Stuffed Pumpkin

Slow Roasted Stuffed Pumpkin

  • Serves 4
  • Prep time: 20 minutes | Cooking time: 90 minutes

Stuffed pumpkins always remind us of university days when pumpkins were sold for 1c and you had nothing left in the fridge to eat! This version transforms this humble vegetable into a sweet and tender delight. Serve with chutney.

Ingredients

  • 1 large pumpkin or squash

  • 300g Prime Beef Mince

  • 2 red onions

  • 1 red pepper, deseeded and diced

  • 1 clove garlic finely chopped

  • 400g can diced tomatoes

  • 2 tbsp tomato paste

  • 150g firm blue cheese

  • 2 tsp crushed chilli

  • 400g can red kidney beans

  • salt and pepper to taste

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 180 C.

  2. Heat the oil in a large pan and add onion, garlic and minced beef stirring thoroughly to brown. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for a further 5 minutes.

  3. Microwave the pumpkin for 10 minutes to soften the skin. This makes it easier to cut away the lid so you can scoop out the seeds.

  4. Fill the pumpkin with the chilli mince mixture and splash over olive oil before placing in a roasting dish. Pour 1/2 cup of water around outside of pumpkin to keep it moist while cooking. Cover with tinfoil and bake in the oven for 60 minutes ½ or 1 1/2 hours until the pumpkin is soft. Then remove tin foil and grill for 10 minutes to brown the top before serving.

  5. Serve from the pumpkin whole and scoop out some of the warm pumpkin flesh with each serving of mince.