Whole Baked Pumpkin with Harissa Rice, Oh How Wicked!
This whole baked pumpkin recipe stuffed with harissa rice is your Halloween show-stopper, a brilliant family meal or Sunday lunch for your ghosts and ghouls!
The inspiration for this whole baked pumpkin recipe came from my lovely friend Jayne who cooked something similar on a recent trip to the Lake District.
I was so impressed I decided to re-create it for you!
My version has a warming harissa rice stuffing, but it would be equally delicious stuffed with the Puy Lentils, bolognese or rice in these recipes:
My smoky lentil walnut bolognese
And my baked Mexican rice-with beans
I also want to flag that you can use squash as an alternative to the pumpkin – there’s an important environmental reason you might want to do this given the amount of Pumpkins wasted every year as their primary use is decoration rather than food.
This is a super tasty seasonal pumpkin recipe, and remember that if you are carving pumpkins for decoration, providing they are fit to eat afterwards, you can use the left-overs in an amazing soup or stew-style dish. It’s so important to reduce the amount of food waste we make, and halloween pumpkins are a chance to do this.
And, as an alternative any time of year you can use a round edible squash to make this recipe.
And, remember to scoop out the pumpkin seeds and roast them for a healthy snack, they are delicious!
I hope you enjoy my whole baked pumpkin with harissa rice recipe!
Love, Niki xxx
Ingredients
For the pumpkin
- 1 whole medium pumpkin - seeds removed
- Drizzle olive oil
- Sea salt
For the harissa rice
- 150 g long grain rice rinsed
- Water to cover
- 1 red onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp harissa paste
- 1 can chopped tomatoes
- Handful walnuts toasted and roughly chopped
- Handful fresh thyme
- Sea salt and black pepper
For the roasted seeds
- The reserved seeds
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Sea salt
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Instructions
- Pre- heat your oven to 180c
- Carefully slice the top off the pumpkin and remove all the seeds.
- Place on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil and sea salt.
- Place the lip by the side of the pumpkin and bake for 45 minutes.
To make the rice
- Cook the rice according to the pack instructions.
- In a frying pan, add the onion and olive oil. Fry on medium for 7-8 minutes until soft.
- Now add the garlic and spices. Fry for a further minute.
- Add the harissa paste, chopped tomatoes and cooked rice.
- Cook for 5-6 minutes then add in the remaining ingredients (walnuts, thyme and seasonings).
- Remove the pumpkin from the oven, carefully fill with the rice mix and bake for 20 minutes with the lid on.
To make the roasted seeds
- Remove any flesh, rinse and then add the seeds to a baking tray.
- Drizzle with olive oil, salt and smoked paprika
- Place in the oven and roast for approx 10 minutes until toasted.
