Stuffed Pumpkin - A Vegan/Vegetarian Christmas Dinner Alternative

Just in case you still 100% haven't decided on a Vegetarian or Vegan dish to cook over the holidays, I am featuring a delicious Stuffed Pumpkin recipe on the blog today. This dish as it stands is completely meat, fish and dairy free and so would suit a vegan as well as a vegetarian guest. I have also omitted nuts from the dish to make it nut-free. However, you could add some pine nuts and some vegetarian cheese if you fancy to add to the flavour and texture of the dish.

This recipe is really easy to make and you could make the filling in advance and refrigerate or freeze until required. Stuffed Pumpkins would taste great with the Roasties, Veg and Christmas trimmings and I will definitely be cooking this for my guests over the holidays!

Ingredients

2 Medium Golden Nugget Pumpkins
200g Long Grain Rice, precooked
1 Carrot, peeled and chopped
1 Onion, chopped
1 Red Pepper, chopped
75g Mushrooms, chopped
1 Garlic Clove, crushed
2bsp Olive Oil
1tsp Mild Chilli
2tbsp Soy Sauce
Salt and Pepper to season

Method

1. Cut the top off of the pumpkins, scoop out all of the seeds and discard.
2. Place the pumpkins in a medium tray, replace the tops, add some water and cover completely with Foil. Bake for 30 minutes at 200 degrees. Remove the pumpkins from the oven once the time has elapsed, drain the water and brush the baking dish with oil or butter.
3. Meanwhile, fry the onion and garlic in some oil on a low heat for about 5 minutes or until the onion is softened.
4. Add the pepper, carrot and mushrooms, mix together and cook for a further 5 minutes.
5. Add the chilli, soy sauce, salt and pepper to the pan and mix well to combine with the other ingredients. Cook for a further 5 minutes until the vegetables have softened (the carrot may not be very soft at this point).
6. Add the cooked rice at this point and cook for another couple of minutes.
7. Once the pumpkins are cooked, spoon the vegetables and rice into the pumpkin cavities and top with the lids.
8. Return to the prepared dish and cover with foil.
9. Bake for a further 20 minutes until cooked and serve immediately.