How does a cute little pumpkin look hot and taste so wonderful? This is the story of
Hamburger Pumpkin Stew.
In addition, this is the story of my not-so-well-planned life. You thought I was organized and on top of life.
Well, no, that’s not typically how it goes with me. My ideas germinate over time, even the ideas that involve pumpkins.
Three weeks ago, it was time to take the kids to the pumpkin patch for our annual outing where they pick out *their own* pumpkin. As usual, I was in a time crunch. I didn’t actually save time to go all the way to the pumpkin patch.
Lucky for me…
A farmer, seven minutes down the road, grew amazing squash, gourds, and pumpkins of all kinds again this year. Moreover, they were loaded on a big trailer and ready for the picking. Again, God bless farmers. That had to be a lot of work.
The big pumpkin haul…
As the kids hauled all their giant carving pumpkins to the van, I hung back and looked at all the other pumpkins. Some were white, some tall and some were tiny. A few were just plain ugly pumpkins. I found the odd shapes fascinating.
I almost took the ugliest one I could find. That olive green pumpkin with the ugly round moles growing all over it… well, it was a pumpkin only a dermatologist could love. (If you’ve ever seen an “SK” or “wisdom spot” then you know what I am thinking here.) Moving on, I spotted a flat, white pumpkin with “unloved” written all over it. This pumpkin was coming home with me.
Pick one already!
By now the kids were waiting for me to finish making my choices. I picked a huge butternut squash and this round, very bright orange squash-pumpkin. I really don’t know what kind of pumpkin it was but I suspect a Rouge Vif d’Etampes pumpkin. The credit goes to Molly Watson of “The Spruce Eats” for illuminating me. I was simply taken by the deep, beautiful orange. Interestingly, they are nicknamed Cinderella pumpkins. Time to grab your favorite stock pot and get started!
Ingredients
- Ground Hamburger, Turkey, or Chicken, 2 pounds
- Olive oil, 1 tablespoon
- Red Onion, 1 small to medium size
- Chicken Bone Broth, 4 cups
- Montreal Seasoning, 2 Tablespoons
- Pumpkin, large sweet/pie pumpkin, 4-6 cup volume cubed
- Sweet Corn, Frozen or Fresh, 2 cups
- Sour Cream, topping
To cube the pumpkin:
Wash
Cut into fourths
Scoop/scrape out the inside strings/seeds
put 2 of the pieces in/on a microwave safe bowl or plate with a small amount of water in the bottom
Microwave for 5-7 minutes
Cool slightly before peeling the outer skin off the pumpkin back
Chop the remaining inner pumpkin meat into cubes of moderate size
(alternatively to soften the pumpkin slightly, you can do this in your instant pot on high, set at about 5 minutes but may take longer by the time it comes to pressure and releases the steam)
To cook the Pumpkin Stew:
Grab your stock pot for the stove-top.
Add olive oil.
Add ground meat and onion, brown for 5 minutes or until meat is cooked. Keep scraping the bottom with a spatula so nothing burns to the bottom.
Add all other ingredients, including the cubed pumpkin or squash.
Simmer until squash cubes are tender
Add more water or broth if needed for additional liquid
Top with sour cream or greek yoghurt
“Let’s talk turkey…”
First, the type of ground meat you use in this recipe will change the flavor slightly but not enough that I recommend one over the other. I used hamburger because that’s what I had on hand. I would probably have added another tablespoon of Olive Oil to brown the meat if I used ground chicken or turkey because of a lower fat content in the meat.
Second, sodium is what we are here for. Most nutrition labels for ground chicken read 90-100 mg per 4 oz. serving. Labels for ground beef read around 100mg per 4 oz serving. Finally, labels for turkey win the sodium war. They typically read at 65-85 mg per 4 oz serving. Apparently, I should have gone with ground turkey.
The chicken bone broth chosen makes a huge difference in sodium level. Most likely, you will need to make your own because it’s the only way to control how much salt goes in. However, we don’t always have time for that kind of perfection. I consider it a win when I find a pre-packaged broth for under 100 mg per cup. I was blown away when I found this brand with only 20 mg per cup. This Pacific brand is one of the best I’ve ever seen.
Vegetables in this recipe , what can I say? Fresh or Frozen corn is my favorite because the sodium is only what would naturally be there. Food science tells us around 14 mg in an ear of corn. Onions don’t have sodium to add and neither does the pumpkin.
So, overall, this low-sodium hamburger pumpkin stew is something I can feel good about serving. It was fun to create… just like it was fun to rescue a homeless pumpkin from the farmer’s wagon.
The post Hot Hamburger Pumpkin Stew appeared first on Salty Life Mom.