This Keto Brazilian Shrimp Stuffed Pumpkin or Camarão na Moranga, is a traditional Brazilian dish from São Paulo. It is a creamy shrimp stew that is perfect for any gathering. The stew is served in the pumpkin making it a beautiful centerpiece. We love serving this dish at Thanksgiving!
Preparing the Pumpkin
Originally this dish is made with a heirloom pumpkin from Brazil known for its pink or “strawberry” color – Moranga. If you don’t have access to this specific pumpkin, you can use any pumpkin that’s easily accessible in your area.
First wash your pumpkin. Carefully cut the top of the pumpkin to create a “lid”. Scoop out the seeds, being careful to not scoop out too much of the pumpkin (we will us this later in the stew). Combine olive oil, garlic and onion and rub this all over the inside of the pumpkin.
Cooking the pumpkin. The first way to cook the pumpkin is to bake it in the oven for about 45 minutes. However, we have read that a lot of people cook their pumpkin in the microwave for about 10 minutes. We haven’t tried this yourself, but it might be good to try if you want to save time.
Shrimp vs Chicken
Traditionally this dish is made with shrimp (prawn) – Camarão na Moranga (shrimps in the pumpkin). However, if shrimp isn’t your thing, this would also work nicely with chicken.
Keto Adaption
Luckily we didn’t have to do much to ketofy this recipe. If anything, we have more specific measurements for the pumpkin added into this dish. Because of this, we decided to prepare our Keto Camarão na Moranga (Brazilian Shrimp Stuffed Pumpkin) a bit different.
Traditionally, the pumpkin isn’t scooped out once cooked. Instead once the pumpkin is done cooking, cream cheese is spread inside the pumpkin. When serving, you would using a spoon to grab the stew and gently scrape the sides to gather the pumpkin and cream cheese.
When ketofying this dish, we wanted to account specifically for how much pumpkin we are consuming. So we decided to add the pumpkin and cream cheese into the stew prior to filling the pumpkin. Doing this also makes it a bit easier for serving. Pumpkin doesn’t have a ton of carbs, so you can serve this anyway that you want!
Keto Camarão na Moranga (Brazilian Shrimp Stuffed Pumpkin)
Equipment
- Dutch Oven or Large Pot
Ingredients
Brazilian Shrimp Stuffed Pumpkin (Camarão na Moranga)
- 1 Large Pumpkin
- 2 Lbs Large Shrimp Peeled & Deveined.
- 6 Garlic Cloves Minced. Divided.
- 50 Grams White Onion Grated.
- 50 Grams White Onion Diced.
- 200 Grams Tomatoes Diced.
- 1/2 Cup Tomato Purée Passata.
- 1/2 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
- 250 Grams Cream Cheese Cubed.
- 1/2 Cup Parmigiano-Reggiano or Mozzarella Grated.
- 4 Tbsp Olive Oil Divided.
- 1-2 Limes Juiced.
- 1/2 Cup Fresh Parsley or Cilantro Chopped + More for Garnish.
- Salt To Taste.
- Pepper To Taste.
Cauliflower Rice (Optional)
- 500 Grams Frozen Cauliflower Rice
- 1/4 Cup Chicken or Vegetable Broth
- 1/4 Cup Shrimp Stew Sauce To Taste.
- 1/4 Cup Fresh Parsley or Cilantro.
- 1 Lime Juiced.
- Salt To Taste.
- Pepper To Taste.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF.
- Peel and devein the shrimp. In a bowl, add the shrimp and freshly squeezed lime juice. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside in the fridge.
- Carefully remove the top (lid) of the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds.
- Combine grated onion, 3 cloves of minced garlic and 2 tbsp of olive oil. Alternatively, you can add all ingredients to a food processor or combine them with a mortar and pestle. Spread the mixture all over the inside of the pumpkin.
- Put the top back on the pumpkin and cover with aluminum foil. Bake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the stew.
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat.
- Working in batches, cook the shrimp for about 2-3 minutes per side (do not overcrowd the pot).
- Set the cooked shrimp aside.
- In the same pot, add 50 grams of the diced white onion and cook until soft. About 5 minutes.
- Add minced garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Add the diced tomatoes and cook for about 7 minutes until soft. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the tomato purée, heavy whipping cream, almond milk and cubed cream cheese to the pot. Cook until heated through and cream cheese is fully incorporated.
- When the pumpkin is done cooking, remove an excess water from the bottom of the pumpkin.
- Scoop out about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of the softened pumpkin and incorporate it into the stew. Be careful not to break the pumpkin!
- Add the shrimp back into the stew along with freshly chopped parsley or cilantro.
- Adjust seasoning if needed.
- Pour the stew back into the pumpkin and top with freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano or mozzarella.
- Place the filled pumpkin under a broiler for 3-5 minutes until cheese has melted.
- Garnish with extra fresh parsley or cilantro.
- Serve with cauliflower rice, enjoy!
Cauliflower Rice (Optional)
- While cooking the stew, prepare the optional cauliflower rice.
- Steam the frozen cauliflower in a microwave for 3-4 minutes, or according to the package. (This step can be skipped if using fresh cauliflower rice).
- In a large pan, add the cauliflower rice with 1/4 cup of broth, lime juice and salt and pepper.
- Simmer until almost all of the liquid has evaporated.
- Scoop in about a 1/4 cup of sauce from the stew.
- Adjust seasoning if needed.
- Stir in fresh cilantro or parsley.
- Remove from heat.
- Serve the cauliflower rice with the shrimp stew.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- 512 Calories
- 7.5g Carbohydrates
- 0.8g Fiber
- 33.6g Fat
- 42.2g Protein
- 24 Calories
- 4.6g Carbohydrates
- 1.1g Fiber
- 0.0g Fat
- 1.3g Protein
Let us know in the comments below if you’ve tried our Keto Camarão na Moranga (Brazilian Shrimp Stuffed Pumpkin). If you’re looking for more keto recipes, visit our recipe page!
