Pumpkin Dinner
Pumpkin is one of those foods that you either love or hate. I personally love pumpkin. I love this time of year when I can have pumpkin everything! Pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, pumpkin candles, pumpkin pancakes…and pumpkin dinner! I came up with this recipe a few years ago when I wanted to serve a healthy but festive dinner to my kids at Halloween. Not only is it yummy, but there are so many health benefits to eating pumpkin. Pumpkin is rich in potassium, antioxidants, vitamin A and C, beta carotene. It helps with weight loss, hypertension and keeping those free radicals in check. I could go on and on but the bottom line is this: pumpkin is really good for you!
To be honest, I’m not big on measuring when I make meals like this. You really don’t need a recipe; you could really just throw in whatever meats and veggies that you like, but for simplicity’s sake, I’m attempting to write down a recipe to share with you all.
First and foremost, you need pumpkins. Duh. You can either make this casserole in one big pumpkin, or you can do 3 medium or about 6 smaller pumpkins. Medium was what was available at the supermarket near me, so that’s what I went with for this tutorial. I think serving them in smaller pumpkins (so that each kid gets an individual pumpkin) is the most fun way to go!
My kids love to help me with this dinner because they get to hallow out the guts of the pumpkin. They love getting their hands dirty! Somehow I missed a picture of this step, but we all know how to scrape out a pumpkin, right?.
Here are the other ingredients you will need: ground turkey, Italian sausage (hot or mild, my kids prefer mild), cabbage, green beans, diced tomatoes, parmesan cheese and your seasonings: salt, pepper, and Italian seasonings.
First, brown your meat. It’s okay if it’s a tiny bit pink because it’s going into the oven for a while. But make sure it gets mostly brown.
Wash and chop your cabbage. Drain your cans of diced tomatoes and cut off the ends of your green beans. Also, drain the grease from your meat once it’s browned. Add the tomatoes, green beans and cabbage and toss it all the way through until it’s well incorporated. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Then, add a handful of parmesan cheese (about 1/3ish cup) and season it to taste with the salt, pepper and Italian seasonings. Mix it through one more time.
Put your pumpkins on a 9×13 cookie sheet and fill them with your meat/veggie mixture. Add more cheese on top, as much as you like. My rule of thumb is to never be stingy with the cheese. We love cheese in this house.
Put the tops back on the pumpkins. Put your cookie sheet in a preheated oven, 375, and cook for about 45 minutes or until the veggies are soft and the cheese is cooked. The insides of your pumpkins should also be soft when you poke a fork into it’s side. It could take more or less time, depending on the size of your pumpkins.
Remove from the oven and take in that fresh, pumpkin scent. Mmmm.
If you made this in a big pumpkin, serve your dinner onto plates and makes sure that you scrape the sides of the pumpkin while you dish it out. You want pumpkin flesh mixed into your casserole; that’s the whole point of pumpkin dinner! If you are eating it in an individual pumpkin, scrape those sides with your fork while you eat. Get that pumpkin in there!
Yum! A healthy meal that the kids actually love!
Let me know if you try this recipe and what things you decide to add to your pumpkin casserole!
| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | 45 minutes |
| Servings |
people
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- 1 large pumpkin (or 3 medium, or 6 small)
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 1 lb. Italian sauasage, hot or mild
- 1 lb. fresh green beans
- 1 head cabbage
- 2 16 oz. cans diced tomatoes,
- 2 cups Parmesan cheese
- 2-3 TB Italian seasonings
- salt and pepper, to taste
Ingredients
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- Cut the top off of your pumpkin(s). Scrape out the inside of the pumpkin and get rid of the seeds.
- Brown your Italian sausage and ground turkey together in a large pan. Drain the grease when finished browning.
- Prep your veggies by chopping the cabbage, trimming the grean beans and draining the liquid from the diced tomatoes.
- Add veggies to the meat and mix thoroughly. Cook for 2-3 more minutes.
- Add about 1/3 cup cheese and your seasonings and give it one more good mix.
- Fill the pumpkin(s) with the meat/veggie mixture. Top with parmesan cheese and put the top of the pumpkin back on.
- Place in your preheated oven (375 degrees) and cook for about 45 minutes, or until the green beans are tender. The insides of your pumpkin should be soft as well.
- Serve on a dish or eat straight from the pumpkin, but make sure to scrape the sides to get pumpkin mixed into your casserole!
