Over the Top

Talk about GORGEOUS presentation! Oh, and it’s absolutely delicious? Those are 2 of many reasons why I love this dish. You can use 6 baby pumpkins (white variety) or one medium sized pumpkin (italian striped, carnival or white variety). The pumpkin above was an italian striped. Keep in mind that post Halloween, fresh pumpkins are rare at grocery stores and can be found at a local nursery. Be sure and do a good job of removing all seeds and gunk. Once baked, enjoy the veggies inside, and you can also cut into it like a cake and serve with slices of steamed pumpkin. 

Stuffed Pumpkins Recipe

Stuffed Pumpkins   Save Print Prep time 45 mins Cook time 1 hour Total time 1 hour 45 mins   Serves: 1 h 45 m Ingredients

• 6 baby pumpkins, (preferably the white variety) OR 1 medium sized (preferably italian striped, carnival, or white variety)
• ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more to prepare the inside
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 green onions (about ⅓ cup), chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups kale or stemmed and roughly chopped lacinato kale (about 4 ounces)
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• ½ cup white bread crumbs, lightly toasted
• ⅔ cups shredded Gruyère cheese
• ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Wash the pumpkins. With a small, sharp knife, remove the tops as if for a jack-o’-lantern. Scoop out the seeds and stringy insides with a spoon, leaving the flesh intact. Rinse, then rub with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper.
3. Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat, then add the green onions and cook for a few minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute or so, until fragrant. Add the kale and cook until it just wilts, about 3 or 4 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the lemon juice and transfer to a bowl. Add the bread crumbs, cheese, pine nuts, nutmeg, red pepper flakes, ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon black peppers. Mix well, then stir in the cream.
4. Divide the filling into the pumpkins and replace the tops. Rub a baking dish with olive oil and arrange the filled pumpkins in the dish. Do the same for medium pumpkin if doing a single pumpkin.
5. Bake for 1 hour, watching to make sure the tops don’t brown too much. Test the pumpkins by piercing with a fork. If the skin doesn’t pierce easily, remove the tops and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes. Replace the tops and serve hot.