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Pumpkin Ground Beef Casserole

Pumpkin Ground Beef Casserole



Bring pumpkin to your dinner table this fall with this delicious and savory pumpkin casserole dish that can easily be doubled to feed a crowd. This dish can be a great addition to your Thanksgiving dinner too!

When you think about fall, you probably think about pumpkins. From pumpkin spice everything to decorating with pumpkins, those pretty orange globes really are the epitome of fall. When you think about cooking with pumpkin, you may automatically think of making sweet treats. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bread and even pumpkin ice cream and my latest pumpkin dessert recipe:  pumpkin s’mores cheesecake bars! But what about using pumpkin to make a more savory dish?

Well, today, I’m going to show you how to make a delicious, satisfying dish you and your family will love: Pumpkin Ground Beef Casserole.

A pumpkin ground beef casserole in a white casserole dish with a large serving spoon

Why You’ll Love It

This savory pumpkin casserole dish is a fall dinner at its finest. Everything about this recipe screams “fall”! From the beautiful orange pumpkins to the browned ground beef and the perfect blend of seasonings, it really may quickly become your favorite fall meal.

It’s warm and quite filling and sure to heat up these cool fall nights! I also obsess over this recipe because it really serves as a full meal in itself.



There are veggies (yes, pumpkin!), protein and starch all in one dish. No need for any extra sides if you ask me! Of course, you can serve the pumpkin bake along side some roasted Brussels sprouts or sautéed broccoli rabe if you want to add some bright green color to your table. But one pan of this delicious pumpkin casserole dish will be enough for everyone.

So how do you make savory pumpkin casserole? Let’s take a look and get you ready to cook!

How to Make Pumpkin Ground Beef Casserole

Below are some step-by-step photos showing you how easy this casserole is to make. All of the recipes steps are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

1. Prepare The Pumpkins

To begin, you will need to cut the pumpkins, remove the skin and remove the seeds.

What kind of pumpkin to use: Look for small “sugar” pumpkins which are meant to be used for cooking. They are the perfect size for this recipe and much sweeter than larger pumpkin varieties.

Save the pumpkin seeds. You may also want to consider saving the pumpkin seeds to roast later on- they make an amazing snack!

2. Brown the Ground Beef with Spices

Ground beef is browned in a large skillet and then tossed with some onions and garlic. Paprika and cayenne are mixed into the meat, seasoning it to perfection.

If you’re not a fan of spice, simply skip the cayenne! The pumpkin casserole will still be amazing without it!

3. Add Sauce Ingredients

Tomato puree and sour cream are mixed into the beef creating a saucy, creamy blend. Take a taste of the mix at this stage and adjust the seasonings to suit your personal preferences. Maybe a little more salt or a touch more cayenne if you really want to turn up the heat!



4. Layer The Casserole

Spread the chopped pumpkin in a casserole dish and then pour the beef mix over the pumpkin.

Feta cheese is then sprinkled on top as the perfect, finishing touch- everything is better with cheese!

5. Bake The Casserole

Place the pumpkin casserole in the oven and then bake it. It will fill your house with a mouthwatering scent that will have everyone running to the dinner table. Pretty easy, right?!

Tips & Tricks

  • Use pre-chopped pumpkin. To save a little time, you can look for pre-chopped pumpkin in your grocery store, some places have it on hand this time of year. You would need about 6-8 cups of chopped pumpkin if you go this route.
  • Pre-cook the pumpkin. If you want to quicken the cooking process, preheat the oven as your first step, cut the pumpkin, add it to your casserole form and precook it while you are preparing the sauce. Then go on as written in the recipe, but reduce baking time to around 20-30 minutes. You can also precook your Pumpkin in the microwave. Fill your pumpkin into a microwavable bowl and heat on maximum heat for 4-5 minutes. Add the cooked pumpkin into your casserole form, add sauce and feta and bake for 10-15 minutes.



  • Double It. To feed a crowd, just double the ingredients to fill up two casserole dishes or make even more.
  • Pre-make the sauce. You can prepare the sauce ahead and cut the pumpkin. Just throw everything together when needed and bake.
  • Use different cheese. If you don’t like feta, you can add mozzarella, cheddar or another cheese to your liking. Feta cheese gives a nice contrast though, if you like and have feta I would recommend using it.

Storing It

You can keep the leftovers in your fridge for up to 2 days.

So are you ready to make some savory pumpkin recipes? Are you ready to bring pumpkin to the dinner table this fall? It really isn’t just for dessert! And this delicious, hearty pumpkin bake will prove it!

Make my pumpkin casserole recipe this week and then let me know what you think. It could be your next new fall favorite dish!

Enjoy!

MORE DELICIOUS MAIN DISHES TO TRY!

 

I hope you like this recipe for pumpkin ground beef casserole – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Hip Mama’s Place on FacebookInstagramPinterest, and Twitter!

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pumpkin ground beef casserole

Pumpkin Ground Beef Casserole


  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 small pumpkin, around 2 pounds
  • 1 pound of ground beef
  • 2 cups tomato puree/sieved tomatoes
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 8 oz feta
  • 1 tsp paprika powder
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Cut the pumpkin into quarters and remove the seeds with a tablespoon.
  2. Next, cut the pumpkin into bite size pieces and set aside.
  3. Preheat your oven to 400F
  4. Heat a pan over medium-high heat and cook the ground beef and cook for 1-2 minutes.
  5. Add the garlic and onion to the pan and cook until the ground beef is no longer pink.
  6. Add the paprika powder and the cayenne pepper and stir.
  7. Pour in the tomato puree and stir everything together.
  8. Remove pan from the heat, then add the sour cream and stir again
  9. Fill the pumpkin into your casserole pan and pour the ground beef sauce evenly over it.
  10. Spread the feta on top and bake for 50-60 minutes, until the pumpkin is soft. Check with a pointed knife if cooked.
  11. Check on your casserole after around 40 minutes. If the feta is already getting brown cover the casserole form with tin foil.
  12. Serve the casserole by itself or with rice, pasta or couscous if you prefer.

LOVE THIS RECIPE? PIN IT HERE! 

Bring pumpkin to your dinner table this fall with this delicious and savory pumpkin ground beef casserole dish!



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Jocelyn Brown

A former school teacher, Jocelyn Brown created Hip Mama’s Place in 2007. Her motto for this blog is: get inspired, create and share! Jocelyn loves sharing about food and recipes, crafts, DIY projects and her random travels with her family. She also loves all things social media, but her latest obsession is Instagram.

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54 Comments

  1. Phil Friesen
    01/08/2023 / 7:54 pm

    This is a great recipe. I cooked it last night, and the entire family loved it. I quadrupled it because my kids eat a lot, and made (4) 9×13 pans. I followed the recipe with no changes.

  2. 03/27/2022 / 2:05 am

    Here in Australia we love our pumpkin and we bake it with potatoes and an onion or two with a leg of lamb, beef roast, chicken or pork roast and serve with gravy it is called a baked dinner and every household in Australia have this quite often. A lot of us grow our own pumpkins in our back yard and they are great for soup and mashed as a vegetable.

  3. 11/15/2021 / 9:58 pm

    since we are vegetarians, will be skipping the beef and using some other protein (maybe lentils or tofu or ) but the combination is interesting

  4. 11/12/2021 / 9:53 pm

    This sounds like a delicious combination. I haven’t made much with pumpkin or squash and this sounds like a nice, hearty dish.

  5. 11/12/2021 / 6:52 pm

    OH yum! I bet this taste fantastic.

  6. 11/12/2021 / 6:10 pm

    Wow! This looks so delicious and not mention really healthy. My kids love pumpkins and I think they’re going to love this too. Thank you for sharing the recipe. Will try this.

  7. 11/12/2021 / 3:19 pm

    This sounds amazing!!! Though… I have a bag of sweet potatoes I need to use, wonder if they’d sub well for the pumpmkin? Hmmm… may try!

  8. Monica Simpson
    11/12/2021 / 4:32 am

    I don’t know if I’ve ever had pumpkin in a savory way. This sounds so good~!

  9. 10/31/2020 / 11:19 am

    This looks so yummy and I’m not even a pumpkin fan

  10. 10/30/2020 / 9:27 pm

    Never came across a recipe with pumpkin and ground beef. Looks delicious though thanks for sharing.

  11. 10/30/2020 / 3:59 am

    What a great idea! Why have I never thought of this before??

  12. 10/30/2020 / 3:56 am

    I’ve never heard of something like this. So interesting I might just have to make it!

  13. 10/19/2020 / 3:52 am

    Yum, will definitely try this with tofu! Wish me luck – I hope it will work!

  14. Elicitfolio
    10/14/2020 / 4:15 pm

    I must say, I’ve never heard of this recipe before but gave it a try and it turned out amazing! Can’t wait to make this again!

  15. 10/14/2020 / 6:16 am

    Hmm, I never thought about making a casserole with pumpkin, thanks for opening my mind!

  16. 10/13/2020 / 6:25 pm

    Oh my God this savory pumpkin casserole looks amazing, healthy and easy to make. Gonna try it out. Thanks fo sharing. 😁🙏

  17. 10/13/2020 / 5:11 pm

    what an interesting recipe! Going to try it out.

  18. 10/13/2020 / 4:13 pm

    This looks really yummy! I’ve never had a combination of beef casserole and pumpkin before but I’m sure I’d love it!

    Kileen
    cute & little

  19. Melanie williams
    10/13/2020 / 1:34 pm

    I do love my pumpkin for sure and this looks like a really yummy dish that is perfect for winter x

  20. Ashley t
    10/13/2020 / 10:36 am

    This looks and sounds so delicious and easy to make.

  21. 10/13/2020 / 9:49 am

    This was really good!! Quickly became a favorite at my house!

  22. 10/13/2020 / 9:41 am

    I think so, yes. I am ready to! I can’t wait to feel that beef on my tongue!

  23. Maartje van Sandwijk
    10/13/2020 / 9:09 am

    I’m going to suggest making this for the kids I look after 🙂 Looks like such an easy recipe!

  24. 10/13/2020 / 3:59 am

    This is such an interesting recipe idea! I never thought to make a beef casserole with pumpkin in it, but I love this concept. I’ll save this recipe idea to make when we cut into our next set of pumpkins I bought. Love this idea.

  25. Nikki Wayne
    10/13/2020 / 2:57 am

    Looks so delicious, I will definitely try this for this coming holidays.

  26. 10/13/2020 / 2:53 am

    This is perfect for a quick family meal during the holidays. Saving for when my parents arrive.

  27. Ryan Escat
    10/13/2020 / 2:45 am

    This looks great to eat with white rice.
    I bet this won’t last an hour if I made one for my family. Hehe. Thanks for this yummy recipe 😋

  28. 10/13/2020 / 2:01 am

    I haven’t tried eating pumpkins that are freshly chopped up and cooked. If they are sweet, I might like it even though pumpkin flavors aren’t my favorite. My daughter loves it so I will share this recipe with her.

  29. Terri Oliver Steffes
    10/13/2020 / 1:53 am

    I put this on my menu for next week! Delish! Thank you!

  30. Aarika
    10/13/2020 / 1:23 am

    This is such an interesting and hearty casserole idea! I love discovering new ways to eat pumpkin. Thanks!

  31. 10/13/2020 / 1:02 am

    I like pumpkin and this is something that I may like. I will have to give it a try.

  32. Sherry
    10/13/2020 / 12:32 am

    I haven’t tried pumpkin in a savory dish before. This casserole looks so good. I’ll have to see if we carry sugar pumpkins here now that we’ve had our Canadian Thanksgiving.

  33. 10/13/2020 / 12:02 am

    I would never have thought to use pumpkin in a savory recipe like this. It sounds very interesting! I look forward to trying it.

  34. 10/12/2020 / 7:36 pm

    In the fall I love savory pumpkin dishes. This looks like a great recipe for pumpkin ground beef casserole. Right up my alley.

  35. Jennifer Van Haitsma
    10/12/2020 / 10:55 am

    This sounds yummy. I’ve never thought to try pumpkin in a casserole before, but it sounds tasty. And I do love a good casserole!

  36. Catalina
    10/12/2020 / 8:11 am

    I’ve never tried to make pumpkin with ground beef together! This casserole sounds and looks so good!

  37. 10/12/2020 / 4:52 am

    I love Pumpkin Ground Beef Casserole. I hope I can make it on weekends. So good!

  38. 10/12/2020 / 3:30 am

    this makes me drool. it’s a perfect combo! and looks very healthy and delicious. i would love to try this one out!

  39. Beth
    10/12/2020 / 1:16 am

    This seems like a really interesting combination. I’m so used to thinking of pumpkin as pumpkin pie, that I’ve never thought to make a casserole with it.

  40. 10/12/2020 / 12:11 am

    This looks so good! Since I’m vegetarian, I’ll be trying this with meatless crumbles. It must be delicious!

  41. 10/11/2020 / 12:50 pm

    Yum to the yum! I haven’t made a casserole with pumpkin before but this ground beef casserole with pumpkin looks delicious!

  42. 10/11/2020 / 2:45 am

    Pumpkin AND ground beef?! SIGN ME UP! I need to switch up our dinner routine.

  43. Kathy
    10/11/2020 / 12:09 am

    I’ve never had this before. It looks amazing. I love pumpkin. I’m always looking to make different recipes with pumpkin too. I can’t wait to try this.

  44. 10/10/2020 / 5:47 pm

    Such a savoury dish! Would definitely try this recipe out.

  45. Kuntala Bhattacharya
    10/10/2020 / 4:51 pm

    This a great recipe. I am eager to prepare recipes with pumpkin, I have to leave the beef though maybe add chicken. I will try out.

  46. 10/10/2020 / 3:22 pm

    I love a good beef casserole, but I have not tried making this yet. Looks delish! Going to save your recipe.

  47. 10/10/2020 / 9:06 am

    So rich and delicious! I would probably use quorn mince instead as a vegetarian alternative

  48. 10/10/2020 / 3:27 am

    I just love pumpkin recipes for the season. So exciting! This looks so great and I wouldnt think to top with feta, but yum!

  49. 10/10/2020 / 1:07 am

    I’ve done a similar recipe with butternut squash but never would have thought of pumpkin! I bet my whole family will love this one!

  50. 10/10/2020 / 12:30 am

    I like the combination. The texture seems super nice! Would love to try!

  51. 10/10/2020 / 12:08 am

    This looks like such a yummy pumpkin dish. I usually just cook the pumpkins and make a puree out of them, but will have to try this sometime!

  52. Ben
    10/09/2020 / 4:24 pm

    I have to give this a try. I love all the flavors here and all that protein and the goodness of the vitamins in the pumpkin are so healthy.

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