Stuffed Snowball Pumpkin

Stuffed Snowball Pumpkin

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Ingredients

• 1 small baking pumpkin (we used a snowball white pumpkin)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ¼ small white or yellow onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 large carrots, diced
• ½ cup sliced mushrooms, optional
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ½ cup cooked barley or brown rice
• 1/4 pound cooked ground sausage
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cups half-and-half (or whole milk)
• 1-2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, for the top

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Place the pumpkin on a flat work surface.
2. 2. Using a heavy-duty knife inserted at a 45-degree angle, carefully cut out a “lid” from the top of the pumpkin. Remove seeds and inside ‘strings’ with spoon.
3. 3. Transfer the pumpkin to the prepared baking sheet and place in oven to start cooking.
4. 4. While the pumpkin starts to cook, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery to saute. After the vegetables have softened, add mushrooms and garlic to saute a few more minutes.
5. 5. Add the wine (or chicken stock) to deglaze the pan and stir. Reduce the heat to medium and add the cooked sausage, barley, and thyme.
6. 6. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, half-and-half, cheese, Dijon, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper until combined to make the custard. Pour the custard over the filling. Stir to combine.
7. 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 and transfer back to the oven.
8. 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 hours total, depending on the size and type of your pumpkin. If possible, remove the cap for the last 15 minutes of baking (sprinkle with grated Parmesan and fluff lightly if the stuffing has smushed down) so the top can crisp up a bit.
9. 9. Carefully transfer the pumpkin to a serving platter. Slice the pumpkin into large wedges with stuffing and serve.

Nutrition

Calories

995 cal

Fat

57 g

Carbs

52 g

Protein

58 g

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