Dinner in a Pumpkin

Time for the last pumpkin recipe as promised.  I know it isn't the weekend (I've been posting a pumpkin recipe every weekend in October) but in case anyone wanted to try this one out, I thought I'd post it before all the pumpkins are gone.  


I've been making this recipe each October for about 3 years.  It can feed people at a small dinner party or make it with just you and someone else and have delicious leftovers!  It got great reviews at our dinner party just last night.

Ingredients

• 1 medium pumpkin (8-10 lbs)
• 2 lbs lean ground beef
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 2 cups hot cooked rice
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• Shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

• Cut a 3 inch hole in the top of the pumpkin and remove the seeds and pulp.  Reserve seeds for roasting later
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  
• Brown beef in a large skillet and drain
• Add celery and onion to beef and cook until tender
• Stir in remaining ingredients 
• Ladle the mixture into the pumpkin

• Place pumpkin on lightly greased baking sheet
• Bake in oven for 1.5 to 2 hours or until pumpkin is tender and filling is bubbling and hot throughout.

• Scrape the inside of the pumpkin to add some squash to each serving.  Sprinkle each serving with the shredded cheese!