Ingredients:
1 Medium to small size Pumpkin
2-4 Cups Cooked Rice
2 TBS Olive Oil (or oil of your choice)
1 bag Frozen mixed Veggies
2 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 packet Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1 Medium Onion (Chopped)
1 pound ground meat (Beef, Pork, Chicken, or Turkey)
Salt and Pepper
2-4 cups water or Chicken Broth (optional)
Sommer's Secrets:
Pretty much all varieties of pumpkins are edible, including their seeds. The type and size of pumpkin affect their taste and texture.
Pie or Sugar Pumpkins are better for baking and cooking. They're sweeter and have a smoother texture.
"Jack O' Lantern" Pumpkins are larger and better for carving but can be just as yummy in your recipes. Small or Medium Sized pumpkins work best.
Larger to Giant pumpkins are just as edible but their texture can become more stringy and coarse the larger they are with less"pumpkin" flavor.
Tiny pumpkins can be eaten but have little flesh so most people use them as bowls or accent pieces.
Directions:
1. Get your rice cooking how ever you like to make your rice.
Or even better use leftover cooked rice
Sommer's Secret: I pretty much use only Calrose Rice cooked in my rice cooker. I definitely don't eat the boxed minute stuff anymore that was once the only "rice" I ate except for when eating Chinese food. It'd be fun to try different rice varieties to see how it affects the taste and texture of this dish.
To add more flavor I will substitute Chicken or Beef Broth for water or cheat with some some a few scoops of bouillon. paste added to the rice and water and press cook.
I like "Better than Bouillon" that I get at our local Sam's Club. It's pretty much a concentrated broth paste. I like the lower sodium one to limit salt. It's lots cheaper than buying chicken broth by the can, lasts a long time in the fridge and is easy to add to pretty much anything for extra flavor like my Easy Mexican Rice.
2.Cut the stem part off of your pumpkin.Leaving enough pumpkin to create a lid (like when making a jack-o-lantern).
3. Scrape out all of the slippery insides and seeds. Discard or Keep the seed,it's up to you.(I still need to find a good way to roast pumpkin seeds, I always seem to burn them including the poor ones pictured below).
4. Rub oil all through the inside of the cleaned pumpkin. Generously Salt and Pepper. Set aside.
6. Stir in frozen Vegetables
7. In a large mixing bowl. Combine Cream of Mushroom Soup and Lipton Onion Soup Mix.
8. Add meat mixture
9. Add rice
Sommer's Secret: Since I'm using such a giant pumpkin I also used my left over rice.
10. Mix well.
12. Place pumpkin "lid" back on.
13. Put on a baking sheet and insert into a 350 degree Preheated oven.
Sommer's Secret: Use a baking sheet with a lip/edge and cover with aluminum foil to catch juices. I suggest using a baking rack and pierce the outside of the pumpkin to assist with juice draining. See end result.
14. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes until pumpkin flesh can be easily speared with a fork.
Sommer's Secret: My oven was super small and my pumpkin was super big so it took a little longer to bake and the outside looked burnt. But the pumpkin meat was cooked perfectly.
Serve warm.
Sommer's Secret: I was a littler over zealous and made enough to feed probably 15 people, and forgot to take a nicer picture, but this was DELICIOUS. I couldn't wait to try it and noticed more juices accumulated as I let it sit so finally placed it on a rack.
Because I used a larger pumpkin the flesh was a little bland and watery but a good compliment to the rich filling. I would definitely make this again with a smaller pumpkin and would add more seasoning to the cored pumpkin before filling. I'd also cook it on a baking rack and pierce the outside of the pumpkin to assist with juice draining.
This made great left overs - for days in my case ;o)
I have never seen this before and it looks good. I think I may try it sometime.
ReplyDelete