recipes

In my kitchen | baked stuffed sugar pumpkin

Nov 11, 2019 admin

Yay for pumpkin season! I love pumpkin season and all the coziness that this season brings. I have been waiting for fall since I stumbled upon this recipe Baked Sweet Brown Pumpkin Mushroom from Cooking Without Limits. I told myself that I will make time to bake a whole pumpkin this fall using the recipe as my inspiration.

And I did it! I did not follow her recipe that calls for sour cream. I had to create my own because I am lactose-intolerant. (Yes, pretty sad but thank God for coconut milk!) I also stuffed mine with rice and I also added curry. It was really delicious! Here is how I stuffed and baked my pumpkin.

BAKED STUFFED SUGAR PUMPKIN WITH RICE IN COCONUT MILK

INGREDIENTS

1 brown sugar pumpkin (I got mine from Trader Joes for $1.99!)
1/3 c cooked rice
1/3 can coconut milk
1/2 c mushroom
1/4 c onion, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
3./4 tbsp curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tsp sugar (optional) if you want the stuffing a little sweet
Salt and pepper to taste

HOW TO COOK The STuffing

Saute the mushrooms, onions and garlic in EVOO.
Mix in cooked rice.
Add coconut milk, cinnamon, curry powder, salt and pepper.
Let simmer for about 8 minutes on low heat.
The secret is to taste the stuffing and adjust the spices.

HOW TO stuffed the pumpkin

Wash the pumpkin.
Cut the top and scoop out the seeds and stringy parts. (This is the hardest part about this recipe but it is so worth it!)
Stuffed the mushroom with the rice, mushroom and coconut stuffing.

how to bake the pumpkin

Lightly brush the outside of the pumpkin with EVOO.
Place in the pumpkin and stem on a baking tray.
Bake at 350 the pumpkin and the stem for an hour and ten minutes. Test for doneness by sticking in a fork into the skin. The pumpkin is done when the skin is tender and fork goes in easily. Do not overcook.
Once done, cut into slices and serve with the rice stuffing.
You will have leftover rice that will not fit inside the pumpkin. Delicious to enjoy on its own and to serve with pumpkin slices.

There you go! It is really an easy recipe. As I have mentioned, the hardest part is cutting the pumpkin top and cleaning the inside. This recipe is also a forgiving recipe. It means that it is hard to mess this up and you do not need to be very precise with the measurements. This is my kind of recipe. There were plenty of leftovers that I had lunch for days!

Other stuffing suggestions: sausage, ground beef, chopped chicken, prawns, crab meat, vegetables such as carrots, celery, mushrooms, etc.

I really enjoyed this and will make it again and try with meat or seafood!