Meat-stuffed Sugar Pumpkins

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 2 sugar pumpkin (approx. 2 lbs. each)
• 1 1/2 cups cooked rice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/3 lbs ground turkey
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
• 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

Recipe

• 1 wash each pumpkin. cut top 1/4 off each pumpkin; remove and discard seeds and fibers. cut the tops of the pumpkins into small cubes, trimming off and discarding the pumpkin skin from each cube. mince the pumpkin cubes in a food processor until pumpkin meat is finely ground.
• 2 preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• 3 in large skillet, saute meat until no pink remains. add onion and celery and cook 5 minutes longer. stir in minced pumpkin, rice, tomatoes, eggs, salt, basil and thyme.
• 4 place pumpkins in roasting pan. pack stuffing into pumpkins. extra stuffing that overflows can be placed at the base of the pumpkins, in the pan.
• 5 place a piece of aluminum foil over top and crimp it over the sides of the pan.
• 6 bake 45 minutes or until pumpkins are just tender. watch carefully at end of roasting time so pumpkins don't overcook.