Lesya 
Stuffed pumpkin is a hearty version of the Ukrainian pumpkin stew with meat, which was well-known in Western Ukraine. However, as you can imagine, stuffed pumpkins look more jovial on a table and taste a bit different too, as the meat and vegetables get simmered inside the pumpkins in the oven. In Ukraine, pumpkins were used mostly to cook kasha with rice or millet, pancakes, purees for kids, soups, stews, and different spreads. Recently, as Ukrainian cooks got inspired by other culinary traditions and started to experiment more with this healthy and amazing vegetable, this list has become much longer.
Stuffed pumpkin is relatively easy to make, is affordable, and can be turned easily into a vegetarian dish. It’s fun to make too! We used several small pumpkins, meat, and some very affordable vegetables, such as potatoes, mushrooms, and red sweet pepper. If you are looking for new food ideas for your Thanksgiving dinner, or for an interesting substitute for roasted turkey, you may want to try this recipe. If you replace meat with mushrooms, this dish easily becomes a vegetarian dish. Thanks to the payload of nutritional vegetables, stuffed pumpkins have not only a great visual appeal but also a health value.
As we spread our gratitude for the blessings that we have in North America, let’s not forget about the people in Ukraine, who fight for their freedom and the right to have a safe and beautiful future for their children!
How to Make Stuffed Pumpkins
Equipment
- 1 food processor
- 1 Skillet
- 1 oven pan
- 1 Chef's knife
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 5 small pumpkins or squashes
- 700 g meat turkey or chicken breast, or pork
- 1 red sweet pepper
- 1 onion
- 10 cloves of garlic
- 3 portobello mushrooms
- 2 potatoes
- ½ hot red pepper
- 3 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds slightly roasted
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil for frying
- Pinch of black pepper
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Method of Preparation:
- Cut pumpkins in halves and scoop out the innards with the seeds, leaving the skins about 8 cm thick.
- Separate the seeds and crush the flesh in a food processor. (Alternatively, you can just chop it with a chef’s knife). Put aside.
- Get other ingredients ready for cooking: chop onion, red sweet pepper and mushrooms, grate garlic cloves. Chop the meat too.
- Meanwhile, preheat a large skillet, reduce the heat to medium, and add vegetable oil. Add chopped onion and garlic and sauté until golden. Add mushrooms. In 2-3 minutes add red pepper and continue to fry the mixture for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the chopped meat. Sprinkle it with black pepper, add salt, and paprika, chives, and mix well with other ingredients. Sauté for 5 minutes.
- Place 6 tablespoons of crushed pumpkin, and mix well with the vegetables and meat on the skillet. Cover with a lid and simmer for 25 minutes.
- Once the meat is ready, turn off the heat. (We just put the skillet next to the area where we were stuffing the pumpkins. You may want to put the filling in a bowl to cool it first).
- Grate the potatoes and put approximately 1 tablespoon of this mass to the bottom of the pumpkins. Season with black pepper and spices.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Put pumpkins on the oven pan and coat their skins slightly with vegetable oil so they don’t burn in the oven. Cut the tails on pumpkin caps if they are too long.
- Put the filling on top of the potatoes and complete stuffing the pumpkins. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and close the pumpkins with their caps.
- Bake in the oven for 1 hour.
- Serve warm.
What are the health benefits of pumpkins and squashes?
The health benefits of pumpkins and squashes are numerous. Some would say that they are loaded with dietary fiber and are low in calories. This is true and makes these vegetables (scientifically categorized as fruits because they contain seeds) good for weight loss. In addition, pumpkins and squashes are brightly colored vegetables packed with antioxidants. They have lots of vitamins, with vitamin A being on top of the list. One cup of cooked pumpkin contains more than 200% of the Reference Daily Intake.
What meat goes well with pumpkin?
The best type of meat for stuffed pumpkins is the meat you prefer. With pork, the stuffing for pumpkins will be juicier, however, not everyone eats pork. You can use turkey or chicken breast instead, beef, or rabbit. You can even experiment with sea products, such as lobster, crab, or shrimp. We didn’t try this recipe with sausages as we are not aware of any health benefits of this product.
What types of mushrooms to use for the stuffed pumpkin?
Use fresh mushrooms, such as portobello or shitake, or just brown mushrooms (champignon) to stuff pumpkins. If you have dried mushrooms such as boletus, soak them overnight then boil. We didn’t try them in this recipe; however, generally cooked dried mushrooms are very tasty and should only enhance the taste of this dish.
What foods go well with pumpkin?
Pumpkin goes very well with vegetables, such as bell pepper, potato, cauliflower, corn, eggplant, onion, and carrots, mushrooms, and with fruit, such as apples and pears. Also, we should add dairy products and meat, rice, millet, nuts, and legumes to the list. Pumpkin pancakes and other desserts are delicious in combination with honey and maple syrup.
Is pumpkin a native Ukrainian vegetable?
Pumpkin is not a native Ukrainian vegetable. Like corn, it was exported from North America around 5000 years ago, where this versatile vegetable was an important food product among First Nations. However, it has become so popular in Ukraine that it is impossible to imagine Ukrainian cuisine and traditions without it!
Conclusion
Stuffed pumpkin, cooked with meat or without it, is a delicious dish that also has a great visual appeal. The ingredients are all-natural and very affordable. Please add your comments and if you like this recipe or share it with your friends on social media. Thank you for being with us, please visit our other recipes too!
