Pumpkin rice

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 600 g pumpkin(s)
• 100 g smoked bacon
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic
• 250 g short grain rice
• 375 ml salt water
• 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
• 2 tbsp Parmesan, grated

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 50 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 10 minutes

Dice the bacon and fry it in a little olive oil until crispy. Peel the pumpkin and cut it into centimeter-sized cubes. Peel and dice the garlic. Mix the bacon, pumpkin, and garlic with the olive oil and place it in a shallow baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes in an oven preheated to 180°C (top/bottom heat). Then sprinkle the rice over it and return it to the oven for two minutes. Pour in the water and bake for another 20 minutes. Check occasionally and add more water if necessary. Toast the pumpkin seeds in a pan. Let cool, chop, and mix with the Parmesan cheese. Spread evenly over the cooked pumpkin rice and gratinate in the oven at maximum temperature. Delicious as a side dish to pan-fried dishes or as a vegetarian main course.