Dinner In A Pumpkin With Video

What is Dinner in a Pumpkin?

Dinner in a Pumpkin is a warm, hearty meal with the delicious flavors of fall. I always hope it will fill my kids tummies before trick-or-treating and prevent them from eating too much candy. One can dream! The best part of this dinner is that the pumpkin shell cooks along with the casserole inside. Before serving the casserole, you scoop chunks of pumpkin from the inside and stir it into the casserole. The pumpkin is sweet and tender, similar to butternut squash, and it adds color and the sweet taste of pumpkin to the dish.

Ingredients for Dinner in a Pumpkin

Pumpkin – This is the key ingredient of dinner in a pumpkin. And yes, you will use the entire pumpkin! Make sure to pick a medium pumpkin that sits up well on its own so it will stay upright on the baking sheet. Sautéed Vegetables and Herbs – Diced onion, celery, mushrooms, and garlic are sautéed in brown butter to add a savory taste to the filling. For added flavor, throw in some sage and thyme. Ground Beef – For lack of a better term, this is the “meat” of the filling. Water Chestnuts – These add such a nice crunch to the filling. Rice – You can use white or brown rice to fill out this Dinner in a Pumpkin casserole. Cook rice ahead of time for quicker dinner prep. Sauce – The rich sauce for this casserole includes brown sugar, cream of chicken soup, soy sauce, vinegar, and salt & pepper.

Process

Health Benefits of Pumpkin

Did you know there are many health benefits to eating pumpkin? Just ½ cup of pumpkin provides 100% of the recommended daily intake of Vitamin A which aids vision. Pumpkin is a rich source of the antioxidant beta carotene, and 1 cup of pumpkin has more potassium than a banana! Now, you can feel good about making Dinner in a Pumpkin for your family. Pumpkin seeds are also good for you, so don’t throw away the seeds when you clean out your pumpkin! You can turn them into a yummy treat as well, a treat that is much healthier to snack on than candy, but just as fun!. Pumpkin seeds are packed with magnesium, protein, and zinc. You can toss them with butter and salt and roast them in the oven, or for more flavor, you can season them. This Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Seeds recipe is my favorite!

Easy Clean-up!

If I haven’t convinced you to make this hearty and delicious Dinner in a Pumpkin for your family yet, I’ll throw in one more benefit – the clean up is super easy. Instead of having to scrub a casserole dish, you get to throw it away! Read More: 25+ Best Halloween Dinner Ideas: Perfect for Your Fright Night Party!

More Pumpkin Recipes

Now that you have a Dinner in a Pumpkin, serve some of these sweet pumpkin treats for dessert! Our Nothing Bundt Cake Pumpkin Bundt Cake, Pumpkin Pasties, and Easy Pumpkin Trifle make great recipes for holiday sweets. See more of our recipes below.