Dinner in a Pumpkin

I got the idea from the Carlile Family Blog - Thanks Guys! I had never heard of it but it sounded like so much fun so I searched recipes online and thought everyone might like to make "Dinner in a Pumpkin!" Scroll down for an allergy free version.

1 pumpkin medium size
1 onion small
1 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup mushrooms
1 10 3/4-ounce can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups white rice

Cut a hole in the top of the pumpkin and clean it out.

Put rice and water in a microwave safe dish and cook on high until rice is tender (about 15 mins.)

Brown ground beef in a large frying pan and add onions to saute. When ground beef is no longer pink add the rest of the ingredients and stir until completely mixed.

Mix ground beef mixture and rice together and pour into pumpkin.

Put the top back on the pumpkin and bake at 350 for 1 hour. (Make sure to use roasting pan to avoid a big mess)

Be sure to scoop out part of pumpkin when serving.


Allergy free version I found:

Dinner in a Pumpkin (Serves 4):
1 small to medium pumpkin (or 4 small sugar pie pumpkins if you want to serve individually, as shown above)
1 onion - chopped
1 cup soy milk
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 8 oz. can sliced water chestnuts - drained (or use 1 8oz. can of Hearts of Palm)
1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey/beef
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
2 tbsp. WHEAT-FREE soy sauce
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. favorite seasoning mix

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Cut off top of pumpkin(s); clean out seeds and pulp.
3) In a large skillet, sauté onion in oil until tender; add meat and brown.
4) Drain drippings from skillet.
5) Add WHEAT-FREE soy sauce, brown sugar, seasoning and soy milk; simmer 10 minutes, stirring occassionally.
6) Add cooked rice and water chestnuts (or hearts of palm).
7) Spoon mixture into pumpkin shell.
8) Replace pumpkin top and place entire pumpkin, with filling, on a baking sheet.
9) Bake for 1 hour or until inside meat of pumpkin(s) tender.
10) Put pumpkin(s) on a plate(s); remove top and serve!