Dinner in a Pumpkin

This is a drool-worthy centerpiece – and we aren’t talking about wine for once! Enjoy this fun, Fall dinner and let it take center stage on your dining table.

The best thing about this recipe is you can make your favorite rice dish, whatever it may be, and put it in the pumpkin.  It’s delicious any way you choose to make it!

Ingredients

• 1 large pumpkin
• 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/4  cup bell pepper, red and green, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2  T brown sugar
• 1 10-3/4 oz. can cream of chicken soup (broth is a fine substitute)
• 2 cups cooked rice 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut the top from the pumpkin and clean out the seeds and stringy pulp. 
3. In a large skillet, add a drizzle of olive oil then brown the mushrooms. Then, add the onion, peppers, and meat. 
4. Add soy sauce, sugar, mushrooms, and soup.  Simmer for 10 minutes. 
5. Mix in the rice, then pour the mixture into the pumpkin.  Place the filled pumpkin on a baking sheet and bake for one hour.
6. Note, if you use a larger pumpkin, it may take longer for it to cook fully. The pumpkin flesh should be soft enough to scoop out onto your plate. It’s similar in texture and even flavor to spaghetti squash. How fun?
7. Enjoy with friends and a nice glass of wine.