Dinner in a Pumpkin

Echo Blickenstaff

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5 from 18 votes
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This easy, festive Dinner in a Pumpkin recipe turns a pumpkin into a cozy casserole-style meal with ground beef, rice, vegetables, and of course, cooked pumpkin! It’s fall magic in a dish!

Ground beef and rice dinner in a pumpkin being served from a pumpkin shell.

“This is my family’s all-time favorite recipe! We count down the days until pumpkin season, and then seriously fix this at least twice a month throughout the fall.
I’ve always doubled the sauce ingredients, it packs in more flavor.
Thanks for sharing this recipe!!” – Abby

What is Dinner in a Pumpkin?

Dinner in a Pumpkin is just that – a warm, casserole-style dinner baked right inside a pumpkin. It’s my favorite dish to make on Halloween night. The kids love the idea of eating their dinner out of a pumpkin, and I love that it fills them up with a hearty meal before they trick-or-treat.

The best part of this dinner is that the pumpkin shell cooks along with the casserole. Before serving, you scoop tender chunks of pumpkin from the sides and stir them into the casserole. The pumpkin is sweet and tender, similar to butternut squash. It adds the perfect autumn flavor and color.

If you love this idea, be sure to check out our Soup in a Pumpkin recipe. Also, see our Halloween Dinner Menu for more spooky-fun sides and desserts your family will love.

🧡 Echo

Table of Contents

Ingredients Needed

Ingredients needed to make dinner in a pumpkin: a medium pumpkin, ground beef, mushrooms, rice, onion, brown sugar, sage, thyme, soy sauce, water chestnuts
  • Pumpkin: This is the key ingredient of dinner in a pumpkin. And yes, you will use the entire pumpkin! Make sure to pick a medium pumpkin (about 5-7 lbs) with a flat bottom so it will sit upright on a baking sheet.
  • Cooked Rice: You can use white or brown rice or quinoa. They all work great!
  • Sautéed Vegetables and Herbs: Diced onion, celery, mushrooms, and garlic are sautéed in butter to add a savory taste to the filling.
  • Ground Beef: Ground turkey or ground pork can also be used. See vegetarian options below.
  • Seasonings: Sage and thyme.
  • Water Chestnuts: This adds a nice crunch to the filling, but can be left out if you prefer.
  • Sauce: The rich sauce for this casserole includes brown sugar, cream of chicken soup, soy sauce, vinegar, and salt & pepper.

How to Cook Dinner in a Pumpkin

Scooped out pumpkin on a sheet pan lined with foil to prepare to make dinner in a pumpkin.
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Then, work on your pumpkin. Clean and dry the top and sides of the pumpkin. Next, carve a hole in the top to make a lid. Angle your knife into the center of the pumpkin so that the pumpkin lid stays on during baking. Then, scoop out all the seeds and pulp.
Skillet of ground beef, onion, mushrooms, celery and water chestnuts to make dinner in a pumpkin casserole.
  1. In a large skillet, sauté the vegetables and then brown the beef. Next, drain the grease from the meat. Then, add salt, pepper, and water chestnuts.
Glass mixing bowl of cream of chicken mixture and whisk on the side.
  1. In a large bowl, mix brown sugar, cream of chicken soup, soy sauce, vinegar, and salt & pepper. T
Glass mixing bowl with ground beef mixture. Wooden spoon on the side.
  1. Add the beef mixture and the cooked rice to the sauce. Stir until everything is coated in the sauce.
Putting rice mixture into scooped out pumpkin.
  1. Spoon the filling into the pumpkin.
Placing top of pumpkin on top of scooped out pumpkin filled with rice mixture.
  1. Replace the pumpkin lid. Place the pumpkin on a foil lined cookie sheet. It will be heavy so be careful.
Oven with dinner in a pumpkin baking on a sheet pan.
  1. Bake for an hour and fifteen minutes. The pumpkin should turn a deep reddish orange color. Check the inside of the pumpkin, it should scrape off easily. If it is still tough, bake for another 15 minutes and check again. Baking times can vary depending on the thickness of the pumpkin.
Scooping the pumpkin sides for dinner in a pumpkin and mixing in rice with a large spoon.
  1. Before serving, mix the casserole around and scrape the sides of the pumpkin so the meat of the pumpkin gets mixed in with the casserole.

Variations and Substitutions

Vegetarian Dinner in a Pumpkin

  • Swap ground beef for lentils, beans, or a plant-based ground beef (like Impossible Ground Beef Meat From Plants).
  • Use cream of celery or mushroom soup in place of cream of chicken soup.

Turkey or Chicken

  • Use ground turkey or diced rotisserie chicken for a lighter version.

Sausage & Wild Rice

  • Use Italian or chicken sausage and wild rice for a hearty, slightly smoky flavor. Use a hot sausage to add some spice.

Low Carb / More Veggies

  • Replace part or all of the rice with cauliflower rice. Add spinach and extra mushrooms.

Mini Pumpkins (Dinner for Two, or for Kids)

  • Use small pumpkins to customize individual stuffed pumpkins. Reduce baking time to adjust for the smaller size.
  • Use a smaller pumpkin to make “dinner in a pumpkin for two.” Halve the filling recipe or freeze the extra filling recipe to make it again.
Family-friendly halloween dinner with ground beef and rice served from a baked pumpkin.

Make it Ahead

You can easily make the filling ahead of time – this is especially helpful if you are planning to serve it on Halloween night. Prepare the filling according to the recipe up to 24 hours in advance. Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use. The pumpkin can also be cleaned and prepared up to a day ahead. It should also be kept in the fridge (separately) for freshness until ready to use. Scoop the filling into the pumpkin while the oven is pre-heating and bake according to the instructions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of pumpkin should I use for Dinner in a Pumpkin?

Look for a medium-sized (about 5-7 pounds) sugar pumpkin or pie pumpkin – they’re sweet, tender, and the right size for baking in the oven. A carving pumpkin can also be used. Take extra care to make sure your pumpkin will stand upright for baking in the oven.

Can you eat the pumpkin after baking it?

Yes! It’s the best part! The pumpkin cooks in the oven and tastes great with the casserole as well as on its own. Our soup in a pumpkin recipe is similar recipe where the pumpkin cooks along with the soup.

How do I make dinner in a pumpkin vegetarian?

It’s easy! Use plant-based ground beef (Impossible or Beyond Meat), lentils, or beans and cream of celery or cream of mushroom soup.

Can I make the filling ahead of time?

Yes, you can prepare the casserole filling up to a day in advance and store it in the fridge. See the “make it ahead” instructions above.

How do I store leftover dinner in a pumpkin?

Scrape the cooked pumpkin from the inside of the pumpkin and stir it into the leftover casserole. Keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the leftover filling for up to 2 months.

More Pumpkin Recipes

Now that you have a Dinner in a Pumpkin, serve some of these sweet pumpkin treats for dessert! Our Nothing Bundt Cake Pumpkin Bundt Cake, Pumpkin Pasties, and Easy Pumpkin Trifle make great recipes for holiday sweets. See more pumpkin recipes below.

Did your pumpkin dinner get rave reviews? Tell us how it turned out in the comments below, and give it a star rating. We’d love to hear what you think! 🎃

Dinner in a Pumpkin

5 from 18 votes
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours
Servings: 8
Dinner in a Pumpkin is a hearty casserole cooked right inside a pumpkin! Perfect for serving on Halloween night before the kids go trick-or-treating.
By Echo Blickenstaff
A spoonful of dinner in a pumpkin casserole
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Ingredients 

  • 1 pumpkin, medium
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 onion, small, diced
  • 1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced (canned mushrooms also work)
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon dried sage
  • 1 tablespoon dried thyme
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
  • 8 ounces water chestnuts
  • salt and pepper
  • 10 ounces cream of chicken soup
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 4 cups cooked rice, white or brown

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Thoroughly wash and dry the outside of the pumpkin. Cut the top off the pumpkin and clean out the pulp and seeds. Place the pumpkin on the baking sheet. Save the top.
    A pumpkin with the pulp and seeds removed
  • In a large skillet, sauté onion, celery, mushrooms, and garlic in butter. Add ground beef, sage, and thyme and cook until the beef is no longer pink. Drain the grease from the beef. Add salt, pepper, and water chestnuts.
    Ground beef and sauteed vegetables in a pan
  • In a large bowl, mix soup, brown sugar, vinegar, and soy sauce.
    Savory sauce in a glass bowl
  • Add ground beef mixture and cooked rice to the bowl. Mix until everything is evenly coated with sauce. Empty bowl into the cleaned out pumpkin and replace pumpkin top. Bake for 1 hour on the lower rack of the oven, or on the rack where the pumpkin can be most centered in the oven.
    Dinner in a Pumpkin Casserole
  • After 1 hour and 15 minutes, remove the top and check the sides of the pumpkin for doneness. The outside of the pumpkin will turn a dark orange, and the inside of the pumpkin should be tender and easily scoop off the sides with a spoon.
    A cooked pumpkin on a baking sheet
  • If the inside of the pumpkin is still not fully cooked, bake for an additional 10-15 minutes. The cooking time will vary depending on the size of the pumpkin. Sometimes I've cooked the pumpkin as long as an hour and a half before it is ready.
    A spoonful of dinner in a pumpkin casserole
  • Using hot pads, place the pumpkin onto a serving plate, remove the lid, and stir. Be sure to scoop off chunks of cooked pumpkin into the casserole as it is served. That's the best part!
    A bowl of dinner in a pumpkin casserole topped with fresh rosemary

Notes

Don’t throw away the seeds when you clean out your pumpkin! You can turn them into a yummy treat as well! Toss them with butter and salt and roast them in the oven, or for more flavor, you can season them. This Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Seeds recipe is my favorite!
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Don’t forget to scrape any leftover pumpkin into the remaining casserole. 

Nutrition

Calories: 497kcal, Carbohydrates: 51g, Protein: 21g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 75mg, Sodium: 734mg, Potassium: 1022mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 14g, Vitamin A: 14747IU, Vitamin C: 18mg, Calcium: 96mg, Iron: 5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Course: Dinner, Main Course

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About the author

Echo Blickenstaff

Echo lives in Spanish Fork, Utah with her husband, Todd, who works in advertising. She has four kids: two girls and two boys. She deploys her accounting degree as the blog’s resident problem solver. In her time outside the kitchen, Echo loves to get away from the phones and busy schedules and spend quality time with the family. Anywhere’s great – but getting out into nature in the mountains or on the beach – is the best kind of getaway.

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5 from 18 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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Comments

    1. The rice is added along with the ground beef mixture to the sauce. Step 4 reads: Add ground beef mixture and cooked rice to the bowl (meaning the bowl of sauce with the soups, brown sugar, vinegar, and soy sauce). I’ll fix that on the recipe to make it more clear. Thank you for your comment!

      Reply

  2. 5 stars
    This is my family’s all-time favorite recipe! We count down the days until pumpkin season, and then seriously fix this at least twice a month throughout the fall.
    I’ve always doubled the sauce ingredients, it packs in more flavor.
    Thanks for sharing this recipe!!

    Reply

  3. 5 stars
    In 2022 I used all locally sourced meat and vegies and pumpkin. I made one with and one without meat. The crowd loved it! And there was no big roasting pans to clean .

    This year I am gathering the ingredients to make them again.

    Reply

  6. Having cooked for many many years, I knew That a tablespoon of Sage and a tablespoon of thyme would be way too much and would be overpowering. So I cut the amount to 1 teaspoon. A third of what it called for. I served it at a family party and only got complaints that it was too overpowered with sage and thyme!! Imagine if I had put the entire tablespoon!! If I made it again I would cut the sage and thyme down to a half teaspoon each.

    Reply

    1. Glad you were able to make this recipe to your liking! We all have different tastes and preferences.

      Reply

  8. I rhink that a vegetarian version could contain some beans or lentils in place of the ground beef. Brans and a grain will afford complete protein to the dish. Switching out creal of mushroom soup for the cream of chicken id easy. For more flavor cook the rice (or use barley) in vegetable stock.

    Reply

    1. To make this recipe vegetarian, omit the ground beef and replace the cream of chicken soup with cream of mushroom soup. Hope this helps!

      Reply

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