The cold season calls for this vegetarian couscous stuffed roasted pumpkin. Tender and creamy pumpkin pairs wonderful with the puffy couscous, crispy Brussels sprouts, cherry tomatoes, fresh coriander and some creamy goat cheese. It’s easy to prepare, either as a main or as a side dish.
I can’t stop saying/telling you how much I love pumpkin. How many times have I said or wrote that I love it? A lot! All the time! Well, I say it one more time. I love it! Wink. I know, I’ve said it two recipes ago (again), but it’s just so incredibly delicious.
Moreover, the pumpkin season goes way beyond the month of November. In fact, you can be creative with pumpkin from September to mid-January. Yuhey! You have to love pumpkin. This amazing autumn fruit can be used in plenty of recipes and in many different ways.
Once more, pick your favourite pumpkin. It can be red, orange, green, yellow, round, oval or pear-shaped. There’s no such thing as a wrong pumpkin. They all have one thing in common: they are delicious.
As I’ve already repeated many times, besides being delicious, pumpkin comes with health benefits as well. Here you can check some of my favourite pumpkin recipes, for instance: risotto-filled butternut pumpkin, a delicious spice roasted pumpkin salad, perfect for Holidays pumpkin spice cream or the pumpkin pizza.
Furthermore, I thought couscous pairs great with pumpkin. I made a simple, vegetarian couscous, which you can prepare in 10 minutes. However, instead of couscous, bulgur or rice works, too. You can even just use vegetables to fill the pumpkin. And maybe combine them with some cheese. Lovely!
Additionally, this couscous stuffed roasted pumpkin is an amazing side dish when served with meat, chicken, fish, shrimps or a fresh salad. And, if you skip adding the goat cheese, you have a completely vegan dish.
Ingredients for vegetarian couscous stuffed roasted pumpkin (for 2-4 persons):
- a small Hokkaido pumpkin (ca 800 g)
- olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves (sliced)
- 4 Brussels sprouts (sliced)
- 6 cherry tomatoes (sliced)
- 3 stems coriander (stems roughly chopped, leaves finely)
- 100 g couscous
- 160 ml water or vegetable stock
- 50 g goat cheese (cubed)
- salt
Preheat the oven at 200º C. To begin, wash the pumpkin, scrub off all the dirt, then halve it and scrape out all seeds. Place the two pumpkin halves (cut side up) on a baking sheet or baking plate and put in the oven. Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until tender yet still firm enough to hold the proper form.
In the meantime, prepare the ingredients for the stuffing. Firstly, peel and slice the garlic, clean and slice the Brussels sprouts and wash and slice the cherry tomatoes. Secondly, wash and chop the coriander (the stems finely chopped and the leaves roughly) and cube the goat cheese.
And thirdly, about 15 minutes before the pumpkin is done, prepare the couscous. Put the couscous in a medium pot and cover it with warm water or warm vegetable stock. Give it a stir and let it sit for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat some olive oil in a larger pan and add the Brussels sprouts and garlic and saute for about 5 minutes. Then, stir in the chopped coriander stems, season with a pinch of salt and some pepper and only at the end add the cherry tomatoes. Cook for 2 more minutes.
At this point, stir all of the vegetables into the couscous, including the goat cheese cubes and season with some salt.
Once the pumpkin is tender, take the whole baking sheet out of the oven (but keep the oven on) and fill/stuff each half with the couscous mixture. Place it back in the oven for 5-10 minutes.
Finally, serve this amazing couscous stuffed pumpkin on any day during this cold season. Take advantage of the autumn and of all its gorgeous vegetables and fruits. For an extra kick sprinkle the couscous with some chili flakes and some fresh coriander.
Enjoy!
