The Pumpkin Fan with Mini Burgers is a truly delicious single dish, a combination that will surely leave you speechless. We liked it a lot.

Be careful to salt the pumpkin slices first, place them for a few minutes on paper towels to remove part of the water they contain. Nevertheless, during cooking, it may release more water; if it’s too much, drain it (being careful not to burn yourself) and continue cooking for a few more minutes.

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Cheap
Preparation time: 40 Minutes
Portions: 5-6 people
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

2.2 lbs pumpkin (already cleaned)
1 lb salamella (skinless)
10.6 oz beef (minced)
5.3 oz grated Parmesan cheese (+ two tablespoons of Parmesan to sprinkle on the surface)
3 pinches garlic powder
1 sprig parsley (chopped)
3 pinches fine salt
3 eggs
as needed olive oil (to grease the pan)

Steps

Wash and peel the pumpkin with a peeler, cut it into slices about 0.2 inches thick. You should get 33/34 slices.
Salt the pumpkin slices and place them in a colander or on a paper towel for a few minutes to release water. This way they will release less water during cooking.
Meanwhile, place the eggs, minced meat, crumbled salamella, Parmesan cheese, garlic, parsley, and salt in a bowl and mix well to obtain a soft but not too mushy mixture.
Form small balls weighing about 1 oz, you will get about 33-34 of them.
Grease a 8-inch diameter pan with some oil. Take the pumpkin slices, which will have released part of their water, and alternate them with the pressed meatballs.
Gradually place the stacks of pumpkin and meatballs in the pan and arrange them in a crown shape. In the center, place a small stack to complete the pan.
Sprinkle the surface with the two tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese and some oil.
Bake at 356°F for 35/40 minutes. During cooking, the pumpkin will release more water, check the amount of water that forms inside the pan, empty it (being careful not to burn yourself) if there is too much. Brown the surface with the grill (make sure it doesn’t burn) and before removing from the oven, check that both the pumpkin and the meatballs are cooked.