Gooey, melty cheese (cooked with chorizo, peppers and spices) gets roasted inside a sugar pumpkin for a fun fall appetizer.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 2 hr 20 min |
| Prep: | 20 min |
| Cook: | 2 hr |
| Yield: | 6 to 8 servings |
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 2 hr 20 min |
| Prep: | 20 min |
| Cook: | 2 hr |
| Yield: | 6 to 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 2-to-3-pound sugar pumpkin
- 8 ounces dried chorizo, diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper (remove seeds for less heat), chopped
- 1 4-ounce can chopped green chiles
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella or Oaxaca cheese
- 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
- Chopped fresh cilantro, for topping
- Tortilla chips, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Slice off the top 1 1/2 inches of the pumpkin and discard. Scoop out the seeds and stringy pulp.
- 2. Heat the chorizo in a medium pot over medium-high heat until the fat begins to render, about 5 minutes. Add the jalapeno, green chiles, cumin and cayenne and cook, stirring, until the jalapeno softens, about 2 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, until the flour is slightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the cheeses. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cheese melts and the mixture is creamy, about 3 more minutes. Place the pumpkin in a small baking dish and fill the pumpkin with the cheese mixture. Add 1 inch of boiling water to the baking dish. Cover loosely with foil and bake until the pumpkin is tender, about 1 hour, 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the cheese is golden and bubbly, 20 to 25 more minutes. Let cool 5 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with tortilla chips.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 394 |
| Total Fat | 27 g |
| Saturated Fat | 13 g |
| Carbohydrates | 17 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 4 g |
| Protein | 21 g |
| Cholesterol | 74 mg |
| Sodium | 777 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 394 |
| Total Fat | 27 g |
| Saturated Fat | 13 g |
| Carbohydrates | 17 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 4 g |
| Protein | 21 g |
| Cholesterol | 74 mg |
| Sodium | 777 mg |
Reviews
The best part of this was the pumpkin and the presentation. I grated the cheeses from scratch (so there were no anti-caking ingredients) and my dip turned out grainy.
I was really excited to try this, but sadly, it didn’t turn out quite as fantastic as I’d hoped. I followed the directions as closely as possible, and the flavor was ok, but the cheese ended up separating from the liquid and sticking to the bottom of the pumpkin in a giant heap. The dip was also extremely fatty and too salty (could’ve been the kind of chorizo I used though, I’m not sure).
This dish is phenomenal! It makes for a beautiful presentation, and tastes as good as it looks. I only added half of a jalapeño because I was afraid it would be too spicy, but regretted doing so because the heat tones down when you cook it. I’m sad to have to wait until next fall to make it again, as I had to scour the county to find the last of this season’s pumpkins!
Sounds interesting! Can’t wait to try it.
Was skeptical but thought the idea was good and loved the name of the recipe. A MUST DO. First off out of the oven could taste the pumpkin, then realized to mix it in with the pumpkin, WOW AMAZING Flavors and a broad spectrum of taste and spice. This is now a favorite Fall Football Go2. It truly is a Fall fondue
I made this for a house warming party the guest was amazed n was the 1st thing to be gone they wanted more Am 100% cooking this more…I will be making this for my son Halloween birthday n thanksgiving.. thank you for such amazing recipe..
Awesome recipe, who knew pumpkin and cheese sauce work so well together!
Only gripe is it came out very salty, next time I’m going to mix half chorizo and half ground beef. I also added more veggies because it was really fatty. I added some sauteed green onions and more peppers.
And for some reason the cheese didn’t completely mix in with the soup, it’s a big clump in the middle. If anyone has any solutions to this, please let me know.
Only gripe is it came out very salty, next time I’m going to mix half chorizo and half ground beef. I also added more veggies because it was really fatty. I added some sauteed green onions and more peppers.
And for some reason the cheese didn’t completely mix in with the soup, it’s a big clump in the middle. If anyone has any solutions to this, please let me know.
SOOOO Good! I have made this so much since I first saw this recipe in FN Magazine. My husband loves it. Make sure you scrape around the pumpkin and mix it in the actual queso it tastes amazing! And the dried chorizo is a little hard to find, (I can get it at natural food stores) but it makes such a difference and is totally worth it! It adds this meaty salty bit you can’t get from Mexican chorizo (although still good). I have made this out of season from pumpkins too, just added a half can of pumpkin puree. Not exactly the same but it works for those spring/summer months. My favorite queso recipe! And it doesn’t need that block of processed cheese thank goodness!
Delicious! I made this Sunday for football, and it was GONE before half time! Might have to make 2 next time. I couldn’t find dried chorizo so I used sauteed chorizo, as others have noted. Tasted fantastic!
Great recipe! We made this last year for our annual halloween party and it was gone in 10 minutes flat! This year, I have 3 planned and will space them out so everyone can have some! 🙂