Dinner in a Pumpkin

Dinner in a Pumpkin is a hearty bake of ground beef, vegetables and rice cooked inside a whole pumpkin. The pumpkin softens as it bakes and becomes part of the meal. It makes a complete comfort dinner that feeds a crowd and looks striking on the table.

Cooking a filling inside a whole pumpkin or squash is a long-standing practice in many home kitchens, where the vegetable serves as both baking vessel and part of the meal. This version is a family recipe passed down from Kathrin's grandmother and made every year after a trip to the pumpkin patch. Corn was added to the original for sweetness. The filling is flexible, and most vegetables can be substituted based on what is on hand.

Dinner in a Pumpkin

Prep: 40 minCook: 60 minTotal: 100 min Serves 8

Scale: 1x 1.5x 2x 3x

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Ingredients

• 1 pumpkin, about 10 inches in diameter
• 4 cups ground beef (or other ground meat)
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 2 cups chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup chopped green beans
• 1 cup thinly sliced carrots
• 1 cup frozen corn
• One 10 oz can cream of chicken soup
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 cups cooked rice

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Cut the top off the pumpkin to make a lid, then scoop out the seeds and strings so the pumpkin forms a large bowl.
3. Preheat a DaTerra 8 Qt Dutch Oven empty and dry, then reduce the heat to medium-low.
4. Brown the ground meat in the Dutch Oven, then set it aside in a bowl.
5. Using the same pan, sauté the onions, celery, green pepper and mushrooms until soft.
6. Return the meat to the pan and add the green beans, carrots, corn, cream of chicken soup, soy sauce, brown sugar and cooked rice.
7. Mix well, then simmer the mixture until everything is heated through and combined.
8. Spoon the mixture into the empty pumpkin and replace the pumpkin lid.
9. Bake at 375°F for about 2 hours, until the pumpkin flesh is soft when pierced with a fork.
10. Scrape the sides of the pumpkin as you serve so some of the soft pumpkin ends up in every bowl.

Notes

• Bake time varies with the thickness of the pumpkin, so allow extra time. A crisp green salad or a glass of red wine goes well alongside.

Featured DaTerra product:

8 Qt Nonstick Dutch Oven

The 8 Qt size holds the full batch of meat and vegetables, so everything browns, sautés and simmers in a single pan. The nonstick surface keeps the browned meat and vegetables from sticking.

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Spaghetti Squash Meatball Nests

Filipino Chicken Menudo

Pasta Vesuvio: A DaTerra Cucina Original Recipe