Stuffed Pumpkin 5.0: Bacon, Egg and Goat Cheese Stuffed Pumpkin

Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and those loyal ESers among you may have been wondering—what is Miss K going to cook inside a pumpkin this year?  (Or perhaps you had forgotten this annual tradition.  That would be understandable.  After all, it has been a whole year.)  Whether you are new around here or just want to refresh your memory, you can read about my other stuffed pumpkins here, here, here, and here.  For my pentannual pumpkin post, I decided to go in a different direction, mealwise.

Inspired by Mike’s round-up of butternut squash recipes, I recently made a butternut squash gratin, which bore a striking resemblance to my family’s typically breakfast casserole, but, you know, with squash.  As I was eating it, I had three thoughts: 1) I cut these potatoes too big. This has been a common problem for me lately.  More on that another day. 2) This would be better with bacon.  3) Aha!  I have discovered the secret to this year’s stuffed pumpkin!

And so, without further ado, I have just the recipe you need to impress your in-laws on the day after Thanksgiving.  That is, if everyone hasn’t already, at that point, vowed to eat only green leafy vegetables until Christmas.

Bacon, Egg and Goat Cheese Stuffed Pumpkin

1 small pumpkin
3-4 slices stale bread
1/2 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
4 oz. goat cheese
6 eggs
1 c. milk

Remove top of pumpkin and clean out seeds and goo. Bake pumpkin a on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees until tender but firm, 20-30 minutes depending on size.  Pumpkin is done when a fork pierces flesh easily.  Remove from oven.  Peel off skin.  Place pumpkin in a square baking pan.

Place a slice of bread inside the pumpkin.  Top with with crumbled bacon and goat cheese.  Add another slice of bread, topped with bacon and goat cheese.  Repeat until you reach the top of the pumpkin.

Whisk together eggs and milk.  Pour into pumpkin, covering bread, bacon and cheese.  Let sit for 20 minutes to allow bread to absorb egg mixture.

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, until a knife inserted into center of eggs comes out clean.  Allow to cool slightly so that eggs can set.  Slice and serve.