More Pumpkin

Pumpkin season may be coming to a close, but it is by no means over just yet. I love pumpkins, so I am going to ride this pumpkin wave for as long as I can. I have another delicious pumpkin recipe coming your way, but first, I wanted to share this fun little pumpkin piece. It was something I saw the other day and just had to share it with all of you too.

Meet Patches the pumpkin. Patches is just a “tiny” little pumpkin, weighing in at a mere 1432 lbs. That is A LOT of pumpkin pie right there. My friend Lauren didn’t think Patches was a real pumpkin, but it is. 🙂

Now for my recipe. There is NO WAY even I could cook that much pumpkin, and I wouldn’t even try. My oven, or even my kitchen, couldn’t hold this much pumpkin, and how would I even begin to move it. 🙂 My recipe only calls for one 15-oz can of pureed pumpkin. 🙂

Pumpkin and Shrimp Bowties

Of course, I changed the recipe and made it my own. What else would you expect, right?! 🙂 I made a lot of changes, so it is really nothing like the original at all, but then that is nothing new to you. that’s just what I do. You can make this dish with either chicken or shrimp. The original recipe called for shredded chicken, but I had shrimp down, and just expanded on it from there.

1-1 1/2 lb peeled shrimp

5-6 pieces of bacon, diced

1 onion, diced

1 TBSP garlic

3 cups fresh spinach, stemmed and chopped

1-1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms

1-2 TBSP butter

1 15-oz can pumpkin puree

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup heavy whipping cream

salt & pepper to taste

1 TBSP fresh sage or 1 tsp dried sage

1 cup grated Parmigiano cheese

1 cup Mozzarella cheese

fresh parsley, chopped for topping

olive oil

bowtie pasta

Cook the bowtie pasta just until it is al dente. Then drain and set aside until you are ready to use it.

Preheat the oven to 350* F or 190* C.

Spray a 9×13 baking pan with cooking spray.

Combine the pureed pumpkin, chicken broth cream, sage and seasonings together and set aside.

Cook the shrimp in the butter and olive oil until it is done. Then remove from the heat and set aside.

Cook the bacon for about 5-7 minutes, then add the vegetables and continue cooking until everything is cooked.

Add the pumpkin mixture and blend everything together well. Add the cooked pasta and shredded Parmagiano cheese and combine well. You may need to readjust the seasonings.

Once everything is mixed together, spoon half of the mixture into the prepared baking pan and add half of the cooked shrimp on top. Repeat until the pan is filled. Add the Mozzarella cheese on top and bake for about 20-30 minutes, or until all the cheese is completely melted.

When it is done, spoon it up and serve with your favorite side dishes. I just made a simple salad and used the rest of my cheesy bacon bread Cheesy Onion And Bacon Bread that I topped with my chimichurri sauce. Chimichurri Topped Roast I also added a dollop of chimichurri on top of my shrimp bowties too. I had a cool, crisp chardonnay on the side too. Yummy!!!!

Pumpkin season is coming to a close, so pumpkin it up while you can, although to be fair, good food and good taste is always in season, regardless of what the calendar says. 🙂

Stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.