Stuffed Pumpkin Dinner

 in Favorite Recipes by

Provided by Ethel Gould for the October 2016 issue of WeatherfordNOW Magazine.

  • 1 5- to 6-lb. pumpkin
  • 1 1/2 lbs. cooked lean ground beef (I use a mix of ground turkey and beef.)
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 1/2 tsp. white sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp. basil
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. black pepper
  • 1 cup cooked rice (I use brown rice.)
  • 1 tsp. vinegar (optional)
  1. Remove top shelf in oven, so the pumpkin will fit; preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. Wash pumpkin. Cut off top with your knife slanted in so the lid will not slide into the pumpkin. Scrape out pumpkin guts and rinse.
  3. Cook hamburger with chopped onion; drain grease and add garlic.
  4. Add seasonings, rice and vinegar (if desired); mix well.
  5. Place pumpkin on a cookie sheet; spoon hamburger and rice mixture into the pumpkin. Place pumpkin lid on top.
  6. Bake for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Check tenderness of the pumpkin meat with a fork. (Remove from oven and check from inside. It should have a similar texture to a cooked baked potato.) Note: Serve pumpkin family style. Transfer pumpkin from cookie sheet to a serving platter, with two large spatulas and, sometimes, a willing helper.