Which pumpkin is best for stuffing, and do I need to peel it?

Hokkaido (red kuri) or butternut squash work best, both are easy to handle, firm and have sweet, nutty flesh. With Hokkaido you can eat the skin, it turns soft in the oven, so just wash it well. Butternut has a tougher skin, but it comes away easily from the flesh after baking. Larger pumpkins need considerably longer in the oven.

Can I use another rice instead of red rice?

Yes, almost any rice works. Red rice is nutty, stays nicely firm and usually needs 30 to 40 minutes, so check the packet. Basmati or a wild rice blend cook faster, and quinoa or bulgur also work well. The only important thing is that the filling isn't too wet, otherwise it goes soggy in the oven.

Can I prepare the stuffed pumpkin ahead?

Very well, in fact. The rice filling without feta and pomegranate keeps for 2 days in the fridge, and so does the dressing. You can quarter and deseed the pumpkin the day before and keep it covered in the fridge. Before eating you then only need to season, fill and bake, which makes the dish ideal for guests.

How do I make the stuffed pumpkin vegan?

Replace the feta with a vegan feta or with roasted chickpeas tossed with a little lemon juice and salt, and sweeten the dressing with maple syrup instead of honey. Everything else in the recipe is already plant-based.

How do I get the seeds out of the pomegranate?

Halve the pomegranate crosswise, hold one half cut side down over a bowl and tap the skin firmly with a wooden spoon, the seeds will fall out. Simply pick out any white membrane. If you want to avoid splashes, release the seeds in a bowl of water, the membrane then floats to the top.

17 SEPTEMBER 2026

Stuffed Pumpkin with Rice, Feta and Pomegranate

By Verena Frei

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Prep: 25 min
Cook: 1 hr
Total: 1 hr 25 min
Servings: 4 servings (4 stuffed pumpkin quarters)

What can I cook tonight?Tap what you have at home and I will show you what fits.e.g. withricepumpkinlime

Hello lovelies,

as soon as the first Hokkaido pumpkins appear at the market, pumpkin season begins in our house, and this dish is always one of the first every year. My stuffed pumpkin with rice, feta and pomegranate looks festive, but it is really uncomplicated: season the pumpkin quarters, top them with a colorful rice filling and into the oven they go. The pomegranate seeds and the fresh lime mint dressing make it light and autumnal at the same time.

Stuffed pumpkin with rice and feta in the glass baking dish, photographed at an angle from above

If you like stuffing vegetables, you may already know my stuffed peppers with rice and artichokes. The pumpkin works exactly the same way, it just needs a little longer in the oven and turns wonderfully sweet and soft in return.

Which pumpkin?

My favorite is a Hokkaido of about 1 kg (2.2 lbs), because its skin softens in the oven and can be eaten. Butternut squash works just as well. I have gathered everything about varieties, peeling and deseeding in my guide on how to cook pumpkin: types and peeling.

Close-up of the red rice filling with feta, pomegranate seeds, pistachios and mint on the pumpkin

For the filling I cook red rice, because it tastes nutty and stays nicely firm. Sautéed shallots, garlic, cumin, coriander and lime juice make it really aromatic, while pistachios, pomegranate and feta add crunch, freshness and salt. If you have pumpkin left over, in our house it happily ends up in my autumn salad with roasted pumpkin.

In the oven the stuffed pumpkin quarters bake at 200°C (390°F) for 30 to 40 minutes, until a fork slides in very easily. Any filling that doesn't fit on the pumpkin simply goes into the dish around it, where it turns wonderfully crispy.

Stuffed pumpkin quarters with rice and pomegranate from above, the lime mint dressing with a spoon beside them

Ingredients for the stuffed pumpkin: Hokkaido, red rice, feta, pomegranate, pistachios, limes, mint and shallots

For me, feta and mint are an unbeatable pair, which I also love in my lentil salad with feta and mint dressing, and that one tastes even better the next day.

And if you would like your pumpkin just as autumnal without cheese, my autumnal oven veggies with vegan feta are a lovely plant-based version from the oven. I look forward to your photos of the stuffed pumpkin.

Yours, Verena

TIPS

Verena's notes

Tip from my kitchen: cut the Hokkaido with a large, heavy knife and place it on a damp kitchen towel so nothing slips. Don't throw away the pumpkin seeds, washed and roasted with a little oil and salt they make a great snack or an extra topping. The filling can be well seasoned, the pumpkin itself is mild. When cooking for guests, put the dressing and toppings on the table in small bowls, so everyone can take as much as they like. Leftovers taste almost like a salad the next day, served lukewarm.

Stuffed Pumpkin with Rice, Feta and Pomegranate

Vegetarian oven dish of spiced pumpkin quarters with a filling of red rice, feta, pistachios and pomegranate, served with a lime mint dressing.

Course:Main Dish
Prep:25 min
Cook:1 h
Servings:4 servings (4 stuffed pumpkin quarters)

Vegetarian

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EQUIPMENT

Medium pot with a lid
Frying pan
Large baking dish
Large bowl
Tablespoon for scooping out the seeds
Small bowl for the dressing
Cutting board and sharp knife

INGREDIENTS

For the pumpkin:

1Hokkaido pumpkin about 1 kg (2.2 lbs), or butternut squash
2Tbspolive oil
1/2tspcumin
1/2tsppaprika
salt to taste
pepper to taste

For the rice filling:

250gr (8.8 oz.)red rice
500ml (2 cups)water
2-3shallots
2garlic cloves
2Tbspolive oil
1tspcumin
1/2tspcoriander ground
1tsppaprika
1lime juiced
50gr (1.8 oz.)salted pistachios
1pomegranate
250gr (8.8 oz.)feta
1handfulfresh mint
salt to taste
pepper to taste

For the dressing:

4Tbspolive oil
2limes juiced
2Tbsppomegranate juice
2tsphoney
2sprigsfresh mint finely chopped
salt to taste
pepper to taste

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INSTRUCTIONS

Cook the rice

Rinse the rice in a sieve and bring it to a boil in the pot with 500 ml (2 cups) of water and a little salt. Reduce the heat and simmer covered until the water is fully absorbed. White rice takes about 20 minutes, red rice 30 to 40 minutes, add a little water if needed.

Make the filling

Peel and finely chop the shallots and garlic. Heat the olive oil in the pan and sauté both until soft.
Add the cumin, coriander, paprika and the lime juice and season with salt and pepper. Add the cooked rice and mix well.
Roughly chop the pistachios, release the seeds from the pomegranate and crumble the feta with your hands. Mix the rice with most of the pistachios, pomegranate seeds and feta, setting aside a handful of each for the topping.

Fill and bake the pumpkin

Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F) conventional heat. Wash the pumpkin, cut it into quarters and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
Stir the olive oil with the cumin, paprika, salt and pepper, rub the pumpkin quarters all over with it and place them in the baking dish.
Top the pumpkin quarters with the rice filling. Whatever doesn't fit on top simply goes into the dish around the pumpkin.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the pumpkin is tender and the filling is lightly golden.

Dressing and serving

Whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, pomegranate juice, honey and chopped mint and season with salt and pepper.
Scatter the remaining pistachios, pomegranate seeds, feta and mint leaves over the stuffed pumpkin and serve with the dressing.

Calories: 810 kcal
Protein: 20 g

GOOD TO KNOW

Frequently asked questions

Hokkaido (red kuri) or butternut squash work best, both are easy to handle, firm and have sweet, nutty flesh. With Hokkaido you can eat the skin, it turns soft in the oven, so just wash it well. Butternut has a tougher skin, but it comes away easily from the flesh after baking. Larger pumpkins need considerably longer in the oven.
Yes, almost any rice works. Red rice is nutty, stays nicely firm and usually needs 30 to 40 minutes, so check the packet. Basmati or a wild rice blend cook faster, and quinoa or bulgur also work well. The only important thing is that the filling isn't too wet, otherwise it goes soggy in the oven.
Very well, in fact. The rice filling without feta and pomegranate keeps for 2 days in the fridge, and so does the dressing. You can quarter and deseed the pumpkin the day before and keep it covered in the fridge. Before eating you then only need to season, fill and bake, which makes the dish ideal for guests.
Replace the feta with a vegan feta or with roasted chickpeas tossed with a little lemon juice and salt, and sweeten the dressing with maple syrup instead of honey. Everything else in the recipe is already plant-based.
Halve the pomegranate crosswise, hold one half cut side down over a bowl and tap the skin firmly with a wooden spoon, the seeds will fall out. Simply pick out any white membrane. If you want to avoid splashes, release the seeds in a bowl of water, the membrane then floats to the top.

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TAGS:PUMPKINRICEFETAPOMEGRANATEPISTACHIOSMINTLIMESTUFFEDOVEN BAKEDFALLVEGETARIAN

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