Cooking with PumpkinNo. 3105 · The 2026 edition
Dinner in a Pumpkin
Transform your Halloween dinner with a festive meal cooked right inside a pumpkin!
Our own summary of the original by Melissa — the full post and photos live at sofestive.com.
This fun recipe turns a pumpkin into an edible bowl for a savory beef and rice filling. After cleaning out the pumpkin and drawing a face, you fill it with a mixture of seasoned ground beef, mushrooms, and rice, then bake until tender. It's a delicious and spooky centerpiece for your Halloween table.
Ingredients
Directions
- Cut off the pumpkin's top and remove all seeds and pulp. Use a permanent marker to draw a Jack-O-Lantern face on the pumpkin.
- Set your oven to 350°F to preheat.
- In a large skillet, cook the chopped onion and ground beef until the beef is browned. Drain off any grease. Stir in soy sauce, brown sugar, mushrooms, and cream of chicken soup. Let it simmer for 10 minutes, stirring now and then. Then mix in the cooked rice and drained water chestnuts.
- Fill the pumpkin shell with this mixture. Place the pumpkin top back on, and set the whole pumpkin on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 1 hour, or until the pumpkin flesh is tender. Transfer the pumpkin to a platter for serving.
