Stuffed Pumpkin
This stuffed pumpkin is one of those recipes we come back to every single autumn without fail. There's something genuinely magical about bringing a whole roasted pumpkin to the table, lid on, ready to be opened up in front of everyone. The giant couscous soaks up all those sweet, caramelised pumpkin juices and it just tastes incredible. It looks seriously impressive but honestly it's not that complicated, which is our favourite kind of recipe. Make this one for your next dinner party and just watch people's faces when it comes out of the oven.
Before You Start
- Preheat oven to 180°C
- Large baking tray
- Blender
- Small frying pan
- 2x bowls for dressings
Ingredients
- 1 medium size pumpkin - (about 1kg)
- olive oil
- salt
- 300g wholewheat giant couscous
- 600ml water
- 2 cinnamon stick
- 1 lemon
- 40g flaked almonds
- 60g golden raisins
- handful of parsley
- handful of mint
- 1 tsp all spice
- olive oil
- Salt & pepper
- 70g tahini
- 1 clove of garlic
- 2 lemons
- 30g fresh parsley
- 15g fresh coriander
- 15g fresh chives
- salt
Method
For the roasted pumpkin
- Carefully cut the top ⅓ of the pumpkin off horizontally so that the inside is exposed. Remove the seeds
- Place the pumpkin on a baking tray, drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil, a big pinch of salt and give it a good rub so that the whole pumpkin has been oiled
- Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes with the lid on the side. The pumpkin is ready when it is tender
For the giant couscous
- Cook the couscous as per instructions on the packet, with the addition of 2 cinnamon sticks
- Whilst the couscous cooks, zest and juice the lemon, toast the almonds in a small frying pan then roughly chop the parsley, mint
- When the couscous is ready, toss through the almonds, golden raisins, chopped herbs, lemon zest and juice, allspice, 1 tbsp olive oil and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Taste and season with salt, pepper and lemon juice for acidity
For the tahini/herb dressing
- In the cup for your blender, add the tahini, garlic clove, juice from the lemon, a pinch of salt and about 150ml of water, and blitz until smooth and creamy. The quantity of water will massively depend on how thick your tahini is. Add more water so that the consistency is pourable. Season to taste, and pour half of the dressing into a separate bowl and set to one side
- Return to your tahini dressing in the blender, and add parsley, coriander, chives and/or dill and spring onions. Blend until vibrant green and smooth. Taste and season to perfection
Return to the pumpkin
- When the pumpkin is tender, remove from the oven
- Pack the couscous into the pumpkin, top with the lid, and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes until everything has warmed through
- Serve wedges of pumpkin and couscous with tahini and green tahini
Tips & Variations
- Use the right pumpkin: We find a medium-sized culinary pumpkin works best here. The decorative ones can be too watery and a bit flavourless, so grab one from the veg aisle rather than the garden centre.
- Get ahead: You can roast the pumpkin earlier in the day and make the couscous filling in advance too. Just assemble and pop it back in the oven for 10 minutes to warm through before serving.
- Boost the filling: Henry always throws in a big handful of toasted pine nuts or pomegranate seeds at the end. Adds a bit of crunch and looks absolutely beautiful against the orange pumpkin.
Why This Works
The trick here is roasting the pumpkin with the lid on the side so both pieces get that lovely golden, tender finish at the same time. Stuffing it with giant couscous rather than regular couscous gives you these brilliant little chewy pearls that hold their shape and make every mouthful feel substantial. The whole thing basically becomes its own serving dish, which means less washing up and more time eating.