With the cooler weather right a round the corner it is time to start thinking about all those fabulous hot fall dishes that warm your stomach and your heart. One of my favorite fall recipes is meatloaf in a pumpkin. Not only does it taste great but it saves cleaning the pan afterwards.

My own contribution to this idea is that instead of making a family meatloaf in a large pumpkin, I use those tiny pumpkins to make individual meatloaves. My family loved having their own little pumpkin surprise and I am sure yours will too!

While you can make this recipe for any number of people the directions below will serve a family of 4.

Ingredients

• 4 small round pumpkins that will set up on their own.
• 1 pound of ground beef
• Soda crackers or bread crumbs
• 1 medium size onion finely chopped
• ½ pound of fresh mushrooms (or one small can of mushrooms)
• 1 carrot finely diced
• 1 tablespoon garlic crushed or 1 to teaspoons garlic paste
• 1 and ½ tablespoons Soy sauce
• 1 green pepper finely diced (optional)
• 3 stalks of celery finely diced (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 eggs

Method

1. cut the tops off the four pumpkins, clean any pumpkin clinging to the tops off and then set pumpkin tops aside.
2. Clean out the insides of the pumpkin as you would to make a jack o lantern. Arrange on a cookie sheet.
3. In a separate mixing bowl combine ground beef, crackers or bread crumbs, onion, mushrooms, carrot, garlic, pepper, celery, salt and pepper, Soy sauce, and eggs. Mix throughly together.
4. Divide meatloaf into four sections. Fill each mini pumpkin with ¼ of the meatloaf mixture.
5. Place tops back on pumpkins.
6. Bake in oven at 350 degrees F. or until done.
7. Serve with a baked potato, salad, vegetable, and hot rolls and butter.