Baked Pumpkin

I was on another site this morning and realized that I could put the infamous Baked Pumpkin recipe here for all to share...hadn't even thought of it before now... so here it is.

BEEF STUFFED PUMPKIN
Yield: 8 servings - total points: 67 points per serving: 8.5
• 1 (5-6 pounds) pumpkin or (2-3 pounds) pumpkins
• 2 teaspoons salt, divided use
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 pound ground beef (you could do 1/2 sausage & 1/2 beef, really good - or turkey?)
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons crushed dried sage
• 1 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 cups cooked rice, preferably a mixture of white & wild rice
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut top from pumpkin and remove seeds and strings. Wash outside of pumpkin (since you are going to eat it too). Prick cavity with fork and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the salt. Heat pot or large skillet.
2. Add oil to pot or skillet. When hot, add garlic and onion and sauté until onion is transparent. Add beef and continue sautéing until browned. Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients.
3. Stuff pumpkin with mixture. Place 1/2- inch water in bottom of a shallow baking pan large enough to hold the pumpkin.
4. Put pumpkin in the pan and bake 1 to 1- 1/2 hours. Cut pumpkin into wedges (or if small pumpkins used, into halves) and serve, giving each person both pumpkin and stuffing.


Be sure to buy your pumpkin early (I use the pie pumpkins, taste great) as they are usually really hard to find by Thanksgiving, which is when we like to have it. Good luck and let me know how it turns out!!