Thanksgiving Stuffed Roast Pumpkins

Stuffed Pumpkin Variations

A generous amount of warm-spiced heavy cream and Gruyère cheese should lay to rest any concerns that going vegetarian has to mean compromising richness.

Bake What Your Menu Gave You

Before we embark on this roasted-pumpkin journey together, I want to make clear that this recipe is not meant to be rigidly prescriptive.

Like cassoulet, this dish has humble roots, and, as Kenji pointed out in his treatise on French stewed beans and meats, it's the kind of recipe that is designed to make do with what is available. For our purposes, that means filling your pumpkins with whatever you've already got for the rest of your Thanksgiving menu.

Before You Begin: Pick Your Pumpkins

One ingredient you will need to get is pumpkins.

No, you can't repurpose the rotting jack-o'-lantern that's been sitting on your front stoop since October. What you're looking for are small "sugar pumpkins" that roast up creamy-fleshed and sweet (truth in advertising!).

How to Make Thanksgiving Vegetarian Stuffed Pumpkins, Step-by-Step

Step 1: Prepare and Par-Roast the Squashes Once you have your pumpkins, it's time to get to work, starting with all of the squash.

In this case, that means drizzling and rubbing the flesh of the pumpkins and kabocha with olive oil before seasoning them assertively with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. The oil provides not only fat and flavor but also a more adhesive surface for the salt and pepper to cling to.

Step 1: Prepare and Par-Roast the Squashes

In this case, that means drizzling and rubbing the flesh of the pumpkins and kabocha with olive oil before seasoning them assertively with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

The oil provides not only fat and flavor but also a more adhesive surface for the salt and pepper to cling to. Season it with salt and pepper, then set it aside.

Step 2: Cook the Mushrooms and Kale

I start by heating a couple of tablespoons of oil in a 12-inch skillet until shimmering, then add a full pound of thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps.

They'll soon cook down, releasing water, and once that's happened, they'll begin browning.

Step 3: Whisk Together the Spiced Cream

As I mentioned in the beginning, this filling is essentially a savory bread pudding, and that means we need some creamy liquid to moisten and bind everything together.

While there aren't any eggs in the recipe, I do use plenty of cream, cut with a little whole milk and seasoned with plenty of warm spices, including cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and clove.

Step 4: Layer the Stuffing

Gather together the rest of the stuffing mise en place: cubed and dried bread, shredded Gruyère, and the toasted pepitas and pecans.

Step 6: The Final Roast

Place your pumpkins back on that parchment-lined baking sheet, and roast them, without their tops, until that top layer of Gruyère is melted and lightly browned and the pumpkins are fully tender.

(Use a paring knife to check them; the blade should be able to pierce the pumpkins with little resistance.) Open the oven, replace the tops on your gourds, and bake them a few more minutes to make sure every bit of pumpkin is heated through.