A Stuffed Pumpkin Recipe To Prevent Food Waste This Halloween

We're all trying to reduce how much waste we create, whether it's plastic or chucked away food. To that end, Myles and Giles, creators of recipe box delivery service Mindful Chef have put together a recipe to answer the age old question: 'what the hell am I supposed to do with all these sodding pumpkins?

The answer is pumpkin curry! Specifically, roasted baby pumpkin half bowls filled the soft sweet flesh with a creamy tikka lentil curry, fresh parsley and a sprinkling of toasted flaked almonds.

If you’re not carving pumpkins this evening, you can just pumpkins from the supermarket tomorrow when they’re all on a massive reduction.

Ingredients

1.baby pumpkin

1.red chilli

1.red pepper

20. flaked almonds

240. lentils in water (drained)

2.garlic cloves

2.tbsp tikka masala paste

2.tomatoes

30. creamed coconut

4.tsp oil

80. spinach

Medium handful of flat-leaf parsley

Macros: 565 calories • 52g carbs • 31g fat • 21g protein

Allergens: Mustard, Nuts, Sulphites

Recipe for two people, halve the ingredients for one person

Method

Preheat the oven to 220C / gas mark 7 and boil a kettle.

Carefully cut the pumpkin in half horizontally to give two bowl shapes. Remove the seeds from the pumpkin.

Place the pumpkin halves, flesh up on a baking tray, drizzle with 2 tsp oil and sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt. Place in the oven for 30-40 mins (depending on the size of the pumpkin) or until turning golden and the flesh has softened, turning halfway through.

Finely chop the garlic and the red chilli (removing the seeds for less heat). Dice the red pepper and the tomatoes. Roughly chop the parsley leaves. Dissolve the creamed coconut in a jug with 200ml boiling water. Drain and rinse the lentils.

Heat a dry medium-sized pan on a medium-high heat and toast the flaked almonds for 3 mins, until turning golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.

In the same pan, heat 2 tsp oil on a medium heat and cook the garlic and tikka masala paste for 1 minute. Then add the red pepper, tomatoes, creamed coconut, lentils and chilli (to taste). Simmer gently for 15 mins until the sauce has thickened, then add the spinach and half of the parsley for 2 mins. Season with sea salt and black pepper to taste.

Place the pumpkin halves on two warm plates and spoon in the creamy spiced lentils. Sprinkle over the toasted flaked almonds and the remaining chopped parsley. Done!

Now here's some ideas for leftover Halloween chocolate