Stuffed Musquée de Provence Pumpkin
Author: Nazneen
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: American
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6-8 servings
- 1½ pounds/ 700g lean ground beef
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds, coarsely ground
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 2 red bell peppers or sweet Italian peppers, chopped
- ½ red Fresno or green chilli
- 4 Jimmy Nardello peppers, chopped (optional)
- 1 ½ cups/215g brown rice, cooked
- 4.5-5 pound pumpkin
- 1 teaspoon oil
- ½ cup cheese (for the top)
- Salt and pepper
- Preheat the oven to 350F/180C
- Heat a large skillet or fry pan on medium height heat and add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Add the onions and sauté until soft and lightly browned.
- Add the garlic, cook for a minute.
- Add the ground beef and cook until the meat is nicely browned.
- Add the fennel seeds, red pepper flakes and the sweet paprika.
- Stir though the meat.
- Push the meat to the side of the pan, remove some oil if necessary (if your meat is lean, there won't be much)
- Leave about a tablespoon of oil.
- Add the chopped peppers, Fresno and Jimmy Nardellos, if using.
- Sauté the mixture till the peppers have softened, about 10 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Remove from the heat.
- Add the cooked brown rice and stir through.

- While the ground beef mixture is cooking, hollow out the pumpkin.
- Using a sharp, small knife cut the pumpkin around the top in a 45 degree angle.

- You're aiming for a lid for the pumpkin.
- Cut all around and carefully remove the lid.
- Clean out the inside guts.
- Save the pumpkin seeds if you're going to roast them later.
- Rub the 1 teaspoon of oil over the top and the inside and season with salt and pepper.
- Stuff the pumpkin pretty tightly with the ground beef mixture.
- Stuff to the top but you will place the lid on top so didn't over fill.
- You may have some mixture left depending on the size of your pumpkin.
- I had about 1 cup leftover (great for stuffing a green bell pepper)
- Place the lid on the pumpkin and place pumpkin on a tray or a cast iron skillet.
- Mine fit in my 10" cast iron pan.
- Put in the oven and bake for 2 hours.
- Check the pumpkin at 2 hours.
- Pierce with a knife.
- The knife should enter without any resistance.
- If it still feels firm, let bake for another 30 minutes or so.
- Near the end of the cooking time, remove the lid carefully and sprinkle cheese over the top.
- Place back in the oven to melt and brown without the lid for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and cool.
- Add the lid back before serving at the table.
- Serve by scooping out the goodies from the pumpkin or cut into wedges.
- The filling will disintegrate but you can scoop up with a spoon.
- Serve with a vibrant, leafy green salad that has a bright, lemony dressing.
Recipe by Coffee and Crumpets at http://www.coffeeandcrumpets.com/stuffed-musquee-de-provence-pumpkin/
3.5.3226