Spicy Fall Stew Baked in a Pumpkin

Submitted by Laughing in the Kit

"A modified version of a great fall recipe from the October 2008 Vegetarian Times. This is absolutely delicious! Well worth the long cooking time, especially if you are a fan of pumpkin recipes. I have modified it slightly since I couldn't find tomatillos (instead used canned Rotel). You can also use two smaller pumpkins if desired."

 

• Ready In: 2hrs 50mins
• Ingredients: 11
• Serves: 4-5

ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup of chopped onion
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 (10 ounce) can Rotel Tomatoes (with chilis)
• 1 (15 ounce) can hominy, rinsed and drained
• 3⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1 (3 -4 lb) pumpkin (either sugar pie, cheese, red kuri, kabocha or buttercup squash)
• 2 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese (1/2 cup packed)

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in pot over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic. Sautee 7 minutes or until softened. Stir in cumin, oregano and cook 3 minutes more.
2. Add Rotel tomatoes, hominy, 1/4 cup water, and salt, and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered for 10-12 minutes.
4. Uncover and cook 5 minutes more to thicken stew if necessary.
5. In the meanwhile, cut top of of pumpkin around stem to make lid. Scoop out seeds and string. Rub inside of pumpkin with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Sprinkle cheese in bottom of pumpkin.
6. Fill pumpkin with stew, add a little more cheese, then top with pumpkin lid.
7. Place on a wax paper covered baking sheet and bake 1.5 to 2 hours, or until pumpkin flesh is fork tender.
8. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes.
9. Serve stew, being sure to scoop out the pumpkin as well, into bowls and serve hot.

Reviews

[GuarGum]

I love this recipe! I made it first from the vegetarian times website. I couldn't find tomatillos either (December in Nova Scotia) so I used a small can of tomatoes and a small can of green salsa. I found there was too much squash for the filling so next time I added cut-up butternut squash to the dish and baked it in a casserole with the cheese on top. I also like it better with chili powder, as in the original recipe.