Roasted Pumpkin Stuffed with Braised Pork is a hearty fall dinner made with pork shoulder, hard apple cider, shallots, rosemary, fennel seeds, thyme, and a whole sugar pumpkin.
You serve the tender pork with pieces of roasted pumpkin and spoon the cider cooking sauce over the top.
Each serving has 38 grams of protein, making this a high protein dinner that can anchor a full autumn meal.
The whole pumpkin also gives you a seasonal presentation for Sunday dinner, Halloween, Thanksgiving, or another cool-weather meal.
Place it on a sturdy serving platter and let everyone see the pumpkin before you begin serving.
This recipe takes time because the pork marinates overnight and braises for several hours.
Most of that time is hands-off, though.
Plan it for a day when you can let dinner cook slowly while you handle other things around the house.
Serve the pork and pumpkin with roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes, or a green salad.
Why You’ll Love This Roasted Pumpkin Stuffed with Braised Pork
High in Protein
Each serving has 38 grams of protein. The pork shoulder makes this a filling main course for a family meal.
Made for Fall
Sugar pumpkin, apple cider, rosemary, thyme, and fennel give the recipe a seasonal autumn feel.
The Pumpkin Is Part of the Meal
The pumpkin holds the pork while it braises. You can also cut the roasted pumpkin into pieces and serve it with the meat.
Works as a Holiday Main Course
The whole roasted pumpkin makes a strong centerpiece for Thanksgiving, Halloween dinner, or a fall celebration.
Rich Cider Sauce
The pork releases juices as it cooks, which mix with the hard apple cider and seasonings to form the serving sauce.
Ingredient Substitutions
Pork Shoulder
Use boneless pork butt in place of pork shoulder. Both cuts contain enough fat and connective tissue to remain tender during a long braise.
Hard Apple Cider
Replace the hard cider with regular apple cider or unfiltered apple juice for an alcohol-free version. The finished sauce may taste slightly sweeter.
Sugar Pumpkin
Use another small edible pumpkin, such as a pie pumpkin. Avoid decorative carving pumpkins because they tend to have watery, stringy flesh.
Fresh Rosemary
Replace 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh rosemary with 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary.
Shallots
Use thinly sliced yellow onion when shallots are not available. Yellow onion has a stronger taste, so use slightly less if preferred.
All-Purpose Flour
Use a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend to coat the pork. Cornstarch is another option, but use only 1 tablespoon.
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Roasted Pumpkin Stuffed with Braised Pork
Recipes are written with one action per step for accessibility. Short lines. Fewer rereads. A calmer kitchen on mobile or desktop.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3½ pound boneless pork shoulder roast
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds crushed
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped
- ⅓ cup shallots thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium sugar pumpkin
- 2 cups hard apple cider or more as needed
Instructions
- Cut the pork shoulder into large chunks. Place the pork in a large bowl.
- Add the kosher salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, thyme, fennel seeds, rosemary, and shallots. Mix until the pork is evenly coated.
- Cover the pork with parchment paper. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Add the flour to the marinated pork. Mix until the pork is lightly coated with flour.
- Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
- Brown half of the pork for about 3 minutes per side.
- Transfer the browned pork to a plate.
- Brown the remaining pork for about 3 minutes per side.
- Insert the tip of a sharp knife into the upper half of the pumpkin at a 45-degree angle. Cut around the pumpkin to remove the top.
- Scrape the seeds and fibers from the pumpkin top. Scoop the seeds and fibers from inside the pumpkin.
- Line a baking dish with parchment paper. Place the pumpkin in the prepared baking dish.
- Fill the pumpkin with the browned pork. Pour the hard apple cider over the pork.
- Place the pumpkin top back on the pumpkin. Bake for about 4 hours, or until the pork is tender.
- Check the pumpkin after a few hours. Add more cider if most of the liquid has evaporated.
- Remove the pumpkin from the oven. Let the pumpkin and pork rest briefly.
- Brush the outside of the pumpkin with some of the rendered fat from the baking dish
- Scoop the pork onto serving plates.
- Cut pieces of roasted pumpkin and place them beside the pork.
- Combine the cooking liquid from inside the pumpkin with the remaining rendered fat. Let the sauce rest for a few minutes.
- Skim most of the fat from the surface.
- Spoon the sauce over the pork before serving.
Notes
6 WW Smart Points
Nutrition
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