Recipe: Mini Pumpkins Stuffed with Lentils, Tomatoes and Cheese

The recipes section of Latvijas Avīze, a Latvian newspaper, published a pumpkin-based main-course recipe on 31 October. The author is Māra Lapsa, and the piece appeared in “Praktiskais Latvietis”, a publication of the media company AS “Latvijas Mediji”. The dish is built around four mini pumpkins, which are baked and then stuffed.

Ingredients

The pumpkins need thyme, garlic, salt and olive oil. For the filling, the recipe lists 160 g of Talsu zaļais ritulis cheese, one onion, 100 g of lentils, 200 g of tomatoes, 50 g of spinach, a sprig of thyme, garlic, butter, salt and pepper.

Method

First, cut the top off each pumpkin, remove the seeds and drizzle the pumpkins with olive oil. Place a garlic clove and a sprig of thyme in each one, then add a little pepper and salt. Bake them in the oven for 20 minutes.

For the filling, fry chopped onion in butter, add the tomatoes and lentils, and heat through. Then add garlic and spinach and heat again. Finally, stir in the chopped cheese.

Spoon the mixture into the pumpkins and return them to the oven for another five minutes. Arrange the dish on a plate and decorate it.