Here's a favourite of mine for autumn gatherings.
It makes for quite a conversation piece and is surprisingly quite tasty!
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Meatloaf Pumpkin
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Cut lid from top of pumpkin and remove gunk and seeds.
Put pumpkin into baking dish with an inch of water. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes or til flesh has started to soften; not till totally soft and eatable.
Meanwhile make meatloaf in usual way ..... ground beef, onion, egg, oatmeal, seasonings or whatever you would normally mix in!
In small bowl, make paste of 2 tbsp. brown sugar and 2 tbsp. dijon mustard.
Remove pumpkin from oven. With spatula lift pumpkin to plate and pour out water. Let pumpkin cool til able to handle. With back of spoon, spread sugar/mustard inside pumpkin.
Pack pumpkin with meatloaf. Top with pumpkin lid. Return to baking dish (no water this time) and bake an additional 45-60 minutes.
Remove from oven. Let rest about 20 minutes. Transfer to serving plate. Slice into wedges and serve!
Notes:
**My wee pumpkin, about 2 lbs, took less than a pound of ground beef to fill
**Can do the par-cook step earlier in the day
**A larger pumpkin and more meat, might require more time to cook for both parts
**You can add some cinnamon or allspice to the sugar/mustard mix and/or to the meatloaf
**Slices easily AND stays together in the wedge!!