Dinner in a Pumpkin

Have you ever made dinner in a pumpkin?

SO FUN!

I decided to aim high and try dinner in FOUR pumpkins :)

I wanted to try Jambalaya in a pumpkin,

but my cousins who were coming over, don't like shrimp.

So, I also made a traditional beef dinner in a pumpkin.

My kids wanted their very own, so I made two individual sized dinners.

First, I picked some pumpkins from the garden and washed them.

 Then, clean them out and put them in on a tray in the oven to bake at 350.

The pumpkins will start baking while you prepare the rest of the dinner.

Recipe #1:

• 1 medium pumpkin

• 1 box Zatarain's jambalaya rice mix (mild) 

•  2 1/2 C. water 

•  2 T. vegetable oil

• 1 kielbasa or other comparable sausage, cut into bite-sized pieces

• 1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined

• 1 1b. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

• ½ C. celery, diced

• 1 medium onion, diced

• 1 green bell pepper, diced

Just put all of the ingredients in a skillet, bring to a boil, then simmer for 25 minutes.
The recipe link has a great step by step picture tutorial if you want to check it out.
Once the rice mixture is done, take the pumpkin out of the oven, fill it with Jambalaya, and put it back in the oven to bake.  It's already been in the oven for a while now, so it should only need another 15 minutes or so. 

Recipe #2:

• 1 medium pumpkin
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 lbs ground beef
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 (4 ounce) can sliced mushrooms
• 1 (15 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
• 1 1/2 cups cooked rice
• 1 (8 ounce) can sliced water chestnuts

First, brown the ground beef.  Then, drain the fat and add the onions.  Let them cook for a few minutes and then add the rest of the ingredients.  Stir the mixture on low for a few minutes.  Once it's ready, scoop it into the pumpkin.

My kids LOVED having their very own mini pumpkin to eat out of...

This was a little more time consuming that I anticipated, but very fun!

I am definitely going to make this one again.

My favorite was the Jambalaya.  Definitely.

My cousins only ate the beef so that got their vote.

My baby loved the pumpkin!

 I scooped off chunks of pumpkin and put them on his tray and he loved it :)

Success!

*side note:  One of my favorite things about the Jambalaya recipe is that it is adaptable for different diets.  My Grandma is allergic to dairy, and gluten.  So, this one works for her.  Half of my family is vegan, and if we leave out the meat, it works for them as well.  So, this was a recipe that I shared with everyone!

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