A step-by-step recipe for pumpkin stuffed with meat and baked in the oven. Oven-baked stuffed pumpkin: quick, tasty, healthy

Well, very soon you will learn how to cook stuffed pumpkin in the oven. It is worth preparing for the preparation of this dish in advance. On the night before the day of cooking, pour dry chickpeas with water, approximately 2.5 times the volume of chickpeas. During the night, it will swell and increase in size a couple of times.

The next day, drain the rest of the water, pour the chickpeas into a saucepan, peel the potatoes and put them in the same place, fill them with new water, bring to a boil and simmer for about 45 minutes, until the chickpeas become completely soft. The potatoes are used to soften the chickpea skins. I once spied on this life hack from the famous master of his craft, Jamie Oliver. Soft Chickpea Pumpkin Recipes are incredibly delicious!

We proceed directly to cooking. First of all, turn on the oven at 220 degrees to warm up. Now thoroughly wash the pumpkin, preferably with a metal sponge to wash off all the dirt, because we will not clean it. I took the oblong nut gourd because I like it the most. If yours is the same, we cut off its narrow part until better times.

If you have an ordinary pumpkin, cut it in half. We do the same with the round residue from the nut gourd. We take out all the seeds and put the vegetable in a baking sheet. We put to bake in the oven for 30 minutes, depending on the size of the fruit. I once told you ... Then, too, it turned out very tasty, but this time you do not need to season the pumpkin with anything, the pumpkin dish will be saturated with tastes and aromas as it is. While the main ingredient (baked pumpkin) is baking, put a frying pan on medium heat, peel the onions, garlic and mushrooms (yes - yes, mushrooms cannot be washed, they absorb water like sponges!). Chop the onion finely, the garlic even finer, and the mushrooms - in half and thin slices.
Pour a little vegetable oil into a pan, put onion and garlic in it and, stirring, fry for 3 minutes until transparent and golden. Then put the mushrooms there, mix and fry over high heat until all the water has evaporated. Stir periodically, at the end bring the mushrooms until golden. Pumpkin and other vegetable recipes often involve multiple cooking steps.
While the vegetables are roasting, cut the crispy salad into strips approximately 0.5 cm thick. The pumpkin in the oven will crunch in the future due to this particular green.
When the mushrooms reach the desired state, put the ready-made chickpeas in them, after draining the water from it and taking out the boiled potatoes. In fact, you yourself can decide what to stuff the pumpkin with. Instead of chickpeas in the same recipe, you can use different cereals. Pumpkin stuffed with rice or pumpkin stuffed with millet will also be delicious for lovers of these cereals! Reduce heat, add pumpkin seeds, fresh oregano or thyme there, pour soy sauce, pepper and stir.
Now we cut the boiled potatoes into small cubes and put them in the pan. Not to be lost to her? In addition, pumpkin stuffed with potatoes is also very tasty 😉 Mix everything well and keep on medium heat for another minute, then turn off the filling.
We take out the finished pumpkin halves from the oven (pierce them with a fork on the side, the pulp should be very soft) and turn on the top baking or grill in the oven. You can simply set the maximum number of degrees. Today we are cooking something special with pumpkin, now you will see! By the way, the juice formed in the recesses does not need to be drained.
Now put the sliced salad in the filling and mix thoroughly. I love the crunchy pumpkin dishes, so I didn't put in the lettuce while the pan was on the fire.
We fill the pumpkin with the ready-made "minced meat". We put a lot, there should be a large slide in each half. Drizzle each serving with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. I love original pumpkin dishes. Stuffed pumpkin is one of the most special and delicious in all my culinary practice!

The pumpkin stuffed with mushrooms and chickpeas is almost ready, put it in the oven for 2-5 minutes (depending on the oven), until it is slightly browned on top. At this time, finely chop the green onion. We take out the finished dish from the oven!

Transfer the stuffed pumpkin to plates, sprinkle with green onions and ogerano or thyme leaves. Delicious pumpkin dishes also look just magical! Check out these vibrant colors!

In fact, the baked stuffed pumpkin I just shared is ready to serve!

Now you know how to stuff a pumpkin. In the oven, such a charm turns out quickly enough. Summing up the results!

Oven-baked stuffed pumpkin. The recipe is short

Soak dry chickpeas overnight in water 2.5 times its volume.
We turn on the oven at 220 degrees to warm up.
On the day of cooking, put the chickpeas in a saucepan, fill with water and bring to a boil.
At this time, peel the potato, cut it in half and put it with the chickpeas.
Cook the chickpeas with potatoes for about 45 minutes, until the chickpeas are tender.
Carefully wash the pumpkin, cut the round one in half / cut the thin half with the oblong one, and cut the round half into 2 more halves.
We take out all the seeds, put the pumpkin in a baking sheet with the inner side up and put in the oven for about 30 minutes (depending on the size of the pumpkin). The finished pumpkin should be very soft and easy to pierce with a fork.
We put a frying pan on medium heat, peel the mushrooms, onions and garlic.
Chop the onion finely, the garlic - even smaller, the mushrooms - in half and into thin pieces.
Put the onion and garlic in the pan, stirring occasionally, fry for 3-5 minutes, until the onion becomes transparent and golden brown.
Put the mushrooms in the pan, stir and fry over high heat until all the water has evaporated, then continue to fry for a couple of minutes until blush.
Reduce heat to medium, put chickpeas, pumpkin seeds and a few sprigs of fresh oregano / thyme in a skillet, drizzle with soy sauce, stir well.
Cut the potatoes into small cubes, put them in the pan, pepper and mix well again, cook for another 2 minutes and remove from heat.
Cut crispy lettuce leaves into strips 0.5 cm thick.
We take out the finished pumpkin from the oven, switch it to the top baking or grill (or on the strongest heat).
Put the chopped crispy salad in the pan and stir.
Put the ready-made filling into the pumpkin, there should be a lot of it, with a slide, then pour each one tablespoon of olive oil.
Put the stuffed pumpkin in the oven and bake for another 3-5 minutes (depending on the oven), until it is slightly browned on top.
At this time, finely chop the green onion.
We take out the baked stuffed pumpkin from the oven, put it on plates, sprinkle with green onions and oregano / thyme leaves.

Oven-baked stuffed pumpkin with chickpeas and mushrooms is ready!
As you can see, lean pumpkin recipes can be very beautiful and incredibly delicious! And very soon waiting for you , for the preparation of which you do not even have to turn on the oven. It will be incredibly tasty, very fast and super healthy!

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Try the Oven-Baked Stuffed Pumpkin with Mushrooms and Chickpeas recipe, leave your comments with ratings and remember that cooking delicious is easy enough and that you are more talented than you might imagine! Enjoy your meal!

Stuffed pumpkin baked in the oven is a simple dish, but very effective. It can be prepared for a family dinner or a festive table. It is very healthy and nutritious, and baked with filling is also very tasty.

There are a great many recipes for its stuffing. One of the most popular is pumpkin stuffed with meat. This and other recipes for pumpkin with minced meat, baked in the oven, you will learn from this article.

Vegetable preparation
With meat and potatoes
With minced meat
Stuffed with rice and raisins
With cheese
Reviews and comments

Vegetable preparation

This vegetable is a good base for a wide variety of dishes. A large number of useful components that are contained in this fruit make it irreplaceable on our table. It is steamed and boiled. Delicious cereals and even desserts are made from it. But the most delicious, healthy and beautiful dish is oven-baked pumpkin.

You can take a wide variety of products as a filling. These are meat and vegetables, cereals and dried fruits, cheese, mushrooms and much more. To make the dish juicy, the filling is generously flavored with sauce or sour cream.

Some fillings are added with butter.

In order to cook pumpkin in the oven, the vegetable must be prepared as follows:

wash well;
remove the core and seeds;
on a young fruit, the soft skin can be left. If the skin has hardened, then you need to remove it;
large fruits can be cut into pieces and recesses for minced meat can be made in them.

Pumpkin with meat stuffed and cooked in the oven

A vegetable stuffed with meat, a dish that will appeal to even those who have been an ardent opponent of this orange fruit. An incredibly tasty and healthy dish will adorn any festive table.

There are many recipes for cooking vegetables with meat. Here are some of them:

With meat and potatoes

Ingredients:

1 fruit;
half a kilogram of pork;
half a kilogram of peeled potatoes;
2 eggplants;
2 large onion heads;
2-3 garlic cloves;
salt, black pepper, dill or parsley, basil to taste;
vegetable oil for frying meat.

How to cook:

It is necessary to cut off the top with a tail so that a lid is obtained, remove the seeds. The flesh on the walls of the fruit does not need to be removed. You will get a pot with a lid. We will put the filling in it.

For the filling, cut the washed meat into small pieces and fry in a pan for 10-12 minutes.

Add salt, pepper, and other seasonings to taste to the meat, and leave it on the hot stove for 10 minutes. Then remove the meat from the pan. Finely chop the onion.

And simmer in the juice left over from the meat. Cut the potatoes and eggplants into even cubes. We combine all the components of the filling: meat, potatoes, eggplants, onions, garlic, herbs. Fill the pumpkin pot with the filling. Using the skewers, we fix the lid.

We put the vegetable in the oven. The temperature should be 200 degrees. The cooking time is about an hour. The finished fruit should have soft walls. Transfer it carefully to a large holiday platter and serve. Guests will be surprised by the beauty and aroma!

With minced meat

This dish has two ways of serving: you can cook it in a pumpkin pot, as described above, or as a casserole.

Ingredients:

1 pumpkin;
Ground beef;
bulb;
tomato paste;
garlic;
salt;
pepper;
vegetable oil;

Preparation:

Wash a small fruit and prepare a pot with a lid from it. If the fruit is large, then cut its flesh into thin slices 3 by 3 centimeters. Prepare minced meat. Finely chop the onion, sauté in vegetable oil, add to the meat. Add a spoonful of tomato paste, chopped garlic, salt and pepper there. To mix everything.

Fill a pumpkin pot with minced meat. Or do another way: put half of the chopped pumpkin in a baking sheet or baking dish, place the minced meat on top, cover with the other half of the pumpkin.

Place in a preheated oven. Bake until half cooked, then sprinkle with grated cheese and bake further.

This is a very simple, healthy, and incredibly tasty dish that can be prepared for a family dinner.

Oven-baked stuffed pumpkin: original recipes

Oven-baked stuffed pumpkin can be cooked not only with meat. There are many recipes for every taste - from the original to the simplest. Try to cook it in the following ways:

Stuffed with rice and raisins

1 pumpkin;
1 cup rice grains
1 glass of sour cream;
1 glass of raisins;
100 grams of butter;
5 eggs;
salt and sugar to taste.

Remove the pulp from the fruit, which is stewed until half cooked.

Mix the pulp and boiled rice. Add prepared raisins, sour cream, butter. To stir thoroughly.

Add whites and egg yolks, beaten separately, salt and sugar to taste.

Fill a pumpkin pot with the filling, close with a cut-off lid. Bake in the oven and serve slightly cooled.

If you do not have a small fruit, but only a large one, then from the same products you can make such a dish as a rice casserole. Simply put the filling prepared in the above way into a mold and bake until golden brown.

You can serve fruit or berry jam with the dish.

With cheese

1 pumpkin;
500 grams of cheese;
1 glass of cream;
50 grams of butter;
sugar, salt, nutmeg to taste.

Fill the prepared pumpkin with a filling made of grated cheese, cream, butter, spices. Cover the tops cut from it with a lid and cook in the oven at a temperature of 180-200 degrees for about an hour. Serve slightly cooled. You need to eat by scooping out the pulp of the fruit along with the cheese filling.

Cooking tips:

for stuffing, choose a small, firm, ripe vegetable. Large fruits will have to be cut into pieces. The dish of them is less beautiful;

varieties with an orange color, early maturing or medium ripening are well suited for baking;
the readiness of the dish is checked with a wooden stick or toothpick;
taking out the dish from the oven you need to be very careful. You can burn yourself with hot juice;
serve the baked pumpkin on the table slightly cooled.

This is just a small number of recipes for delicious and very healthy dishes from the orange beauty.

Try to cook them and you will become real fans of this wonderful vegetable. Bon Appetit!

Autumn is the best time to prepare various delicious and healthy pumpkin dishes. This sunny autumn berry is always desirable on any table. Yes, yes, do not be surprised, it is a berry, and the largest in the world. This is how scientists classify it.

And what is not prepared from this wonderful red-haired beauty - and soups, and, and even sweet pies, for example, such as the famous one. It is boiled, steamed, and baked. And no matter how it is cooked, it always turns out to be very tender, aromatic and incredibly tasty!

And they love dishes made from it not only because it is very tasty and healthy, but also because everything that is made from this vegetable is not at all difficult to cook. And even joyfully! With her red-haired sunny appearance, she always stimulates to cook only delicious dishes from her.

Today we will cook such dishes, namely, we will bake the red-haired beauty in the oven. And we will do this in several different ways. Because there is nothing tastier than this beauty stuffed and baked in the oven!

Oven-baked pumpkin stuffed with meat and potatoes

We need (for 2 servings):

pumpkin - 2 pcs, 800 gr
meat - 400 gr
onions - 2 pcs -120 gr
potatoes - 2-3 pieces
bulgarian pepper - 1 pc.
carrots - 2-3 pcs (medium)
tomatoes - 2-3 pcs (medium)
spices - a mixture of Provencal herbs, thyme, coriander - 1 incomplete teaspoon
salt, pepper - to taste
vegetable oil - 4 tbsp. spoons

Preparation:

1. Cut the meat into small pieces of the same size.

2. Cut the onion into thinner half rings.

3. Prepare a cauldron or stewpan, in which we will cook. Warm the oil until a gray haze. Put the meat, fry, stirring, until it becomes golden brown. Once it is browned, add the onion.

4. Fry the meat with onions. At the same time, the onion should also lightly brown.

5. While the meat and onions are fried, peel and cut into slices (if they are not large) carrots, or if large, then cut into cubes.

6. Peel and dice the potatoes and bell peppers.

7. Make a cross-shaped incision on the tomatoes, pour boiling water over them and cut them into cubes the same size as the rest of the vegetables.

8. When the meat and onions are fried, pour hot boiled water over them. You don't need to add a lot, just cover the ingredients. Let it boil and simmer over low heat until the meat is tender.

9. As the meat is ready, and it will take about 30-40 minutes, add the tomatoes. Fry for 2-3 minutes. The tomatoes should soften slightly and become mashed.

10. Add carrots and fry for 2-3 minutes too.

11. Then turn of bell pepper, which also needs to be fried for 2-3 minutes.

12. Well, and finally - potatoes, they also need to be added and mixed. There is no need to add water. There will be juice from the vegetables and there will be enough of it so that the potatoes do not burn when frying.

But if, for some reason, there is not enough liquid, then you can add a little water.

13. When the potatoes have softened a little, salt and pepper the cooking dish. You also need to put spices. You can add any spices you like. Today I add a mixture of Provencal herbs, ground coriander and thyme, for a total of just over half a teaspoon.

Potatoes should be stewed with vegetables and meat until half cooked. It shouldn't decay, but it shouldn't be soggy either.

14. In the meantime, let's take care of the pumpkin. It needs to be washed thoroughly. If purchased at a store or market, it is best to wash them with soap and a brush. Then rinse thoroughly with plenty of cold water.

15. Cut off the lid and select the loose center with seeds. You can use a regular tablespoon for this.

If the fruits are large, then part of the pulp is also selected, which is added to the filling. But today we have small portioned instances, so there is not very much pulp in them. Therefore, you do not need to choose anything else.

From the vegetable we got pots in which our dish will be prepared.

16. When the potatoes reach the state we need, fill the improvised pots with filling to the very top. Cover the top with a lid.

17. Cut two pieces of foil under each. Fold them crosswise and grease with oil. Place the vegetable in the middle and wrap the foil around it, covering all cracks tightly.

18. Repeat the same with the second beauty.

19. Grease a baking sheet with vegetable oil and put the prepared food on it.

20. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and put a baking sheet in it. Bake for an hour and a half, sometimes if the pumpkin is larger, then you need more time - an hour and forty or two hours.

21. The readiness of the dish is determined with a toothpick. If you pierce the skin, then it should be soft.

22. When the product is ready, remove the foil and serve on a plate, garnished with a sprig of thyme.

As you can see, the dish turned out to be very beautiful and elegant, just like autumn itself! And take my word for it - delicious! True, I personally did not manage to eat the whole portion! It turned out too satisfying! But my husband ate everything with pleasure, until the very end.

It should be said that when you eat, be sure to pick up a baked vegetable from the edges and eat it along with the filling. The taste is simply divine. She imbued all the other ingredients with her taste and aroma, and they, in turn, exchanged juices with her, and everything turned out what is called "do not subtract, do not add."

I would also like to note that this stuffed dish actually cooks very quickly. Pre-preparation and roasting is a standard procedure that is used in the preparation of many dishes. It does not take long and is easy.

And then the baking process goes directly. And although it is quite long, it is not at all troublesome.

The next recipe is also good and well worth considering.

Oven baked pumpkin porridge

This is a fairly popular and popular dish. It is delicious and inexpensive to prepare. Both adults and children love him.

Basically it is stuffed with millet and rice. But it happens that they also bake with buckwheat. Previously, porridge with millet and honey was baked in a Russian oven, and this was the most favorite children's delicacy. Now we cook such porridge in the oven, and the kids eat it with no less pleasure! This porridge is good for both breakfast and lunch. It turns out to be fragrant and very tender.

It is so easy to prepare that anyone can do it!

Millet porridge

We need:

pumpkin - 1 pc
millet - 1 cup
milk - 3 cups
butter - 50 gr
salt - a pinch
sugar or honey - optional

Before describing the recipe, it should be noted that cereals and milk should be taken in a ratio of 1 to 3. "Cup" is a relative term, and depends on the size of the vegetable. Focus on its size and the amount of milk that can fit in it.

Consider also that millet increases in volume by 2-2.5 times during cooking.

Porridge can be cooked in one large pumpkin, at once for all. Or you can use small ones - one serving for each.

If you want the porridge to be sweet, then add sugar or honey to taste, and if not, add only salt.

Preparation:

1. Rinse and wipe the vegetable thoroughly. Cut off the "cap" - the top.

2. Using a tablespoon, carefully remove the soft loose part together with the seeds.

3. Rinse the millet in several waters, then drain the water. And pour the cereal into our makeshift pot.

4. Salt, or add sugar, or honey and pour milk over the millet. Remember to leave enough room in the vegetable!

5. Place the prepared dish on a baking sheet or in a baking dish. Do not forget to grease them with oil first. To cover with a lid"

6. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Put a baking sheet with the product in it. Bake for 30 minutes.

7. So that it does not get too fried. but remained beautiful and rosy, after 30 minutes, reduce the temperature to 150 degrees. Bake for another 1 hour.

During this time, the porridge should be completely ready, and the vegetable crust should be easily pierced with a toothpick.

If the specimen is too large, the total cooking time can increase up to two hours!

8. At the end of cooking, open the "lid" and put butter on top. Cover the lid and let the butter melt, and the porridge brew a little and rest. During this time, the butter will saturate the millet, and our porridge will be crumbly and tasty.

9. For small vegetables, serve them whole directly.

If you cooked in a large one, then spoon each one with the required portion. Do not forget to add the most delicious - these are pieces of a sweet vegetable!

Or you can add raisins to the porridge, and it will be even tastier.

Eat to your health!

Rice porridge with dried fruits and honey

Almost all children eat such porridge with pleasure. When you put a baked ginger beauty on the table and open the lid, the kids gasp with delight. And then only the sound of spoons on cups is heard.

We need:

pumpkin - 1.5-2 kg
rice - 1.5 - 2 cups
milk - 400-500 ml (cream is possible)
butter - 50 - 60 gr
dried fruits - raisins, dried apricots. prunes
any nuts - a handful
honey - to taste
salt - a pinch

Preparation:

1. Rinse the rice under running water until the water becomes clear. To prevent the rice from sticking, you can use parboiled. And if you use round rice, then you can pour boiling water over it for 5 minutes, and then drain the water. So the porridge will turn out crumbly and not sticky.

2. Also rinse the dried fruit. I also pour boiling water over them for 3-4 minutes.

You can also add any fruit according to the season. It can be apples, peaches, apricots. In the fall, you can add quince.

3. Sort the nuts and chop them to the state of "tangible pieces", but not very large.

4. Rinse the vegetable with a brush, then dry and cut off the upper part - the "lid".

5. In a separate bowl, combine rice, salt, honey, dried fruits and nuts.

6. Put half of the butter on the bottom.

7. Fill 3/4 of the filling with the filling. The rice will increase in volume during the cooking process, and if you fill it to the top with the filling, the porridge can run away!

8. Add the remaining butter and pour over the milk. To cover with a lid".

9. Prepare the foil. To do this, cut out two long strips, put them crosswise and grease with oil. Place the filled form in the middle and wrap it up without leaving any lye.

10. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Grease a baking sheet with oil and place the food there. Bake for 1-1.5 hours. If it is large or if it has a very hard crust, it may take up to two hours.

11. When cooked, the crust should be easily pierced with a toothpick, and the rice should be completely cooked.

12. Take out the baking sheet and let the dish stand for 15-20 minutes. Then remove the foil and put our beauty on the dish.

13. Cut into segments and serve the porridge with the baked pumpkin. Or put the porridge on a plate, and remove the pulp separately and cut into cubes.

The dish turns out simply "Lick your fingers!" Don't be surprised if you are asked for a supplement after eating one serving!

Chicken and Lentils Recipe

For lovers of lentils, you can cook such a delicious dish. But if you are not even a special lover of lentils, then after you try this dish you may well become a fan of it!

We need:

pumpkin - 1 piece - 2 kg
chicken fillet - 500 gr
green lentils - 1 glass
onion -1 pc
tomatoes - 200 gr
bell pepper - 1 piece
vegetable oil - 3-4 tbsp. spoons
salt, pepper - to taste
spices - paprika, thyme, coriander, cumin, hops - suneli - a mixture of 1 tsp
adjika - 1 tbsp. a spoon

Preparation:

1. Cut the chicken into cubes. Onions - smaller cubes.

2. Warm the oil in a saucepan or cauldron. Put onion and fry until slightly golden brown. Then add chicken and fry for 5-6 minutes.

3. Pour boiling water over the tomatoes, remove the skin and cut into cubes. Add to chicken and fry for 2-3 minutes.

4. Cut the bell pepper into cubes and add to the cooking dish. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes.

5. Add adjika, spices, salt.

6. Rinse lentils in a colander and add to a saucepan or cauldron, depending on what you are cooking in.

7. Add boiling water, let it boil and try to see if there is enough salt. If it turns out to be not enough, then salt to your liking.

8. Cook lentils until cooked. During this time, almost all the water should boil away.

9. In the meantime, the lentils are being cooked, let's start preparing the pumpkin. Wash it thoroughly and wipe it with a towel. Then, as in the previous recipes, we cut off the lid. Carefully take out the loose core with seeds. In order to make this easy, we use a tablespoon.

We also take out some of the pulp. We have it big, and therefore its walls are thick. To make the dish better baked, it is enough to leave the walls 1.5-2 cm thick.

10. Cut into cubes and add to lentils 5 minutes until tender.

11. Prepare the foil. Cut off two long identical strips, put them crosswise and grease with oil. We put an impromptu form in the center and fill it with lentil and chicken filling.

12. Cover tightly with foil, being careful not to leave cracks.

13. Grease a baking sheet with oil and put the vegetable wrapped in foil on it.

14. We put in an oven preheated to 180 degrees and bake for 1.5 - 2 hours. Depending on the size of the workpiece and the characteristics of the variety. The crust of the finished dish should be easily pierced with a toothpick.

15. Take out the finished dish and let stand for 10 minutes.

16. Then remove the foil and place the vegetable on a large platter. Decorate with herbs.

17. Cut into segments and serve with a piece of pulp.

The scent is on the whole house. Now the first snowball lies in the garden and all the bees hibernate somewhere in a warm place. And so they would certainly flock to such a smell.

This dish is not prepared as often as the first three. And all because lentils are cooked less in general. But this is a very tasty and healthy culture, the dishes from which are delicious even without meat. Therefore, if you often cook pumpkin dishes and are looking for some new recipe, then take this recipe to your attention. I think that he will not leave you indifferent.

And in conclusion, I want to say a few more words about the red-haired beauty! It has a very positive effect on your mood! Therefore, if you are suddenly sad in a rainy autumn or a rainy winter, then just take a pumpkin from the pantry, or buy it in a store, and prepare any dish from it. The mood will immediately change its polarity.

After all, with her positive color, amazing aroma and incomparable beauty, she just disposes to this!

Bon Appetit!

It is not for nothing that in the folklore of different countries, pumpkin was attributed to unusual, truly fabulous qualities. Think of Cinderella in a pumpkin carriage or the Pumpkin house in the Cipollino fairy tale. And on Halloween, the pumpkin is the main place.

Moreover, in all these cases, the pumpkin is used not for its intended purpose, but in the form of a container, a vehicle, a headdress.

Our ancestors also did not miss this opportunity. But they acted more efficiently, turning the pumpkin into a cooking container. Apparently, this method of use was inspired by the great similarity of this vegetable to a pot or cast iron. Moreover, the thick bark of the pumpkin is so strong that it can withstand the heat in the oven. Therefore, they cooked porridge in pumpkin, stewed vegetables and meat, made casseroles.

Nowadays, almost every kitchen has an oven. Its spacious interior also allows you to bake whole pumpkin in it.

The subtleties of cooking

For the dish to be of excellent quality, the pumpkin must be ripe. For dessert dishes, it is better to take a sweet pumpkin, in other cases its taste does not play a special role.
Most importantly, pay attention to the integrity of the crust. There should be no cuts or dents on it. The pumpkin should be firm with an elastic bark. If the pumpkin is pressed under pressure, then it means that it is not the first freshness, it has been lying for a long time and may be half dry or rotten.
Preparing a whole pumpkin for baking is easy. Wash the pumpkin well, wipe dry. Cut off the top of the pumpkin in the area of the stalk in the form of a lid. It is desirable that the pumpkin has a tail - with the help of it, it will be possible to easily open the lid later.
Remove the seeds from the pumpkin along with the fibrous pulp that surrounds them. Take your time to throw them away. When free, rinse them in warm water, dry, and then toast. Such a delicacy can then be added to any salad, baked goods, or just snapped for pleasure.
If possible, carefully cut off some of the pulp, thereby expanding the inner space of the pumpkin. But do not overdo it: the thickness of the walls should be at least 2.5–3 cm, otherwise the pumpkin may lose its shape when baked.
Prepare the filling for the stuffing to your liking. It can be rice with apples, raisins and dried apricots, flavored with cinnamon or nutmeg. For meat eaters, a good combination would be meat mixed with onions and pumpkin pulp cut from the inner walls. If you like cheese, you can use it too, adding a little cream and herbs.

And now - the recipes.

Whole baked pumpkin: with rice and apples

Ingredients:

small pumpkin - 1 pc .;
rice - 0.5 tbsp.;
apples - 3 pcs.;
cherry plum or sour plums - 1 tbsp.;
raisins - 0.5 tbsp.;
butter - 100 g;
salt;
cinnamon - 1 tsp;
carnation - 2 buds;
sugar to taste.

Cooking method

Wash a small pumpkin, wipe dry with a towel. Cut off the top. Remove the seeds through the hole. Carefully cut off some of the pulp with a sharp knife to make a pot with even walls about 2.5–3 cm thick.
Rinse the rice, soak it in warm water for an hour. Bring a large amount of salted water to a boil, put rice in it, boil for 5-10 minutes. Place on a sieve.
Peel the apples and seed chambers, cut into large cubes. If the skin is tender, you do not need to cut it off.
Cut the plums in half, remove the seeds.
Sort out the raisins, wash, soak in warm water for 15 minutes. Place on a sieve.
Cut the pumpkin pulp, cut from the walls, cut into cubes. Combine with rice, plums, raisins, apples, sugar, cinnamon, cloves and butter.
Fill the pumpkin with the filling. For greater juiciness, you can pour in 100 ml of water.
Place the cut lid on the pumpkin. Place in an oven preheated to 180-190 ° and bake for 50-60 minutes. Cooking time depends on the size of the pumpkin and its variety. Well-baked pumpkin will shrink slightly, brown and soften. Therefore, the only way to know if a dish is ready is to take a sample.

Whole oven baked pumpkin: with onions and apples

Ingredients:

small pumpkin - 1 pc .;
onions - 3-4 pcs.;
peeled walnuts - 1 tbsp.;
raisins - 2 tbsp.;
barberry - 0.5 tbsp.;
butter - 100 g;
honey - 2 tbsp. l .;
cinnamon - 1 tsp

Cooking method

Wash the pumpkin, wipe dry. Cut off the top to form a lid. The hole should be such that a tablespoon can easily pass through. Take out the seeds, loose pulp. Use a sharp knife to cut off some of the hard pulp, making the walls a little thinner. Cut it into small cubes.
Wash the raisins, soak in warm water for 10 minutes, fold on a sieve. Sort the barberry, remove the stalks and twigs, wash. Chop the walnuts.
Finely chop the onion, save in butter until golden brown.
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Fill the pumpkin with the filling. Cover with the top. Place in the oven, bake for 50-60 minutes. After baking, add honey to the pumpkin.

Whole baked pumpkin in the oven: with meat, mushrooms and potatoes

Ingredients:

medium pumpkin - 1 pc .;
chicken fillet - 300 g;
onions - 200 g;
fresh champignons - 200 g;
potatoes - 300 g;
sour cream - 200 g;
salt;
garlic - 2 cloves;
seasoning for potatoes - 1 tsp;
vegetable oil - 40 g;
black pepper - 5 peas;
bay leaf - 1 pc.

Cooking method

Wash the pumpkin, wipe dry. Cut off the top to form a lid. Remove seeds and fibrous pulp. Since the filling will be juicy, the walls of the pumpkin can be left thick.
Cut the chicken into small pieces. Fry in oil until golden brown. Place on a plate.
In the remaining oil, save the onion and mushrooms, cut into slices.
Cut the potatoes into cubes, boil until half cooked for 10 minutes in boiling water, mix with potato seasoning and pepper.
Place half of the potatoes on the bottom of the pumpkin. Place the meat on it. Cover it with the rest of the potatoes. Place the mushrooms and onions in the next layer. Pour in enough hot water to lightly cover the bottom layer of the potatoes.
Mix sour cream with salt and chopped garlic. Pour over the mushrooms. Close with a cut-off lid.
Place the stuffed pumpkin in an oven preheated to 180-190 °. Bake for 1 hour.

Whole oven baked pumpkin: with cheese

Ingredients:

small pumpkin - 1 pc .;
cream - 0.5-0.6 l;
salt;
cheese - 500 g;
nutmeg - a pinch;
butter - 40 g.
black pepper to taste.

Cooking method

Wash the pumpkin, wipe dry. Cut off the top to form a lid. Scrape off the seeds along with the fibers. Cut off some of the pulp, making the walls a little thinner. Cut the pulp into small cubes.
Grate the cheese on a medium grater. Combine with cream and chopped pumpkin. Many recipes say that you need to add a liter of cream. In fact, it all depends on the volume of the pumpkin. If it is small, then 500 ml (and even less) will be enough.
Season with salt and pepper. Add nutmeg. This spice has a very pronounced smell, so don't overdo it.
Add a lump of butter. Close the lid.
Put in an oven preheated to 180 degrees. Bake 50-60 minutes until the pumpkin is tender.

Note to the hostess

Many housewives complain that their pumpkin lid is burning. Therefore, as soon as the lid is covered with a golden brown crust, remove it, and in its place place a piece of foil, bending it downwards. Put the lid back in place 10-15 minutes before cooking.

To avoid burning the bottom of the pumpkin, pour some water on the baking sheet.

The contents of the pumpkin should not reach the very top, otherwise, during baking, the liquid may overflow and burn.

To bake the whole pumpkin, use any filling: whatever you would put in an earthen pot for cooking in the oven.

This vegetable is good for creating a wide variety of dishes. But still, stuffed pumpkin baked in the oven is a real queen: tasty, healthy, beautiful.

Pumpkin stuffed with meat in the oven

Pumpkin has one amazing property that culinary experts use to the fullest - it is in perfect harmony with different products. And with meat, including.

To make such a dish, you will need the following ingredients:

pumpkin;
pork meat - take ½ kg;
potatoes - the same volume;
eggplant - 2 pieces;
bulbs - 2 heads;
garlic - no more than 3 cloves;
basil, parsley, dill (fresh herbs) - as you see fit;
salt, ground black pepper - be guided by your own taste;
vegetable oil to fry meat.

First, we make an edible pot from a pumpkin - cut off the top-lid, take out the seeds, leave the pulp on the walls.

Now let's get down to stuffing. Pour small pieces of meat into a frying pan with hot oil and fry. Then add salt and all the seasonings, mix. Let the pan with meat sit on the hot stove for 10 minutes.

Then we take out the pork, put it in a bowl. And in the juice remaining from it, simmer the onion, finely chopped before that.

We turn eggplants and potatoes into identical even cubes or cubes. We mix them with meat, onions, herbs, garlic. We send the fragrant mass of vegetables and pork to a pumpkin-pot. And we put it in the oven, already roasted up to 200 ° C.

In about an hour, the pumpkin stuffed with meat will be ready.

For all options for cooking pumpkin in the oven, it is important to choose the right fruit. What is needed is not too large (there is more juice and taste in these), round, elastic, preferably a summer variety.

With buckwheat porridge

Such filling for pumpkin as buckwheat porridge is a traditional component for Russian cuisine. Our ancestors cooked this dish in a Russian oven. And modern housewives have perfectly replaced it with an oven.

So, we need products:

pumpkin - take a weight of 1.5 kg;
buckwheat - a glass;
onion - 1 piece;
sour cream - ½ cup;
eggs (hard-boiled needed) - at least 4;
herbs, spices, salt;
butter - 30 g.