Jack-o'-Lantern Stuffed Face Pumpkins

Est. Cost: $15.38 | $3.85 per person

Estimated cost based on featured sale items only. Does not include common pantry staples (oil, salt, spices, etc.).

Real carving pumpkins hollowed out, carved with a face and baked until tender with a savory ground chicken and rice filling. The pumpkin becomes the serving bowl, so the centerpiece and the dinner are the same thing.

Ingredients

Directions

Step 1: Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Step 2: Cut the top off each pumpkin and scoop out the seeds and strings, scraping the walls down to about half an inch thick.

Step 3: Carve a simple jack-o'-lantern face into the front of each pumpkin with a small paring knife.

Step 4: Brush the inside with melted butter and season with salt and pepper.

Step 5: Brown the ground chicken in a skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it up as it cooks, then stir in the prepared rice and the pasta sauce.

Step 6: Spoon the filling into the pumpkins and top each with shredded cheese.

Step 7: Set the lids back on and bake 35 minutes, then remove the lids and bake another 20 minutes until the cheese is browned and a knife slides easily into the pumpkin wall.

Step 8: Rest 5 minutes before serving so the shells firm up enough to lift.

Chef's Tip: Pick pumpkins that sit flat without rocking, and scrape the walls down to about half an inch so they cook through. Cut the face before you fill it, not after, and set the lid back on for the first half of baking so the shell steams and softens. Bake them on a rimmed sheet in case a pumpkin weeps.

Save by using Face pumpkins are a seasonal buy this week and the ground chicken and rice sides are on sale, so the showpiece costs less than a standard casserole and Serve with A crisp green salad and warm bread.