Cinderella Pumpkin Bowl with Vegetables and Sausage

This gorgeous pumpkin creation will make your step sisters turn green with envy. It's chock full of seasonal veggies and will feed a hungry crowd at any holiday table. The Cinderella pumpkin is a variety that is flattened and deeply ribbed. They usually grow 25 to 30 lbs. Mine was more like ten pounds and it was still wider than a cookie sheet. I think the recipe would be quite doable with several small pumpkins like the sugar ones, for individual servings or for a smaller group. I prepared the veggie filling prior to filling the pumpkin.

• Preparation Time: 60 mins
• Cooking Time: 5 hr
• Total Time: 6 hr
• Calories: 417 Calories

Ingredients

• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 head broccoli, cut into florets
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 (13.75 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 2 zucchini, cut into chunks
• 1 whole (10 pound) Cinderella pumpkin
• 1 (16 ounce) package kielbasa sausage, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
• 3 cloves garlic - minced, or amount to taste
• 2 cups parsnips, peeled and cubed (Optional)
• 2 cups rutabagas, peeled and cubed (Optional)
• 2 cups cabbage, coarsely chopped (Optional)
• 1 ½ cups canned or frozen corn
• 2 cups cooked white or brown rice (Optional)
• ½ (1.25 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
• ½ (1 ounce) packet dried Italian seasoning

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with foil.

Step 2

Cut around the top of the pumpkin to make a lid. Use a large metal spoon to scoop out the inside membrane and seeds.

Step 3

Place the pumpkin on the prepared baking sheet, and place in the preheated oven. Cook for 1 hour, then lower heat to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

Step 4

Meanwhile, place the sausage in a deep pot over medium-high heat. Cook until evenly browned, turning frequently, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic; cook and stir until translucent and tender, about 5 minutes. If desired, stir in the parsnips, rutabaga, and/or the cabbage; cook until the vegetables are almost ender, about 5 minutes. Add the red and green peppers, broccoli, zucchini, and corn. Pour in the chicken broth, add the rice, and cook 5 minutes more. Stir in the parsley, red pepper flakes, onion soup mix, and Italian seasoning. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Step 5

Keeping the pumpkin on the baking sheet, spoon the vegetable-sausage mixture into the pumpkin, and replace the lid. Loosely cover the pumpkin with aluminum foil.

Step 6

Cook the pumpkin in the preheated oven until the flesh is tender, about 4 hours. Scoop some of the pumpkin flesh away from the sides to combine with the vegetable mixture. To serve, place the pumpkin on a serving platter, and remove the lid to ladle out the contents.