Pumpkin rice pudding recipe

Here's a little quiz, pumpkin lovers: What tastes like pumpkin pie, smells like pumpkin pie, contains Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin, but has no crust and is gluten-free?

I might have given it away with that first photo. Oh, and the title of the post. Oh well. The cat's out of the can.

When I was invited to participate in this Nestlé Kitchens Deconstructed Pumpkin Pie event by KitchenPlay, it took me about 10 seconds to decide what I was making. I love pumpkin pie just as much as the next girl, but rice pudding is my passion. Pumpkin pie rice pudding, creamy, smooth and spicy - doesn't that sound like a great alternative to the classic pumpkin pie? And the basic recipe is gluten-free to boot!

I always use medium-grain white rice for rice pudding. You can make rice pudding in the oven, but I prefer cooking it on the stovetop. It cooks over a very low flame for about an hour and requires only occasional stirring, and the end result is melt-in-your-mouth creamy. This pumpkin rice pudding is cooked with Carnation evaporated milk (another Nestlé product) and Libby's canned 100% pure pumpkin puree, so the pumpkin flavor gets absorbed into the rice as it's simmering. Adding traditional pumpkin pie spices like cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and allspice really makes it taste like pumpkin pie - and as a side benefit, your house will smell terrific.

A dash of liqueur stirred in at the end gives the rice pudding a little kick. I topped my pumpkin pie rice pudding with crumbled cinnamon graham crackers, but for a fully gluten-free version, serve it plain, topped with whipped cream, or sprinkled with chopped roasted pecans.

Pumpkin pie rice pudding 

• 1 cup uncooked medium-grain white rice
• 1 12-ounce can Carnation evaporated milk (whole, lowfat or fat-free)
• 4 cups milk
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 15-ounce can (1 3/4 cups) Libby 100% pure pumpkin
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup triple sec, armagnac or brandy
• Garnish (optional): crumbled cinnamon graham crackers, whipped cream, or chopped roasted pecans (or any combination thereof)

Combine the rice, milks, sugar, pumpkin, spices, vanilla, and salt in a heavy bottom saucepan. Bring the rice mixture just to a simmer; watch it carefully, because it will boil over given half a chance (and trust me, you do not want to clean that pot). Turn the heat down to low and stir the rice mixture well. Cover the pan most of the way and simmer the rice pudding gently for about an hour, stirring every 10 minutes or so to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

When the rice is tender, remove the pot from the stove and stir in the liqueur. Cover the pan and let the rice pudding cool at least 30 minutes before serving. Garnish as desired. It's best served slightly warm or at room temperature.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Nestlé Kitchens. I was paid for my work developing and photographing this recipe as part of the KitchenPlay SideCar event.