Sausage Stuffed Pumpkin #SundaySupper Halloween Party

Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year. While my kids were growing up I loved planning their costumes. I usually made their costumes or we went thrift store shopping to put something together. 

Then as they got older it gave me an excuse to be a big kid myself. We would decorate the house with all sorts of scary things. Skeletons, zombies, tombstones, bats and spiders. We had a smoke machine and the scary sounds playing when the neighborhood kids would come to trick or treat. We would dress in costume and loved seeing if we could scare them.

Oh, don't worry, we didn't scare the little ones. 

But from Jr High up they were fair game!

When I saw we were doing a Halloween themed Sunday Supper. I had to think really hard. My first reaction was to do something really creepy or gross. Last year I made  Goblin Eggs (think moldy looking green deviled eggs...YUM!!). I also came up with the Vampire Kiss Martini.

I decided to go back, waaaaaaay back, to the beginning, when Halloween was about watching all of the cute Halloween shows with my kids, carving pumpkins, and trick or treating. It wasn't spooky ghouly in those days. It was just tons of family fun, and "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" was one of our favorite shows! It just didn't feel like Halloween until we watched it together.

So it just seemed natural to come up with something that would bring those memories to a dish. I have been wanting to bake squash and this just seemed like the perfect opportunity to do it. I did some searching on the internet for stuffed pumpkin recipes. Who knew there would be so many??

I ended up choosing a recipe by Dorie Greenspan. She explains that this was a recipe given to her by a friend and that it is ever changing and evolving. I loved the "bones" of the recipe, and knew where I wanted to change it just a tad to suit our tastes and needs. 

I had no doubt that it would be good. With 96% of 125 reviews saying they would make it again, I figured I was pretty safe. 

Kevin and I, however, were NOT prepared for exactly how good this dish would be!

Like blow your mind good! 

The combination of the sweet herbed sausage and the salty tang of the cheese with the slight sweetness of the pumpkin meat? Ahhhh-mazing!! 

I can't wait to make it again. It is perfect for a holiday meal, and has that serious WOW factor!

adapted from 

Pumpkin, Packed with Bread and Cheese

Sausage Stuffed Pumpkin

By Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen
Published 10/26/2013

Ingredients

• 1 pumpkin, about 3 pounds
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 pound Italian Sausage
• 1 envelope (6 ounces) stuffing (I used Mrs Cubbison's)
• 4 ounces Gruyère cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese plus more for sprinkling on top
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh chives, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Instructions

1. With the rack in the center of the oven, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Brown the sausage in a skillet breaking into bits with a wooden spoon.
3. Cut a cap out of the top of the pumpkin at a 45 degree angle. You want to cut off enough of the top to make it easy for you to work inside the pumpkin. The same as you would for a jack-o-lantern. Remove the seeds and strings from the cap and inside the pumpkin. Generously salt and pepper the inside of the pumpkin, and put it in a cast iron skillet or in a pot.
4. Toss the bread, cheese, garlic, sausage, and herbs together in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper—you probably won't need much salt because of the cheeses, but taste to be sure. Spoon the mix into the pumpkin, pack it down a bit. The pumpkin should be well filled. Stir the cream with the nutmeg and some salt and pepper and pour it into the pumpkin.
5. Put the cap in place and bake the pumpkin for about 90 minutes, the flesh of the pumpkin should be tender enough to be pierced easily with the tip of a knife. Remove the cap and sprinkle with a bit of Parmesan cheese. Cook an additional 20 to 30 minutes, so that the liquid can bake away and the top of the stuffing can brown a little.

Yield: 2 main course or 4 side dish
Prep Time: 00 hrs. 15 mins.

Cook time: 02 hrs. 10 mins.
Total time: 2 hrs. 25 mins.
Tags: beef, chive, garlic, Gruyere cheese, heavy cream, Holiday Dishes, Italian sausage, Main Dishes, Parmesan cheese, pumpkin, thyme, Halloween, Thanksgiving,

Here are some more fabulous recipes for your Halloween dining pleasure!

COCKTAILS

• Bloody Maria by La Cocina de Leslie
• Heads Will Roll Cocktail by Noshing with The Nolands
• Wicked Pomegranate Blueberry Sangria by The Messy Baker

SWEETS AND DESSERTS

• Snickers Fudge by I Run for Wine
• Halloween Pumpkin Chocolate Parfaits by Daily Dish Recipes
• White Chocolate Monster Munch by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Soft and Chewy Chocolate Candies by What Smells So Good?
• Candy Corn Puppy Chow by Pies and Plots
• Pumpkin Dirt Pudding Graveyard Parfaits by Neighborfood
• Candied Pumpkin (Calabaza en Tacha) by Magnolia Days
• Snickerway Truffles by Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Homemade Peanut Butter Cups by The Texan New Yorker
• Jack Skellington Oreo Pops by Big Bear’s Wife
• Halloween Crunch Truffles by The Weekend Gourmet
• Candy Corn Parfait by The Urban Mrs.
• Shrek’s Dirty Q-tips by Shockingly Delicious
• Frozen “Boo” Nana Pops by Momma’s Meals

CUPCAKES, COOKIES AND MORE

• Bourbon Caramel Glazed Pumpkin Donuts by Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
• Candy Corn White Chocolate Pretzels by Alida’s Kitchen
• Soft Apple Cider Cookies by Killer Bunnies, Inc
• Spooky Cookies by Basic N Delicious
• Spiced Pumpkin Bomb Cupcakes by My Other City By the Bay
• Cinnamon Rolls à la Great Pumpkin by Ninja Baking
• Trick or Beet Brownies by Foxes Love Lemons
• Caramel Surprise Witches’ Hat Cupcakes by Hot Momma’s Kitchen Chaos
• Dark and Stormy Gingerbread by girlichef
• {Flourless} Monster Cookie Dough Dip by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Monster and Mummy Cupcakes by Hip Foodie Mom
• Pumpkin Cut-out Cookies by Take A Bite Out Of Boca
• Candied Pumpkin Cheese Cake with Maple Cream by Vintage Kitchen Notes
• Easy Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes by The Dinner-Mom
• Zombie Cupcakes by Treats & Trinkets

APPETIZER, MAIN MEALS

• Green Tomato Chilli by Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
• It’s the Great Stuffed Pumpkin by Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
• Mummy Calzone by Curious Cuisiniere
• Pumpkin Soup by Juanita’s Cocina
• Pizza Bones by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Sincere Pumpkin Patch Spicy Cheese Ball by Food Lust People Love
• Spooky Stew by Happy Baking Days
• Bloody Rice by Crazy Foodie Stunts
• Ghost Flatbread Pizzas by Family Foodie
• Witch Hats by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures

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