Instant Pot Stuffed Dinner in a Pumpkin

Dinner in a Pumpkin is a delicious and festive way to use your fall pumpkins – making this stuffed pumpkin in the Instant Pot makes it even easier. This savory pumpkin dish will soon be a favorite and a holiday tradition your family will love.

Dinner in a Pumpkin is a classic and festive fall time dish. It is now even easier because you can make it entirely in your Instant Pot!

Once October hits I am in full Halloween Fall Time mode. Out come the pumpkins, the soup recipes and everything cinnamon spice.

We like to get pumpkins to deocrate with but I’m always looking for ways to use them in recipes, too.

Enter the Dinner in a Pumpkin. It might take a little extra time because you will have to carve it out and empty it- but it’s totally worth it for this delicious meal. Not to mention the memories your family will make while helping and enjoying it.

What is Dinner in a Pumpkin?

Dinner in a Pumpkin is exactly what it sounds like.

It is basically a hearty and savory casserole type dish baked entirely in a pumpkin instead of a baking dish.

After cutting it open you will need to clean out the seeds to make it hollow for filling. Luckily, baking pumpkin seeds is a yummy and easy treat, too- so no need to waste them!

What you put in your pumpkin is up to you but it usually consists of rice, beef, cream of mushroom soup with other seasonings and veggies.

Once it’s cooked, make sure you scoop out some of the interior of the pumpkin to go with the rest of the food!

How do you remove pumpkin seeds from a pumpkin?

It might take a little time and effort and it gets a little messy but once you get going it’s really not that hard.

1. Using a large, sturdy knife cut a whole at the top of your pumpkin making sure it is large enough for your stick your hand in.
2. Remove the lid you have created and put aside
3. Using a ladle, scoop or large spoon begin to scoop out the insides. If you are saving the seeds place them in a large bowl- removing excess pulp and “guts”.
4. To get everything out properly scrape the sides of the inside of the pumpkin from the bottom up.

What if I don’t have an Instant Pot?

If you don’t have an Instant Pot you can still make and enjoy this fun meal for your family.

You will just need to cook and prepare your ingredients in a skillet on the stove and then add it to the inside of the pumpkin.

We have an oven dinner in a pumpkin recipe you can try!

How to make Dinner in a Pumpkin

Here is what you will need:

• Pumpkin  (that fits in the Instant Pot)
• 1 cup dry quinoa or rice + Chicken Broth
• 15 ounces Tomato sauce
• 1 pound Italian Sausage
• 15 ounce can Diced tomatoes 
• 8 ounces Mushrooms 
• 1 can Water chestnut, drained
• 10.5 ounce Cream of mushroom 
• 1 tablespoon Garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Pepper

Instructions:

1. Prepare quinoa using prepared method (we love this Instant Pot version)
2. Brown and crumble the sausage.
3. Cut open your pumpkin and scoop out the insides.
4. Combine quinoa, sausage, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, mushrooms, water chesnuts, cream of mushroom, garlic powder, salt and pepper together. Cook until warm.
5. Scoop into pumpkin. Put the top back on
6. Put 1 cup of water in the Instant Pot.
7. Put pumpkin in Instant Pot.
8. 12 minutes on manual high pressure.
9. Quick pressure release when timer goes off.

How do you store leftover Dinner in a Pumpkin?

If you have leftovers you will most likely want to scoop the casserole out of the pumpkin an promptly discard the pumpkin itself.

Place leftovers in an airtight container and store in the fridge for 3-5 days.

To reheat- place your leftovers in the microwave or oven and heat until warmed through.

What can you eat with Dinner in a Pumpkin?

Add a crunchy side salad or some fresh fruit to make this dish a complete meal. You can also add corn bread, rolls, or breadsticks if you’d like.

Luckily, the casserole itself includes protein, grains and veggies so it is actually a well-rounded meal in itself!

What can you do with leftover pumpkin pulp?

Remove seeds from the pulp and guts and place in a bowl to use for later. You can then use the pulp for several things!

Place pulp and guts into a food processer along with a squeeze of fresh lemon.

Process it until smooth and then use for smoothies, shakes, soups, breads, pasta dishes, pies and more!

Here are more Halloween inspired dishes you may enjoy:

• Easy Dirt and Worm Cupcakes Recipe
• Loaded Potato Stuffed Peppers & Our Halloween Dinner
• 49+ Ways to Use Halloween Candy Leftovers
• Spooky Halloween Potatoes Graveyard #SundaySupper
• 30+ Amazing and Savory Pumpkin Dinner Recipes
• Disneyland Copycat Pumpkin Mickey Mouse Beignets
• Frankenstein Guacamole Platter
• Halloween Classic Cheeseball Recipe
• Easy Halloween Jello Salad with Gummy Worms