Pumpkin is not in vain called the queen of vegetables. It goes well with almost any ingredient. Therefore, it is widely used in cooking. This article presents an interesting selection of simple recipes for pumpkin dishes with meat.
Practical recommendations
The meat dishes cooked with the addition of pumpkin have an unusual, slightly sweet taste. To create them, it is advisable to use only fresh, high-quality products. Any kind of meat is suitable for these purposes, but experts recommend the use of lean pork. It turns out more tender and juicy than beef or lamb, and not as dry as chicken fillet.
To make the pumpkin dish with meat acquire a completely different taste, add potatoes, zucchini, bell pepper, green peas and other vegetables to it. And to enhance the aroma, various dried herbs and spices are usually used.
Pork stew
This hearty and delicious meal is great for a family dinner. It is prepared from simple and easily accessible ingredients, which can be purchased in any modern deli. In order for your family to try this stew, you will need:
- A kilo of pork pulp.
- 150 grams of bacon.
- 4 large potatoes.
- 800 grams of pumpkin.
- Large onion.
- 3 cloves of garlic.
- 5 tomatoes.
- Vegetable oil, salt and spices.
Begin cooking this hot pumpkin and meat dish with pork. They wash it, dry it, cut it into not too small cubes, add salt, sprinkle with spices and briefly put aside.
The bacon is fried in a deep saucepan, at the bottom of which there is a little vegetable fat, and transferred to a clean plate. Pieces of marinated meat are sent to the freed oil. Then the pork is combined with bacon. And in a stewpan put chopped onions, garlic and tomatoes. Pour vegetables in a glass of water, mix with bacon and meat. All this is stewed under the lid for ten minutes. After that, pieces of potato and chopped pumpkin are added to the common dish. All this is cooked for another half hour, and then they are salted and removed from the stove.
Pumpkin stew with pork and green peas
This simple and healthy stew is relatively low in calories. Therefore, it can be offered to those who follow their own figure. To prepare a similar dish of pumpkin with meat, you will need:
- 200 grams of frozen green peas.
- A pound of lean pork.
- 300 grams of peeled pumpkin.
- A pair of large onions.
- A glass of water or broth.
- Salt, vegetable oil and ground pepper.
Washed, dried and chopped meat is laid out on a heated frying pan, greased with vegetable fat, and fried until the color changes. Then it is salted, sprinkled with ground pepper, poured with half a glass of water or broth and simmer under a lid over low heat for twenty minutes, not forgetting to periodically replenish the evaporating liquid. As soon as the pork is soft enough, it is lightly browned and mixed with onion half rings. After a few minutes, pieces of pumpkin and a little salt are laid out there. Then, green peas, previously scalded with boiling water, are added to the common dishes, and all are heated together over low heat.
Minced casserole
This simple but very interesting second course with pumpkin and meat has an aesthetic appearance. Therefore, it can become an ornament of any holiday. To prepare it you will need:
- A pound of pumpkins.
- 600 grams of pork and ground beef.
- Onion.
- 40 grams of butter.
- A pair of cloves of garlic.
- 4 large tomatoes.
- 200 milliliters of chicken stock.
- 100 grams of Russian cheese.
- Vegetable oil, sugar, salt and ground pepper.
It is advisable to start cooking this dish of pumpkin with meat by creating a sauce. To do this, cut the tomatoes into the oiled pan and put them out for ten minutes. As soon as the released liquid evaporates from the tomatoes, they are salted, sweetened, pepper and removed from the stove. Fry onions, minced garlic and minced meat in a separate pan. Tomatoes, broth and butter are added to the meat mass. The resulting sauce is poured into a heat-resistant form, on the bottom of which slices of pumpkin are already laid. All this is sent to a preheated oven and baked at 180 degrees for forty-five minutes. Shortly before the completion of the process, the dish is sprinkled with shredded cheese.
Stuffed pumpkin
This interesting treat does not need additional side dishes. It is served right inside the baked vegetable, covered with a chopped top. To prepare this dish in a pumpkin with meat in the oven you will need:
- 200 grams of pork pulp.
- A whole pumpkin.
- Medium carrot.
- Large onion.
- A pair of large spoons of tomato paste.
- A pinch of coriander.
- Salt, vegetable oil and ground pepper.
Shredded onions and chopped meat are fried in a pan greased with warmed vegetable fat. After a couple of minutes, grated carrots, salt, coriander, pepper and tomato paste are added there. All mix well and continue to simmer over low heat. Then the resulting mass is spread inside the pumpkin, freed from the pulp. Stuffed vegetables are covered with a chopped top, greased with vegetable fat, wrapped with foil and sent to a warm oven. Cook the pumpkin at 180 degrees for at least an hour.
Fragrant soup
We draw your attention to another interesting recipe that allows you to cook a delicious dish of pumpkin with meat. This nourishing soup is ideal for both adult and baby food. Therefore, it can add variety to the family menu. To cook a similar dinner, you need to take:
- 150 grams of onions and carrots.
- A pound of beef tenderloin.
- 500 grams of pumpkin.
- A pound of potatoes.
- 200 grams of celery stalks.
- Salt, vegetable oil, herbs and ground pepper.
Onions and carrots are fried in vegetable fat. As soon as they are lightly browned, finely chopped beef is added to them and stewed all together for forty minutes, pouring boiled water to vegetables and meat as necessary. Then put celery, slices of pumpkin and cubes of potatoes into a common pot. All this is poured with two liters of water, salted, pepper and boiled until soft ingredients. Ready soup is poured into plates and sprinkled with chopped herbs.
Pumpkin Stuffed with Rice and Minced Pork
This beautiful and tasty treat will be an excellent complement to any feast. It will fill the room with unforgettable aromas and create a festive mood. To bake a pumpkin dish with meat, you will need:
- A kilo of pork.
- 100 grams of rice.
- A couple of carrots.
- 2.5 kilograms of pumpkin.
- Canned pineapple.
- A pound of bell pepper.
- Salt, spices and vegetable oil.
Fried pork, sautéed vegetables (bell peppers, pineapple and carrots), salt, spices and a little water are mixed in one pan. All this is sent to the stove and simmer over low heat until half the preparedness of all the ingredients. Then the vegetables and meat are mixed with pre-soaked rice and transferred to the inside of the pumpkin, previously freed from the pulp. All this is sent to a warm oven and cooked at 200 degrees for about two hours. Of course, you can make this dish of pumpkin without meat. But then it will not be so full and fragrant.
Chicken Soup
This unusual first course has a pleasant taste, bright color and a pronounced aroma of smoked meats. To prepare it you will need:
- 300 grams of chicken.
- A pound of pumpkins.
- 140 grams of smoked bacon.
- Liter of chicken stock.
- A couple of carrots.
- Large onion.
- Olive oil, salt and parsley.
In a thick-walled pan, at the bottom of which there is a little vegetable fat, chopped chicken fillet and chopped onion are fried. After a few minutes, pieces of pumpkin and chopped carrots are added there. All this is poured with broth and boiled until all the ingredients are cooked. Then the soup is salted, mashed with a blender, returned to the pan, heated and laid out on plates. Slices of fried bacon and chopped parsley are added to each serving. If desired, the ready-made pumpkin soup with chicken is seasoned with fresh sour cream.