TASTY TUESDAY

MEAL IN A PUMP

 

If you are throwing a party tomorrow or just want a fun and festive meal at home for Halloween, MAKE THIS! It was so fun to make and looks so creepy and perfect for Halloween. A couple years back my friend Katie made a delicious "meal" in a pumpkin for a Halloween party with friends that just totally blew me away. Back then I had no idea you could actually bake, yet alone eat the pumpkin! She told me it was a family tradition of hers to have that every year on Halloween. I loved the idea so decided this year was the year I would adapt the same tradition. So with her help I got her recipe, looked one up online, and made a few changes to make it work with the ingredients I had. And this is what I came up with! Enjoy! And the presentation is awesome. The stuffing looks like brains, creepy for sure.

Ingredients

2 pounds ground turkey

2 cups cooked rice

1 onion

1 large green bell pepper

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon pumpkin spice

salt and pepper to taste

*Add a can of cream of chicken if you have it (i didn't)

Directions

Step by Step

Step 1

Start with a medium sized pumpkin.

Draw a circle with a marker or just cut a circle or any fun design in the top.

Remove the top and shave the bottom so it looks nice just like you do when you carve one.

Gut the pumpkin, set seeds aside (bake later).

Step 2

With a black permanent marker or acrylic paint (works better) draw a scary face on your pumpkin. (don't worry the paint will not harm the food or your oven at all)

Mix the 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of pumpkin spice in a small bowl and generously coat the inside. This helps seal in the delicious flavor.

Dump any remainder on the bottom.

Set pumpkin aside on a cookie sheet.

Step 3

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook 1 cup uncooked rice in 2 cups water in rice cooker or on stovetop while you cook the other ingredients.

Sautee onions in oil and add some salt and pepper to taste.

Brown ground turkey in another pan at the same time, add salt and pepper to taste.

Once onions are done, remove from heat.

Once turkey is browned, remove from heat and drain drippings into the sink.

Use a larger skillet and combine the browned turkey and onions.

Add chopped green bell pepper and cooked rice to the mix, stir.

Add 1 1/2 cups chicken stock, can cream of chicken if you have it, and 2 tablespoons soy sauce, stir.

Let stuffing simmer for 10 minutes.

Slowly scoop stuffing into pumpkin using large serving spoon.

Step 4

Wrap the stem with aluminum foil to keep the top from getting too hot when you remove it from oven.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour. After 1 hour check every 10 minutes or so. Mine was perfect at 1 hour 15 minutes. 

It should appear as if it is shrinking, sagging, and turning into a dark glossy orange.

 Step 5

Remove from oven.

Pumpkin should be soft (be careful it's really hot).

Let cool for 15-20 minutes at least.

Do not attempt at moving it from the pan. It is really weak and soggy at the bottom and it may fall apart if moved. Be wary of that.

Step 6

Scoop the stuffing using a large serving spoon while scraping pumpkin from the sides.

The pumpkin tastes so good and compliments the stuffing perfectly.

Serve warm with rolls if you'd like.

It is delicious! Enjoy this fun holiday meal!