Not Your Usual Dinner in a Pumpkin
I love the idea of a whole meal in a pumpkin but have never liked the recipes out there. Most of them are full of sugar, cream of mushroom soup, and are mostly hamburger. So here is my version that my husband loves and my kids will just have to get used to.
I love the idea of a whole meal in a pumpkin but have never liked the recipes out there. Most of them are full of sugar, cream of mushroom soup, and are mostly hamburger. So here is my version that my husband loves and my kids will just have to get used to.
- Carbohydrate 42.1496183333333 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 2.654175 g
- Fiber 3.92851667070389 g
- Protein 7.360435 g
- Saturated Fat 0.324373333333333 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (1009g)
- Sodium 3625.79116666667 mg
- Sugar 38.2211016626294 g
- Trans Fat 0.29605 g
- Calories 215 calories
Step-by-step
- Start with an eating squash (not a jack-o-lantern pumpkin). I''ve used amber cup and kabocha squashes with amazing results. Cut a lid out of the top like a jack-o-lantern and scrape out all the seeds and strings. Lightly salt inside the pumpkin and set aside.
- In a small saucepan heat a small amount of vegetable oil or butter and add the onions and garlic. Cook them until translucent and tender. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the sage, quinoa, and veggie broth and cook until the water is mostly gone. Add the kale and stir in. If desired, stir in the meat and then put the whole mixture into the cavity of the pumpkin.
- Place a small piece of foil over the opening and replace the lid of the pumpkin. Put the squash on a cookie sheet or in an oven safe dish and bake for 1.5 to 2 hours, or when the squash can be easily pierced with a fork.
- Remove whole pumpkin to a serving dish. Make sure to scrape the sides of the pumpkin as you serve so you get all that yummy squash!
Traditional stuffed pumpkins rely on canned cream soups and heavy dairy to bind fillings, but this savory iteration achieves moisture through vegetable broth absorption and natural squash starches instead. Roasting the entire squash creates a closed thermal chamber where volatile aromatics concentrate while the outer flesh softens.
- Select an eating variety such as kabocha or amber cup weighing roughly five pounds rather than a fibrous jack-o-lantern cultivar.
- Simmer the quinoa in broth for roughly fifteen minutes until the liquid is mostly gone before stuffing.
- Sweat the chopped onions and minced garlic for four to six minutes until translucent to release natural sugars.
- Bake the assembly at a moderate oven temperature for 1.5 to 2 hours until a fork pierces the exterior wall effortlessly.
- Scrape the interior flesh during portioning so each serving includes the roasted squash wall alongside the grain filling.
Baking requires only a standard cookie sheet or oven-safe dish to support the squash throughout the thermal cycle. Aluminum foil placed temporarily over the opening prevents scorching while the internal cavity steams.
