Dinner in a Pumpkin

1 pumpkin

Pumpkin pie spice

1 Onion, chopped

Garlic, several cloves, minced

Olive oil

Sausage (2 lb. pork)

Mushrooms (probably 1 ½ lb.), quartered

Celery (a few stalks), chopped

Cabbage (about 1/3), chopped

Carrots (3), shredded

Salt and pepper, thyme, rosemary, oregano

½ c quinoa

¼ c corn starch

1 c milk

1.   Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Remove and reserve top of pumpkin. Scoop out seeds and stringy pulp.  Sprinkle the inside of the pumpkin with a little pumpkin pie spice, and rub it around.

2.   Sauté onion and garlic.  Add sausage and vegetables.  Cook until the sausage doesn’t seem raw.

3.   Add seasoning.  Stir in quinoa.

4.   Spoon mixture into the pumpkin, trying to leave as much liquid as possible in the pan.

5.   Mix the cornstarch into the liquid, add the milk, and cook until thick. Mix the sauce into the meat and veggie mixture. 

6.   Replace pumpkin top.  Place pumpkin on a large baking sheet, and bake 1-2 hours in the preheated oven, or until pumpkin is tender. Scoop out portions of filling and parts of the cooked pulp to serve.