Stuffed Mini Pumpkins

Name: Stuffed Mini Pumpkins
Ingredients: 6 mini pumpkins small, or 4 large mini pumpkins, Not Jack B Little. Those will be too bitter. You're looking for the ones next to the gourds. Yup. Edible. Who knew?; 1 pound ground turkey; 1/4 cup raisins; 1 cup hazelnuts; 1 cup rice uncooked, or grain of your choice. I used long grain white because I had it haging around. This would be lovely with wild rice, for example.; 1 tablespoon dried thyme; 2 cloves minced garlic; 1 chopped onion medium; 1 teaspoon honey; 1 cup chicken stock; 1 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste; 1 tablespoon butter; olive oil; salt; pepper

15 ingredients

5 steps

Ingredients

6 mini pumpkins small, or 4 large mini pumpkins, Not Jack B Little. Those will be too bitter. You're looking for the ones next to the gourds. Yup. Edible. Who knew?
1 pound ground turkey
1/4 cup raisins
1 cup hazelnuts
1 cup rice uncooked, or grain of your choice. I used long grain white because I had it haging around. This would be lovely with wild rice, for example.
1 tablespoon dried thyme
2 cloves minced garlic
1 chopped onion medium
1 teaspoon honey
1 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon butter
olive oil
salt
pepper

Directions

1

Cut the tops off of your mini pumpkins and take all the pumpkin goop out with a spoon, making sure to scrape the sides of the pumpkin well. Set your pumpkins and lids (stems down) in a baking dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2

Saute the onion and garlic in about a tablespoon of olive oil on medium high heat until the onion is tender, about 6 minutes. Add the ground turkey and brown.
3

Add the raisins, hazelnuts, thyme, honey, tomato paste, pepper flakes and chicken broth. Simmer on medium heat until the sauce reduces by half, then add the butter. Check for seasoning at this point. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer for 5 more minutes.
4

Drizzle the mini pumpkins and lids with olive oil, salt and pepper. Stuff each pumpkin with the mixture. If your stuffing is dry, add about a tablespoon of water to each one so that the flesh of the pumpkin will bake.
5

Place your stuffed pumpkins in a preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until the stuffing is golden brown and the pumpkin flesh is tender