Tender roasted pumpkins stuffed with a cheesy orzo and kale filling is the perfect vegetarian entrée for any autumn feast!
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The Van Tassel autumn feast in Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow features plenty of sweet treats and several savoury meat dishes. But one thing that is notably absent is any type of vegetable. Which is a shame, given the plethora of harvest vegetables available this time of year. To correct that wrong, and in consideration of a few vegetarian guests at my feast, I made these cheesy orzo and kale stuffed pumpkins.
Individual pumpkins are roasted and stuffed with a creamy, cheesy orzo and kale filling. Topped with gooey mozzarella, these mini stuffed pumpkins are a fabulous vegetarian option for any autumn feast. I’m sure they would have been right at home on the Van Tassel table!
Ingredient Notes
Pumpkins: Serving this orzo pasta stuffed in an individual pumpkin makes for a tasty and fun autumn entrée. You will want to use small pumpkins that are a decent size. Some mini pumpkins for sale are very small and won’t be able to hold much filling. Choose pumpkins that weigh about 2 lbs. You can use acorn squash instead, although you will want to use half an acorn squash per person.
Orzo pasta: Orzo is a small, rice-shaped pasta usually made from semolina flour. In this recipe the orzo is cooked along with aromatics in vegetable broth and cream rather than boiled separately.
Kale: I like to sauté the kale separately and add it to the cooked orzo at the end. Any leafy green vegetable would work in this recipe, such as spinach or chard.
How to Make Cheesy Orzo and Kale Stuffed Pumpkins
Roast the pumpkins
Begin by roasting the pumpkins. Preheat the oven to 400 deg F. Hold each pumpkin on its side and use a heavy, sharp knife to slice the top and stem off about 1 inch down from the top. Use a paring knife to expose the inside if needed. Scoop out the seeds and discard. Trim the top rim so that it is even in thickness with the walls of the pumpkin.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush the top rim and inside of each pumpkin with a little olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Place the pumpkins upside down on the parchment paper. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the pumpkin flesh is tender.
Make the orzo filling
In a heavy-bottomed dutch oven heat the butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes until the onion is softened and beginning to brown. Add 2/3’s of the garlic and sauté for another minute.
When the garlic is fragrant add the white wine and deglaze the pan. Turn the heat up to high and let the wine simmer for another minute. Add the vegetable broth, cream, kosher salt, nutmeg, and pepper and bring to a boil.
Once the broth mixture comes to a boil, add the orzo pasta. Turn the heat down to medium low and keep at a gentle simmer. Stir the orzo frequently to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot. As it is pasta, it will naturally stick to the pan if you leave it too long before stirring. Cover with lid in between stirring.
Sauté the kale
To prep the kale, cut the leaves off the stem. Chop into bite sized pieces. In a non-stick skillet heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium high heat. Add the remaining minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the washed kale and sprinkle with kosher salt. Cook, tossing the kale, until the kale has wilted and is tender. Set aside.
Stuff and bake the pumpkins with cheesy orzo
Cook the orzo until it is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Add the parmesan cheese and mix to combine. If you feel the mixture is too dry, then add a splash more vegetable broth or cream. Stir the kale into the orzo mixture.
Spoon the cheesy orzo filling into each pumpkin, mounding the filling on top so that each pumpkin is generously filled. Top each pumpkin with a handful of mozzarella cheese.
Bake the stuffed pumpkins for 15 to 20 minutes until the filling is hot and the cheese is melted and browned. If desired, broil the pumpkins briefly to brown the cheese even more. Enjoy!
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: The Feast
Check out The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: The Feast master post for more Sleepy Hollow inspired recipes in this series.
Pies
Donuts
- Hot Buttered Rum Glazed Crullers
- Peach Crisp Donuts
Cakes
Preserves
- Spiced Wine Poached Pears
Savoury
- Cider Brined Roast Chicken
- Spiced Cherry and Port Glazed Ham
- Cheesy Orzo Kale Stuffed Pumpkins
Cocktails
- Katrina Van Tassel’s Spiced Apricot Cocktail
- The Headless Horseman Burnt Honey Old Fashioned
- Gunpowder Fig and Rosemary Cocktail
Cheesy Orzo and Kale Stuffed Pumpkins
Ingredients
- 6 small pumpkins about 2 lbs each
- 2 tbsp olive oil plus extra for brushing
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3-4 garlic cloves minced
- ½ cup white wine
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 2 cups orzo pasta
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 bunch kale, chopped about 4 cups loosely packed
- 1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- extra vegetable broth or cream if needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° F. Hold each pumpkin on its side and use a heavy, sharp knife to slice the top and stem off about 1 inch down from the top. Use a paring knife to expose the inside. Scoop out the seeds and discard. Trim the top rim so that it is even in thickness with the walls of the pumpkin.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush the top rim and inside of each pumpkin with a little olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Place the pumpkins upside down on the parchment paper. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the pumpkin flesh is tender.
- In a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven heat the butter and 1 tbsp olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes until the onion is softened and beginning to brown. Add two third’s of the garlic and sauté for another minute.
- When the garlic is fragrant add the white wine and deglaze the pan. Turn the heat up to high and let the wine simmer for another minute. Add the vegetable broth, cream, kosher salt, nutmeg, and pepper and bring to a boil.
- Once the broth mixture comes to a boil, add the orzo pasta. Turn the heat down to medium low and keep at a gentle simmer. Stir the orzo frequently to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot. As it is pasta, it will naturally stick to the pan if you leave it too long before stirring. Cover with lid in between stirring.
- To prep the kale, cut the leaves off the stem. Chop into bite sized pieces. In a non-stick skillet heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium high heat. Add the remaining minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the chopped kale and sprinkle with kosher salt. Cook, tossing the kale, until the kale has wilted and is tender. Set aside.
- Cook the orzo until it is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Add the parmesan cheese and mix to combine. If you feel the mixture is too dry, then add a splash more vegetable broth or cream. Stir the kale into the orzo mixture.
- Spoon the orzo filling into each pumpkin, mounding the filling on top so that each pumpkin is generously filled. Top each pumpkin with a handful of mozzarella cheese.
- Bake the pumpkins for 15 to 20 minutes until the filling is hot and the cheese is melted and browned. If desired, broil the pumpkins to brown the cheese even more. Serve and enjoy!