chili in a pumpkin

Here on our Monday installment of At Home w/ GCH, we have been featuring recipes which include Fall in-season fruits and veggies. This week’s recipe is baked in a pumpkin…I’m thinking that you can’t get much more autumnal than a pumpkin! This is super easy…and makes for a fabulous presentation. You can use one pumpkin and serve all of your happy eaters a ‘slice’ of pumpkin. Or (which I am going to do for our Thanksgiving feast) you could purchase those adorable little ‘Jack Be Little’ pumpkins and serve one per customer! I wouldn’t suggest too large a pumpkin though; they can be very stringy…not appetizing at all! Optimally, use a pumpkin that is called ‘pie’ pumpkin; these are approximately 1-3 pounds and are of a size that can easily be held in the palm of your hand. Check out these incredible nutritional facts, too. Alternately, you could make a Vegetarian Chili to serve in your pumpkin; here is a recipe that you might check out. Or, of course, your family’s favorite chili recipe! <3

Chili in a Pumpkin

Ingredients
1 2#-3# “pie” pumpkin
1# ground beef
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium-sized sweet onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
4-5 ounces Baby Bella mushrooms, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped garlic (I use jarred)
1-28ounce can crushed tomatoes
1-15 ounce can dark red kidney beans, rinsed
1-15 ounce can black beans, rinsed
1 package taco seasoning (or try this)
1-2 cups frozen corn, defrosted
Optional toppings: sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped avocado, salsa

Directions

Pumpkin:

Preheat the oven to 375.
Carefully slice the “cap” off of the pumpkin. Discard the cap. Clean the seeds thoroughly out.
Lightly oil the inside of the pumpkin, and season well with salt&pepper.
Place the pumpkin into a baking pan, and bake for 40-45 minutes (depending on the size of your pumpkin, it will be less or more time). Remove from oven when a sharp knife inserted into the flesh (inside) of the pumpkin is tender but not mushy.

Chili:

While the pumpkin is baking, saute the ground beef ‘til all the pink is cooked out. Drain away the excess liquid and set the cooked meat aside.
In the same pan, add 2 tablespoons olive oil to heat over medium heat; add the chopped onion and mushrooms. Saute for 5-6 minutes.
Add in the chopped bell pepper; stir well. Saute the veggies for approximately 6-7 minutes ‘til just beginning to get slightly brown.
Lower heat and add chopped garlic. Stir constantly for 1 additional minute.
Increase heat to medium-high, pour in the chopped tomatoes and the taco seasoning mix. Stir.
Finally add back the cooked meat as well as the beans; stir well ‘til all is combined.
Bring just to a boil; and lower heat so the mixture is gently simmering.
Simmer away until the pumpkin is ready.

Assembling:

When the pumpkin is tender, remove from oven.
Stir the corn into the meat-veggie-bean mixture, and then pour this mixture into the pumpkin.
Return to oven and bake for approximately 30 minutes. (Again, this will depend on the size of your pumpkin.)
Remove from oven; slice into serving size pieces.
Serve with your choice of toppings. Enjoy!

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God loves you! ♥ (Don’t ever forget that!)

♥ coleen