Cooking with Kathy – Stuffed Pumpkin

Here’s a great way to use pumpkins for more than pie or jack-o-lanterns.

This recipe is great for Thanksgiving or Christmas – helps reduce cooking time of your turkey, and because the turkey cooks through faster there’s less concern about dangerous bacteria.

If you use vegetable stock rather than chicken stock it makes a great vegetarian dish.

I made a small one today with some leftover cooked sausage mixed with the bread and it was a fabulous dinner for 2.

Here’s the basic recipe, but be sure to play with it to suit your taste.

1 medium sized pumpkin

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Bread stuffing (below).

Cut the top off the pumpkin carefully and save as you’ll put it back on to cook.

Completely removed the seeds and pulp. Sprinkle the inside of the pumpkin with the salt and cinnamon and put the top back on. Cook on a cookie sheet in 350 degree oven for about 15 min.

Bread stuffing:

4 -6 cups cubed/crumbled bread depending on the size of your pumpkin. I prefer cornbread, but it works well with whatever bread you have on hand as long as it has some texture. Be sure to set the bread out for a couple hours so it dries out a bit. It will absorb the flavour better.

2 cups chicken stock

3 diced celery stalks – use the leaves also, has great flavor!

1 medium onion finely chopped

1/2 cup butter

1 tsp sage

1 garlic clove – finely chopped

Salt and pepper to taste.

Saute the onions, celery, garlic and sage in the butter until soft. Add the stock and cook for a few more minutes. Remove from heat and add the bread stirring until well mixed. Season to taste.

Stuff the bread mixture into the pumpkin and cook in 375 degree oven for another 35-45 minutes. Let it set up on the counter for 10-20 minutes. It slices through beautifully so everyone can have pumpkin with their stuffing and the flavour is fabulous.

Works well with acorn and other squashes with good sized cavities (doesn’t work so well with butternut squash).

Mix the recipe up by adding cooked chestnuts, cheese, cooked meat or vegetables. If adding spinach or mushrooms be sure to cook and drain them really well first or it will be too wet.