 2-3 minutes.
10. Cut the bell pepper completely into strips. From the spicy one you will need a small part, but also chopped. Add a portion of butter and peppers to the fryer. Stir.
11. After 3 minutes, add a spoonful of tomato paste and a little water. Pass through a press or chop the garlic. Add mayonnaise. Stir. Let it simmer for 1-2 minutes, and then put it in the pumpkin.
12. All that remains is to cover the pumpkin with a hat, wrap it completely in foil and place it in an oven preheated to 200°C for 60 minutes. Sometimes it may take longer. Based on the size of the fruit and the power of the oven.
Advice! 15 minutes before complete readiness, remove the foil. The fruit will brown and acquire a beautiful color. Also open the cap and sprinkle with grated cheese.
Watch the video recipe for preparing a delicious pumpkin dish:
Pumpkin with rice and dried fruits
Pumpkin with this filling is a storehouse of vitamins. The vegetable itself has many vitamins, which are described above. Dry fruits are also rich in various minerals and more. Rice is a source of energy and B vitamins. This means that this dish, in addition to its amazing taste, is of great benefit to humans.
To prepare you need to prepare:
- pumpkin – 1 pc.;
- rice – 2 tbsp.;
- dried apricots and raisins – 100 g each;
- butter - 1 package;
- granulated sugar - 2 tbsp. l.
Cooking time – 1 hour 30 minutes.
I won’t talk about cleaning the fruit and cutting off the lid. I think this is already clear. I'll get straight to the point.
1. Wash the dried apricots with raisins and dry them a little. Finely chop the first one.
2. Place dried fruits in a small saucepan. Add some boiling water. They should be steamed over low heat.
3. Add 2 tablespoons of sand. Stir. As the water evaporates, add a portion of butter.
4. Rinse the rice and boil until half cooked. Don't forget to add salt.
5. Dry the cereal a little, then mix with dried fruits.
6. Place the filling completely into the fruit. Cover with pumpkin lid.
7. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Bake the dish for about an hour and a half.
When ready, remove from the oven and let sit for a couple of minutes. Then you can serve it to the table.
Filling with millet
To prepare delicious stuffed pumpkin with millet you will need:
- Pumpkin – 1 large piece.
- Hard cheese – 200 g.
- Millet – 50 g.
- Tomato – 2 pcs.
- Carrots – 1 pc.
- Onions – 1 pc.
- Vegetable oil – 3 tbsp.
- Garlic – 2 cloves.
- Basil, coriander, parsley, thyme - ¼ tsp each.
- Salt/pepper to taste.
Cooking method:
- Rinse the millet well and boil in boiling water for 10-15 minutes. Rinse with warm water and cool.
- Wash, peel, and remove stems and possible damage from carrots, onions and tomatoes. Chop the onions and tomatoes into cubes, grate the carrots.
- Rinse the grater and grate hard cheese on it.
- Heat a frying pan, add a small amount of vegetable oil. Fry onions and carrots until golden brown. Reduce gas, add tomatoes (along with juice) and simmer under closed lid for another 3-4 minutes.
- Carefully cut off the top of the pumpkin and remove the tail. Carefully scoop out the flesh with a tablespoon. There is no need to throw it away, you can add it to vegetable stew and also simmer lightly. Add salt, pepper and favorite spices to taste. Keep on fire for another 10 minutes.
- Add boiled millet and 2/3 of the grated cheese to the pan. Mix everything well.
- Grease the inside of the pumpkin with butter to make the flesh more tender. Transfer the vegetable stew there and place the pumpkin on a baking sheet or in a baking dish.
- Bake in the oven at 160 degrees for 1 hour. If the pumpkin becomes soft earlier, you can safely turn off the gas.
- 10-15 minutes before being ready, sprinkle the vegetables with the rest of the grated cheese.
The dish can be served by adding millet and vegetables as if from a large pan. The stew should turn out sweetish - due to the pumpkin juice, which will be actively released during the cooking process.
Recipe for pumpkin with chicken and vegetables in the oven
The dishes described above may seem heavy, especially for ladies. In this case, now I’ll tell you how to bake a whole pumpkin stuffed with chicken and vegetables. At the same time, it will turn out not greasy and very tasty.
Prepare the following ingredients:
- pumpkin - 1 pc.;
- chicken breast – 1 pc.;
- potatoes – 3 pcs.;
- zucchini – 2 pcs.;
- tomatoes – 4 pcs.;
- chili and sweet peppers - 1 pc.;
- onions – 1 pc.;
- garlic – 8 cloves;
- vegetable oil – 100 ml;
- greens - a bunch;
- spices and salt - optional.
Cooking time – up to 60 minutes.
Begin?
1. Pour vegetable oil into a frying pan. Warm it up. Peel and chop the onion. Place in a frying pan. Sauté for a few minutes. Don't forget to add spices.
2. Wash the potatoes, peel them, cut them into cubes. Add to the fried onions. Stir and cover with a lid.
3. Cut the hot pepper into rings. Chop the garlic. Coarsely chop the carrots. Add vegetables to potatoes and stir.
4. Rinse the chicken, cut into small pieces. Add to vegetable mixture.
5. Cut eggplants, tomatoes and bell peppers into cubes and place in a frying pan. Stir and simmer covered for a couple of minutes.
6. At the end of stewing, add chopped herbs and stir. Then you can stuff the pumpkin with the filling.
7. Pour a little vegetable oil into the bottom of the baking dish. Place the fruit.
8. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Send the dish to bake for about 60 minutes.
The pumpkin is ready. Bon appetit.
Step by step photos of the recipe
1. I take the products I need and start my favorite task, like cooking for my beloved family.
2. Combine finely chopped onion with minced meat, place in a frying pan with heated vegetable oil and fry, stirring constantly, for 5-7 minutes.
3. Grate the pumpkin pulp on a coarse grater and squeeze thoroughly.
4. Place half of the pumpkin mass in a heat-resistant form, greased with vegetable oil and salt.
5. Place minced meat fried with onions on the pumpkin, salt and pepper. I put the remaining pumpkin on the minced meat and add a little salt.
6. Now I start preparing the filling: Grate the cheese on a fine grater.
7. Beat the eggs in a bowl and, continuing to beat, add milk and.
8. cheese. The filling is ready!
9. Pour the resulting mixture into the pumpkin and minced meat.
10. Now all that’s left is to bake in the oven at 180-200C for 50 minutes!
