Dinner in a Pumpkin

 So this sounds a little strange. Have you tried this before? The first time I had it was at my boyfriend's grandparent's house my freshman year of college. I guess it was a family tradition or something.

First you start with this:

And then you have this :

And it ends up like this?

Something like that.

Some obvious notes....

• I made this because we had a lonely pumpkin that didn't get carved and rather than let it rot, I used it as a baking dish. This doesn't just have to be made the week after Halloween. Pumpkins are still plentiful in November, right? 

• Make sure you use a pumpkin that has not been carved, but you could decorate it with Halloween or Thanksgiving pictures with marker before you bake it.                                                                           
  
• It's cooked in a pumpkin, but it's more like a serving dish. You don't really eat the pumpkin. I guess you could. I'm curious if it's any good. Pumpkin in a can that we are used to eating comes from those cute little pie pumpkins, right? 
  

This recipe is a lot like stuffed cabbage and stuffed peppers; meat, rice, sauce, cheese, done.

You can vary it to your liking and the novelty of eating from a pumpkin is worth the little hassle of cutting a pumpkin and hollowing it out.

Here's how I made it:

1/2 lb. extra lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 cups beef broth
3 cups cooked rice
1/2-1 cup spaghetti sauce (I had this already made )
sliced cheese (whatever kind you prefer)

Brown onion, ground pepper, and ground beef. Drain. Add broth and pour over beef mixture. Simmer 5 minutes. Add rice and tomatoes and heat through. Pour mixture into hollowed out medium pumpkin. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 to 90 minutes. Cut cheese in strips and place on top. Cover pumpkin and let cheese melt.  Serves ~6



I am posting this on Kimba's DIY at A Soft Place To Land. Go check it out!