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–+ servings
Ebonie Garnica

Beef and Cauliflower Stuffed Pie Pumpkins for Full GAPS

Full GAPS Halloween dinner in three small pie pumpkins, filled with beef, cauliflower, spinach and egg. Use prepared homemade chicken meat stock and ghee after their ingredients are tolerated. Roast the empty pumpkins first, then fill and bake again; three filled pumpkins is a batch yield, not a fixed dinner-serving count.
Print Recipe
Servings: 3 filled pumpkins
Course: Dinner, Full GAPS, Main Course
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 3 small pie pumpkins edible cooking pumpkins, washed; tops cut off and seeds removed before roasting
  • 1 head cauliflower cut into florets, then shredded into rice-like pieces while raw
  • 1 bundle spinach washed; stems removed
  • 1 pound ground beef fresh or fully thawed
  • 1 cup prepared chicken meat stock measure the finished linked stock; have it ready before starting
  • 1/2 yellow onion diced
  • 1 egg whisked
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoons herbes de Provence a dried-herbs-only blend, without starch, sugar or other additives
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder pure garlic, without additives
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • natural salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • 1-2 tablespoons prepared homemade ghee measure the finished linked fat; already introduced and tolerated
  • water enough for a 1/2- to 1-inch depth in the roasting dish; discarded after roasting

Equipment

  • One or two high-sided oven-safe baking dishes
  • Large skillet or pot with lid
  • Cutting board and sharp knife
  • Spoon for removing seeds
  • Hand grater or suitable food processor
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Small bowl and whisk
  • Cooking spoon
  • Food thermometer
  • Oven mitts and suitable pumpkin-lifting tools

Method
 

  1. Have the linked meat stock and ghee prepared before starting. Heat the oven to 425°F. Choose one or two high-sided, oven-safe baking dishes that hold the three pumpkins with room to lift them out.
  2. Cut the tops off the raw pumpkins and scoop out the seeds and loose fibers. Finish this cutting and cleaning before roasting. Keep the pumpkin walls intact so they can hold the filling.
  3. Pour water into the baking dish to a depth of 1/2 to 1 inch. Stand the empty pumpkins cut-side down in the water. Roast for 15–20 minutes, checking for flesh that yields to a fork while the shells still hold their shape. Larger or thicker pumpkins may need longer.
  4. Meanwhile, shred the raw cauliflower florets into small rice-like pieces with a grater or a suitable food processor. Dice the onion, mince the garlic and remove the spinach stems. Whisk the egg in a separate small bowl.
  5. Heat the ghee in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant, then add the onion and cook until translucent. Stir rather than letting the garlic scorch.
  6. Add the beef, raw shredded cauliflower and measured stock. Break up the beef and cook for about 3–5 minutes, until it is nearly cooked and some liquid has evaporated. Stir in the herbes de Provence, garlic powder, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper.
  7. Add the spinach, cover and cook for about 2 minutes to wilt it. Check that the ground beef reaches 160°F and the cauliflower is tender; continue cooking if needed. Remove the skillet from the heat, then stir in the whisked egg. The egg will finish cooking in the oven.
  8. When the empty pumpkins are tender, lift them from the roasting water with suitable tools onto a stable heat-safe surface. Let the dish and water cool enough to handle safely before discarding the water. Return the pumpkins upright to the drained baking dish and let them cool slightly for filling.
  9. Spoon the hot filling into the pumpkins without forcing it over the rims. Bake upright, uncovered, for about 8–10 minutes, then check the center of each filling with a thermometer. Continue until each center reaches 165°F and the tops are lightly browned. If filling remains, bake it in a separate small oven-safe dish to the same temperature.
  10. Let the pumpkins cool briefly before serving. Scoop some soft pumpkin flesh with the filling, leaving the skin behind. The three filled pumpkins are a batch yield; divide the food into portions that suit your meal.

Notes

Full GAPS: Use after the ingredients, including whole egg and ghee, have been introduced and tolerated and digestive symptoms have cleared. This unpeeled pumpkin-bowl method is not an Introduction Diet recipe. Eat the cooked flesh, leaving the skin behind.
Pumpkins and yield: Use three small edible pie pumpkins. Pumpkin cavities, cauliflower heads and spinach bundles vary in size; extra filling can finish in a separate small baking dish.
Timing: The empty pumpkins roast for about 15–20 minutes, followed by about 8–10 minutes after filling. Use tenderness and temperature checks. Preparation, heating the skillet, draining and cooling add unmeasured time; no fixed total is promised. Have the linked stock and ghee ready.
Herbs: Herbes de Provence is a dried herb blend. Check that every ingredient is an allowed herb, with no sugar, starch, flavor enhancers or other additives. Garlic powder should be pure garlic.
Equipment: A hand grater can make the raw cauliflower pieces. Use a food processor only with an attachment approved for that job; no particular appliance brand is required.
Cooling and storage: Scoop leftover filling and pumpkin flesh out of the skins into shallow containers. Refrigerate within two hours, or one hour above 90°F. Use within 2–3 days, counting the remaining storage time of the prepared stock too. Reheat in a covered oven-safe dish or on the stove to 165°F; do not microwave.
Scaling: Double every measured ingredient for six small filled pumpkins, using enough baking dishes and skillet capacity. Keep the roasting-water depth at 1/2 to 1 inch in each dish rather than doubling its depth. Cooking times do not automatically double; check every pumpkin and each filling center.

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