Stuffed Pumpkin

This was our favorite discovery of last winter…yes our friends and family ALL got to see it at any occasion we could think of while the Winter Luxury Pumpkins lasted. Yes, it is that good and that easy!

We meant to try it with a Long Pie pumpkin as well, going more boat shaped, but….never got to it. But the round Winter Luxury’s were SO fantastic. And it is a recipe allowing for A LOT of flexibility and creativity, so have fun!

It was inspired by thekitchn.com’s recipe as well as a few others and then we took the farmer’s liberty to add MORE greens and most often we had vegetarian’s in the mix so we dropped the sausage, and it was still delish. With the sausage it is also a perfect 1 dish meal for any day of the year!

Ingredients

Qualifier up front: ALMOST EVERYTHING below is more or less to taste and what you have available….You can stuff alot into the pumpkin and worst case you have extra to bake separate.

• 1 baking pumpkin, round is ideal (Volumes below are for approximately 5 lb pumpkin)
• 1 loaf day-old crusty bread (1/2-1 lb), Red Hen is great as is Deeter’s bread…something that will absorb the custard.
• 1 cups grated cheese (any hard will work or you can even go without)
• 2 tablespoons cooking fat
• 1 pound  Italian sausage or your choice of bulk sausage
• 2-3 shallots or medium onions, thinly sliced
• 2 to 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup dry white wine or cider or other liquid to deglaze pan
• 3 cups fresh greens or less frozen & thawed (Swiss chard, spinach, kale or braising mix) coarsely chopped
• 3-4 eggs
• 2 cups half-and-half (or 1 cup heavy cream and 1 cup whole milk) or 2 cups of local creamline milk
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon fresh sage or thyme or bit less dried
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, for the top

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut out a “lid” from the top of the pumpkin, like you would for carving a jack-o-lantern. Scoop out seeds and cut away any loose strings, creating an empty shell (again, like you would for a jack-o-lantern.) Set pumpkin aside.
2. Combine the bread cubes and cheese in a large mixing bowl (all of the stuffing ingredients will get added here)
3. Cook the sausage in a large skillet, stirring occasionally and breaking it into crumbles with a wooden spoon, until it is golden-brown and cooked through. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to the bowl with the bread and cheese.
4. While sausage is cooking, whisk the eggs, half-and-half or milk, mustard , 2 teaspoons salt, thyme, and pepper until combined to make the custard in its own bowl. Pour the custard over the bread mixture and gently toss to coat. Let sit, stirring occasionally, until absorbed, at least 10 minutes, which fits with cooking sausage and onions.
5. Reduce the heat to medium, add additional fat if necessary, and add the shallots/onions, cooking until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Increase heat to high and add the wine, using the wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce the wine until it is almost evaporated. If using fresh greens, add it now with a generous pinch of salt; stir until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the greens and onions to the bread mixture. If using frozen greens, drain and still stir with the onions briefly to warm and integrate with the onions.
6. Make sure stuffing is nicely mixed and custard is absorbed.

7. Transfer the stuffing to the pumpkin, filling it all the way to the top. (If there is extra, you can bake it in a small dish on the side.) Fit the “lid” back onto the pumpkin, put the pumpkin in an oven safe dish (we tend to do it in a cast iron skillet) and transfer to the oven

8. Bake until the filling is bubbling and hot, and the flesh of the pumpkin can be pierced with a knife. This can be anywhere from 1 to 2 (or more) hours, depending on the size and type of your pumpkin. If possible, remove the cap for the last 30 to 45 minutes of baking (sprinkle with grated Parmesan and fluff lightly if the stuffing has smushed down) so the top can crisp up a bit. We have found it takes at least an hour, but can be in the oven much longer without any trouble

9. Carefully transfer the pumpkin to a serving platter or serve in cast iron. Slice the pumpkin into large wedges and serve along with a generous portion of stuffing.

NOTE: The stuffed pumpkin reheats wonderfully as leftovers, or you could even bake ahead and then put it back in whole to reheat it.