VEGETARIAN THANKSGIVING STUFFED PUMPKIN

VEGETARIAN THANKSGIVING STUFFED PUMPKIN image

Yield 6-8 side dish

Number Of Ingredients 15

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1 medium pumpkin - about 10 inches diameter
3 TBSP olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb. portobella mushrooms, coarsely chopped
2 large stalks celery, chopped
1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
4 cups grains (rice, couscous, bulgur, lentils, or a mixture - I use Trader Joes Harvest Blend)
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp ground sage
1/2 cup dry sherry
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
1 cup shredded smoked cheese -provolone or gouda
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper or to taste
1 large egg, beaten

Steps:

Pre-cook pumpkin: Carefully cut a circle around stem and remove top of pumpkin. Scrape out seeds and stringy pulp. Place pumpkin in casserole dish, add 1 inch of water to dish, place top back on pumpkin, and bake at 425 for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. While pumpkin is baking, prepare filling: Cook grains according to package directions. Separately, saute onions, garlic and celery in 2 TBSP olive oil until golden (do not brown). Add mushrooms and continue saute until most water has evaporated. Add walnuts, sherry, sage, thyme, cayenne and salt to taste. Saute for 1 minute. When grains are cooked, mix grains with onion mixture, shredded cheese, beaten egg and parsley in large bowl. Fill partially cooked pumpkin with the filling. Replace top. Add water if needed, to 1 inch. Bake stuffed pumpkin at 375 for 45 minutes. Any filling not used for stuffing pumpkin can be baked separately in a casserole dish for about 25 minutes. To serve, place pumpkin on attractive serving dish, cock top to side (to reveal stuffing), and garnish with a sprig of fresh sage. Scoop out filling and some of the sides of the pumpkin when serving. Great reheated!