Dinner in a Pumpkin

4- small bakers pumpkins

1/2 pound ground beef- or favorite ground meat of choice (bison, turkey, chicken)

1 package of Lipton’s onion soup mix

1 table spoon of chopped garlic

1 teaspoon of ground cumin

2 small tomatoes

1/2 yellow onion chopped

1/2 cup of frozen spinach

2 cup stuffing already made boxed or homemade

1/2 grated parmesan

oven pre-heat 360

Meat Mixture

ground meat in a bowl add

add onion soup mix, garlic, cumin, dash of salt

chop onion & tomatoes into small pieces add to meat

add spinach

mash with your clean hands

Prep Pumpkins

cut the tops off your pumpkins save tops for decoration

scoop out the inside and even carve little into the walls of the pumpkins

Take your meat mixture and divide into 4 parts after it is mixed together

Stuff the meat mixture into each pumpkin

Top each pumpkin with 1/2” cup of stuffing 

Place pumpkins in a sprayed baking dish

Cover the baking dish and place in the oven bake for 40 minutes

Uncover sprinkle parmesan cheese on top and cook another 10-15 minutes uncovered

let rest for 2-5 minutes then transfer to plates

Twist on Minestrone Soup

8-10 tomatoes

1 yellow onion

2 green bell peppers

1 table spoon chopped garlic

1 table spoon oregano

slice of parmesan cheese 

1/2” cup of black beans

1/2” cup of lentils

3 cups chicken stock

2 cups favorite pasta cooked al dente

Prep Beans

wash and soak beans over night

Start with a big soup pot

drizzle olive oil in the bottom

cut 6 of the tomatoes up into quarters (whatever size you think your blender of handheld blender can handle)

cut the yellow onion up and throw both the onion and the tomatoes 

in the pot on medium heat don’t let them burn

cut the green peppers up and throw them in there too….. 

stir- cook for 10 min on medium heat

while that is breaking down 

Prep more Tomatoes

cut the rest of your tomatoes up and lie them flat on a cookie sheet 

drizzle them with olive oil and garlic salt bake 360 for 15 minutes

back to the pot 

add garlic & oregano

add chicken stock

stir and cook for another 5-10 minutes

puree the soup mixture (with handheld or blender return to the pot)

add black beans & lentils

cut the rind off the slice of parmesan and add just the rind to your soup

stir and keep heat medium to low

watch and stir for the next 55 minutes

chop roasted tomatoes add to pot

grate the rest of your parmesan cheese add half of it to the pot

leave the rest for garnish

cook for 20-30 minutes

add your favorite al dente pasta stir and take off heat

ready to eat sprinkle fresh parmesan over the top.