Dinner in a Pumpkin + More Halloween Dinner Ideas

Halloween Dinner in a Pumpkin Recipe

This is a fun recipe for Halloween time, we love to make it on Halloween night before going out. I got this idea from my cousin when my boys were really little and it has become a Halloween tradition at our house.

The kids love it when we have dinner in a pumpkin for Halloween. The pumpkin adds an interesting subtle flavor and makes the mixture moister once cooked in the pumpkin.

Ingredients

To make your dinner in a pumpkin, you’ll need a pumpkin of course, and try to get one that’s about the size of a soccer ball. Depending on the size of your pumpkin, cooking times may vary.

Once you have that, all of the ingredients are quite common (find the full list & printable recipe below). Feel free to use ground turkey instead of ground beef, or mix both for a healthier dish. You can also substitute the canned cream of mushroom for cream of chicken if you’d like. I added some seasoned salt & pepper to my mixture as well.

I did drain the canned mushrooms, but maybe I would’ve rather have kept it or added a bit more cream of chicken so that there was a tad more moisture. Keep that in mind depending on how thick you like your rice.

Pumpkin Carving Tip

I found that an ice cream scoop worked wonders to be able to scrape out the pumpkin-way better than a spoon.

Cooking Tips

My pumpkin did burn slightly on the bottom, and although it wasn’t a big deal, it made it tough to move the pumpkin off the cookie sheet and onto the serving platter. I may have cooked my pumpkin too long, but if you want to be on the safe side try cooking your pumpkin in the platter you plan to serve it on.

Still, the pumpkin on the inside was very tender & moist and it still turned out great. Your pumpkin should be like a cooked squash and it should be easy to scrape off during serving.

Serving Tips

When you serve the dinner in a pumpkin, make sure to scrape some of the pumpkin flesh with each serving. It’s so delicious!

One last thing: I had quite a bit of the actual pumpkin flesh left over when I finished my dinner in a pumpkin. You may be able to save that for something else if you’d like! Maybe a pumpkin pie or canned pumpkin. Just a thought!

More Halloween Dinner Ideas Perfect for a Party!

Scroll down for fun Halloween dinner ideas! Then you can see all of our awesome Halloween Recipes and get inspired to create a fun Halloween dinner for your fam!

Meatloaf Zombie

This one is a bit…shocking! If you’d like to scare your guests a bit it’s a great choice but it’s definitely not for the faint of heart!

Halloween Puff Pastry Intestines

This recipe is a bit nasty looking but it’s definitely in the spirit of Halloween. It’s great too because you can make it a dessert or as a Halloween dinner. Just fill the “intestines” with your desired ingredients, like a sloppy joe mix, a fruit mix, or something else!

Meatball Mummies

Ok, here’s a fun one that everyone can enjoy! These meatball mummies are perfect appetizers too. Best of all they’re easy to whip up quickly and they taste great!

Veggie Skeleton

Here’s another perfect appetizer that won’t freak you out! It’s actually pretty cute.

Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

These will go perfectly with your dinner in a pumpkin! Not only are they pumpkin-shaped but they’re also tender and delicious.

Bones and Blood Breadsticks

Here’s another great Halloween party appetizer idea or you could serve these with dinner too! I love how fun this recipe is.

Nutella Crescent Roll Mummies

These could be served as an appetizer or a dessert, you decide! They will definitely be a party favorite either way.

Bat Treats

Speaking of desserts, these bat treats are perfect for after your Halloween dinner! They’re super simple to make as well so you can pump out a lot if you’re having a Halloween party.

By the way, be sure to check out our other Halloween party treats as well!

Pumpkin Cuties

I love these pumpkin cuties. They’re EXTREMELY simple to make and perfect to snack on. And of course, they fit the theme of Halloween to a T.

Candy Corn Rice Crispies

Ok, one last dessert idea! I had to include these candy corn rice crispy treats because they’re so perfect for parties and everyone just loves them. Plus, they’re easy and quick to make.

What Are Your Favorite Halloween Dinner Recipes?

We’ve already listed some really awesome Halloween dinner ideas of our own so now it’s time for you to share! What do you like to serve on Halloween night? Let us know in the comments!

Also, be sure to check out our Halloween Holiday page to find DIY ideas, more recipes, deals, and more Halloween related stuff to get you prepared!

Dinner in a Pumpkin + More Halloween Dinner Ideas

Whether you're hosting a party or just feeding your family on Halloween, this dinner in a pumpkin recipe combined with our other Halloween dinner ideas will satisfy all tummies.

5 / 5 ( 3 Reviews )

Print Rate

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

US CustomaryMetric

Ingredients

Dinner in a Pumpkin

• 1 medium Pumpkin about the size of a soccer ball
• 1 medium Onion diced
• 1 Tbsp Garlic. minced
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil you can use vegetable oil
• 2 lbs Ground Beef or Ground Turkey
• ½ cup milk
• 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 4 oz can Mushrooms or fresh mushrooms
• 15 oz can Cream of Mushroom or Cream of Chicken
• 2 cups Cooked Rice

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C.
• Start cooking your rice.
• Cut off top of Pumpkin and clean out seeds, scrape inside clean.
• Saute onion and garlic in olive oil
• Add ground beef or turkey, cook on medium until fully cooked.
• Add brown sugar & soy sauce, stir until sugar is dissolved
• In a large bowl add mushrooms, cream of mushroom and milk.
• Add rice when it is cooked. Stir until fully mixed.
• Add meat mixture. Stir until fully mixed.
• Fill pumpkin with rice/meat mixture. Put the top back on the pumpkin & place pumpkin on cookie sheet.
• Bake at 350°F/175°C for 1 hour. This can vary depending on the size of your pumpkin. It is done when you can easily scrape pumpkin out from the inside to serve with the meat and rice.

Nutrition

Calories: 3787kcal | Carbohydrates: 235g | Protein: 208g | Fat: 226g | Sodium: 4713mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 63g