Wild Rice-Stuffed Pumpkin

Ingredients

• 1 lb. wild rice blend
• 2 lb. fresh spinach
• stemmed
• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. olive oil
• divided
• 6 cups sliced button mushrooms (1 1/2 lb.)
• 1 large onion
• chopped (2 cups)
• 1 cup diced celery
• 9 cloves garlic
• minced
• divided (3 Tbs.)
• 3 Tbs. chopped fresh sage
• divided
• 4 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
• divided
• 2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 1 1/2 cups cooked kidney beans
• or 1 15-oz. can kidney beans
• rinsed and drained
• 1 cup chopped toasted pecans
• 1 6- to 8-lb. cooking pumpkin

Instructions

1. Prepare wild rice blend according to package directions.
2. Transfer to bowl.
3. Bring 1/2 cup water to a boil in bottom of skillet.
4. Add spinach, and cook 4 minutes, or until wilted.
5. Drain, and cool, then squeeze dry, chop, and add to rice in bowl.
6. Heat 2 Tbs.
7. oil in skillet over medium heat.
8. Add mushrooms, onion, celery, 4 tsp.
9. garlic, 1 Tbs.
10. sage, and 2 tsp.
11. thyme; saute 10 minutes, or until all liquid has evaporated.
12. Stir in corn and kidney beans, and saute 3 minutes.
13. Stir mushroom mixture into rice mixture.
14. Fold in pecans, and season with salt and pepper, if desired.
15. Preheat oven to 350F.
16. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil.
17. Cut top from pumpkin, and scoop out seeds and pulp.
18. Combine remaining 1/4 cup oil, remaining 5 tsp.
19. garlic, 2 Tbs.
20. sage, and 2 tsp.
21. thyme in bowl.
22. Brush oil mixture over inside of pumpkin.
23. Fill pumpkin with rice mixture, cover with top, and bake 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until pumpkin is tender when side is pierced with knife tip.
24. Uncover, and bake 10 to 20 minutes more.