Baked Mini Pumpkin Pots

From the kitchen of Carly

Hollow-out mini pumpkins become edible bowls for savory sausage and sage-laced bread stuffing. Baked until tender, they're topped with a crack of egg and crème fraîche for richness. A stunning single-serve dinner that tastes like autumn comfort.

Prep
n/a
Cook
n/a
Total
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Servings
4
Difficulty
medium

Ingredients

4 servings

  • 14 mini pumpkins (about 1 pound each)
  • 14 ounces sweet or hot bulk sausage
  • 15 eggs
  • 14 pieces stale bread (any nonsweet kind), cut into cubes
  • 11 tablespoon minced fresh sage, or 1 teaspoon dried
  • 11 tablespoon minced Italian parsley
  • 11/2 teaspoon salt
  • 11/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 14 teaspoons crème fraîche (optional)

Instructions

  1. » Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice the top quarter off each pumpkin and remove the seeds and stringy bits.

  2. » In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, sauté the sausage for 3 to 4 minutes, until cooked through. Drain off any rendered fat and set aside.

  3. » Whisk 1 of the eggs, and toss it in a large bowl with the sausage, bread cubes, sage, parsley, salt, and pepper until well combined.

  4. » Fill each pumpkin with the stuffing mixture to a little less than 1 inch from the top, and place it on the prepared sheet. Bake for 40 minutes, until the pumpkins have soft- ened. Remove the pan from the oven and use a spoon to compress the stuffing a little. Pour 1 of the remaining 4 eggs into each pumpkin. Lightly cover the pumpkins with a sheet of aluminum foil. Increase the heat to 400 degrees F and return the sheet to the oven. Bake for another 10 minutes, until the eggs are just set.

  5. » Serve hot, topped with about a teaspoon of crème fraîche and more salt and pepper to taste.