Entrees › Stuffed Pumpkins

This seems like a lot of ingredients but this is a VERY easy recipe. Just takes a little time to prepare the pumpkin.   Also, the list of ingredients below can be changed according to your choice of flavors or what you have in your kitchen.  Have fun with it!

Serves 4
Cook time: 50 minutes. Longer if you use one large pumpkin instead of 4 small ones

• 4 sugar pumpkins (or 1 large pumpkin), with top and seeds removed  (Tip: Use an ice cream scoop to empty out the pumpkin)
• Keep the tops and don't throw those seeds away either! Make delicious Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
• 4 slices of bacon, finely chopped (leave the bacon fat in the pan, you will saute your onions in it)
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, diced small
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
• 1/2 cup currants (can substitute raisins or dried cranberries or leave them out all together but the sweetness is a nice balance in this savory dish)
• 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
• 2 tbsp cumin
• salt & pepper to taste
• 3/4 lb ground turkey (can substitute ground beef or ground chicken)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Cut off the top of your pumpkins and remove the "guts" (seeds and pumpkin goo). Reserve the pumpkin tops and keep a mental note of which tops go with which pumpkins
3. Cook the bacon in a heavy bottom pan. Remove and pat dry with paper towels. Mince into small pieces. Set aside. Leave the bacon fat in the pan
4. Saute the onions on medium heat until the onions are translucent
5. Add the ginger and garlic, saute for 1 minute just to get the flavors in there
6. Add the pine nuts and saute for 1 minute
7. Add the carrots and saute for 1 minute
8. Cook the ground turkey through just until it's no longer pink and break up the meat with the back of a wooden spoon as you cook it to keep it from clumping up. Don't overcook. Keep in mind it will roast in the oven for another 50 minutes
9. Sprinkle in the thyme and cumin
10. Add salt & pepper to taste
11. Remove from heat and spoon into pumpkins to the top
12. Rub olive oil all over the exterior of the pumpkins
13. Roast pumpkins for 50 minutes at 400 degrees or until you can easily insert a knife into the pumpkin