They’d be a festive Thanksgiving appetizer, or a main dish (serve 2 to each person) for vegetarians or kids who don’t want turkey, or a fun morning-after brunch dish. Serve with steamed green beans.

My kids stopped, though, when they tasted the pumpkin in the souffle.

Pumpkin and White Cheddar Souffles

Serves 4 as an entree, 8 as an appetizer

8 mini pumpkins
4 large eggs
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3 ounces sharp white cheddar, such as Cabot, diced
Salt and ground black pepper to taste


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place uncut pumpkins in large shallow dish and add 1/4 inch of water; cover tightly with foil and bake for 40 minutes, or until tender. Let cool. Reheat oven to 375 degrees.

With paring knife, remove tops from pumpkins. Remove and discard seeds, then scoop out flesh, leaving 1/4-inch-thick shell.

Place 4 cups of pumpkin flesh in mixing bowl. Separate eggs, stirring yolks into pumpkin flesh and placing whites in separate bowl.

Stir flour and baking powder into pumpkin mixture, then stir in cheese.
Season with salt and pepper. Whip egg whites into stiff peaks. Fold into pumpkin mixture. Spoon souffle mixture into pumpkin shells. Place on baking sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until puffed and set.

Adapted from a recipe developed for Cabot Cheese by Chef Jeffrey Weiss.

Per serving: 227 calories, 14 grams protein, 12 grams fat, 6 grams saturated fat, 18 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram fiber, 234 milligrams cholesterol, 238 milligrams sodium. Analysis by registered dietitian Jodie Shield.