Reviewer:

Reviewed: Nov. 9, 2001

I'm editing this to add a few suggestions I've worked out over the years. First, an hour is rarely going to be enough time to cook the pumpkin/stuffing mixture, the pumpkin will be tough. Two hours may be more reasonable, or at least until the pumpkin meat is relatively easy to scoop out with a spoon, it really depends on the size of your pumpkin. Check it every 15 minutes or so after an hour and a half to be safe. Make sure you cut the top opening almost straight across to ensure that there is enough 'lip' to hold the pumpkin top for cooking, the pumpkin will deflate and shrink a bit when fully cooked, so you will need to adjust for that. Finally, I take 2 tablespoons of brown suger and 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, mix them together, coat the inside of the empty pumpkin as if you were flouring a cake pan, then pour out any excess before I spoon in the filling. This really helps to give the pumpkin a nice flavor when you spoon it out with the stuffing when serving. Hope you enjoy this one!

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110 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Geekette

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Irving, Texas, USA

Reviewed: Oct. 23, 2002

All three of my kids actually said it was fantastic (Not any easy accomplishment) They also liked the fact that it was served in a pumpkin shell instead of a bowl. Great complex flavors. Would be good with soft french bread or dinner rolls and a salad. (Made me pretty thirsty too so it could be that I added too much salt. I usually don't add salt when cooking so everyone can just add it to their own taste. This time I salted as I cooked. Flavor was great but I've been thirsty for two hours now.)

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14 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

MRSARAB

Cooking Level: Beginning

Reviewed: Oct. 30, 2002

Loved this dish!!! The filling reminded me of a stroganoff, but cooking it in the pumpkin made it twice as good! We didn't need anything but some buttered rolls. I can't wait to give this recipe to my friends.

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10 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

JBALAGUY

Reviewed: Nov. 2, 2003

My husband and I liked this recipe. My 8 year old son wouldn't touch it! The flavor was different but good. The pumpkin didn't cook completely in an hour and was hard. Next time we will cook it longer.

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4 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

SMAMOM

Reviewed: Oct. 30, 2004

Great!! Great!! Great!! I microwaved the pumpkin a bit first - just about 8 minutes on 600 - helped! Also - I drained my meats - THEN added the spices - so they don't get drained away! I used HOT pork sausage. Also, I cooked some frozen French cut green beans and used those, instead of canned. I also used fresh mushrooms and added them after draining the meats, but before the spices. Next time - I will use 2 lbs of ground beef, add one more can of cream of mushroom soup, and add a generous sprinkling of cajun seasoning. That way - it's great in a pumpkin - or great on it's own (at other times of the year) on buns! Love the spices - they mixed well with the the hint of cajun seasoning too (actually Sylvia's Soul Food Seasoning)!!! I think next year - I will also spread cajun seasoning on the inside of the pumpkin too! Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!

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21 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Menwith Hill'er Back Home !!

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Reviewed: Nov. 17, 2004

Originally reviewed Reviewed: Nov. 17, 2004: I made this as a Harvest dinner on Halloween eve for my family. Everybody liked it; the guys went back for seconds. This is a fun-to-cook, festive, *different* recipe that I would definitely recommend you try. Be sure to put a cookie sheet under the pumpkin as it bakes. Oh, and be sure to have some nice crusty rolls with the dinner, too. Updated review - I've now been making various "Dinner in a Pumpkin" recipes for the past several years, and this one is by far my favorite. This year I added some roughly chopped water chestnuts to the mix and liked the results very much. This recipe for Dinner in a Pumpkin will probably be the one I make from here on out. Great find, Teri!

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20 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

plainoctoberjane

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Albany, Oregon, USA

Reviewed: Dec. 27, 2004

Delicious - made this for a Halloween party to a very impressed crowd.

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2 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

EKVSMITH

Reviewed: Oct. 13, 2005

This was wonderful! I did cook it for about 1 1/2 hours and the pumpkin was thoroughly cooked. I also rubbed pumpkin pie spice on the inside of the pumpkin. It added a great flavor to the cooked pumkin. My dinner guests were quite impressed with the presentation. Will make again.

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7 users found this review helpful