Pumpkin Beef Stew is a creative and fun way to serve a fall favorite! The pumpkin is both a soup tureen and an ingredient in this delicious stew! People smile when they see this beautiful dish!
Pumpkin Beef Stew
Equipment
- baking sheet
- Pastry brush
- Large dutch oven cooking pot
Ingredients
- 1 5-6 lb whole pumpkin
- 2 lbs beef stew meat
- ¼ cup cooking oil
- 1 medium onion sliced into ¼ inch wedges
- 3-4 carrots cut into ½ inch chunks
- 2-4 ribs celery cut into ½ inch chunks
- 3-4 potatoes cut into 1 inch chunks
- 2 quarts canned beef broth
- 1 Tbs. whole allspice
- 5-6 whole bay leaves
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
Prepare the beef stew
- Brown the stew meat in cooking oil in a dutch oven cooking pot. Salt and pepper to season.
- When the meat is browned and the liquid from the meat is cooked away, add the onion, carrots, celery, potatoes, and beef broth.
- Place the allspice and bay leaves in an herb infuser and place the infuser in the stew.
- Bring the stew just to a boil on high, then turn the heat to low and simmer for about 45 minutes until the meat and vegetables are tender.
- To thicken the stew, take about a cup of the broth from the pot and slowly whisk in the flour. Pour this back into the stew and continue to simmer for a few minutes just until thickened.
Prepare the pumpkin
- While the beef stew is simmering, prepare the pumpkin.
- Hollow out the pumpkin and brush it all over inside and out with cooking oil.
- Place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven at 350° for about 45 minutes to 1 hour until fork tender.
- When the pumkin is fully cooked, carefully place it on a pretty serving platter.
- Then fill the pumpkin with the beef stew.
A Few Tips for Preparing the Pumpkin
Place the pumpkin in a baking pan large enough to hold it. Don’t use a disposable aluminum baking pan. The pumpkin is too heavy for it. Bake the pumpkin at 350° for about 45 minutes to one hour.
The pumpkin is ready when a fork easily pierces the flesh, but it’s still firm. It’s important to not overcook the pumpkin. It needs to be firm enough to hold the stew and stand on its own.
Serving Pumpkin Beef Stew
Place the baked pumpkin on a large, sturdy serving platter. When the stew is thickened, carefully ladle it into the pumpkin. Place Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits on the tray all around the Pumpkin Beef Stew.
This pretty dish is a lot of fun to take to a potluck! Just wait until you arrive at your destination before putting the stew into the pumpkin.
And if you love a pretty fall tablescape, you can’t go wrong with this beautiful traditional pumpkin table arrangement by Whispers of the Heart! I love all the warm oranges and ambers accented with green. A pumpkin filled with beef stew would look so pretty in this setting!
