Stuffed Halloween Pizza Pumpkin

STUFFED HALLOWEEN PIZZA PUMPKINS 

Vegan, BLW  6+ months,  Makes 6 pumpkins, Recipe from Cat Dean (@little.vegan.eats)

These are such a fun savoury Halloween idea. They are soft, easy to hold, and you can fill them with whatever your little one enjoys. We used a simple veggie and cheese filling, but feel free to mix it up.

DOUGH INGREDIENTS:

• 200g of cooked pumpkin or butternut squash
• 1 1/3 cup / 180g of self raising flour (or use plain flour mixed with 2 tsp of baking powder and a pinch of salt)
• 1/2 tsp of ground turmeric
• Optional: splash of water if the dough feels too dry

PIZZA STYLE FILLING (OR USE WHATEVER YOU LIKE):

• 1/4 of a medium green pepper finely diced
• 1/2 Tbsp of Italian herbs
• 1/4 cup of tomato paste
• 1/2 Tbsp of olive oil
• 1/3 cup of grated vegan cheese

HOW TO:

1. Preheat the oven to 180c °C / 350f.
2. Mash the pumpkin in a mixing bowl. Add the flour and turmeric and knead until a dough forms. If it feels too dry add a tiny splash of water. If it feels too sticky after kneading for a couple of minutes, add a Tbsp of extra flour. 
3. Roll the dough out on a silicone baking mat or lightly floured surface until around 3mm thick and in a rectangle shape. 
4. Cut into six even squares (if using the baking sheet, cut gently so you don’t slice your baking mat).
5. Mix all the filling ingredients together, except the cheese.
6. Spoon the filling into the centre of each dough square and top with cheese. Then fold all four corners into the middle and pinch together. Shape into a rough ball.
7. Use four pieces of cooking string to tie around each ball (one string at a time) to create 8 pumpkin ridges/sections. Trim the excess string, turn them upside down so the neat side is facing up, and gently press down in the centre. Spray or brush with olive oil, and then bake for 15 to 17 minutes until lightly golden and puffy. 
8. Once baked, remove the string carefully by cutting each piece and peeling it off. Then, to make them look like pumpkins, use the extra bit of pepper and cut it into small strips (we used the top part where it curves to keep that pumpkin stalk shape), and cut a small slit in the centre of the pumpkins and press the strip of pepper in.
9. Enjoy