My children often request this dish, and it adds wow to any festive buffet table.
—ANDRIA PECKHAM, LOWELL, MI
PREP: 30 MIN. • BAKE: 55 MIN. • MAKES: 12 SERVINGS
3 small pie pumpkins (about 2 lbs. each)
1/2 lb. bulk sweet Italian sausage
1 lb. fresh mushrooms, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups cooked long grain rice
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1. Preheat oven to 450°. Cut a 3-in. circle around each pumpkin stem. Remove tops and set aside. Remove strings and seeds from pumpkins; discard seeds or save for toasting.
2. In a large skillet, cook sausage, vegetables and garlic over medium heat 6-8 minutes or until sausage is no longer pink, breaking up sausage into crumbles; drain. Remove from the heat; stir in rice, 3/4 cup cheese, eggs, parsley, salt and thyme.
3. Place pumpkins in a 15x10x1-in. baking pan and fill them with rice mixture. Replace pumpkin tops. Bake 30 minutes.
4. Reduce oven setting to 350°. Bake 25-35 minutes longer or until pumpkin is tender when pierced with a knife and a thermometer inserted in the filling reads 160°. Sprinkle remaining cheese over filling. Cut to serve.
1/4 PUMPKIN WITH 2/3 CUP FILLING: 204 cal., 6g fat (2g sat. fat), 49mg chol., 405mg sod., 30g carb. (5g sugars, 2g fiber), 10g pro. DIABETIC EXCHANGES: 2 starch, 1 high-fat meat.