Little Monsters Beefy Pumpkin Ghoulash

In honor of children everywhere and the magic of Halloween, I’ve written a poem to read to your kids when you serve them Beefy Pumpkin Ghoulash.

And, because Google bots can’t read text on photos, I’m repeating my poem (double dose of toil and trouble!):

As witches, vampires, ghosts and goblins gather on Halloween night

Here’s a kid-friendly dinner recipe that’s perfect at first bite:

One yellow onion to keep witches away

Five cloves of garlic to keep vampires at bay.

Ground beef to make a werewolf drool

Plus pumpkin that escaped the carver’s tool.

Fire roasted red tomatoes left behind by a dancing devil

Don’t forget to add kidney beans to the cauldron or kettle!

Skeletons rubbing elbows with macaroni

Forget about accidentally adding phony baloney rigatoni!

A pinch of salt, a dash of pepper

Douse with water and at the last minute, cheddar;

Black olives for eyes and a red onion smile

Topped with celery leaves and voila’, a hair style!

Beefy Pumpkin Ghoulash, a hearty harvest delight

Is just what the Bogeyman ordered on Halloween night!

Beefy Pumpkin Ghoulash, made in a skillet, is one of those one-pot dinners that is not only a delicious, comforting meal but kid-friendly too.  Served with sliced red onion “moons” for smiles, black olives for eyes and a tuft of celery leaves for hair, let your kids decorate their own.  They don’t have to eat the red onion – just explain that they need to make their pumpkin ghoulash smile (or frown)!

When I was a kid, I loved to put black olives on all my fingers and eat them one at a time! Place a bowl of black olives beside your Beefy Pumpkin Ghoulash and see what happens next.

I love this “bat” basket.  I had to figure out a way to use it, so I placed the serving bowl of Beefy Pumpkin Ghoulash in it.

The hardest part about making Beefy Pumpkin Ghoulash is chopping the onion and garlic. After that, it comes together in minutes with sauteed ground beef, cans of diced tomatoes, kidney beans and pumpkin (I used fresh mashed pumpkin because I had some leftover in the freezer from a pumpkin baking adventure, but you can use canned pumpkin.  Just don’t use canned pumpkin pie filling).  Add water and macaroni, cover with a lid and 15 minutes later, dinner is ready.

Here’s the recipe:

Beefy Pumpkin Ghoulash

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Easy one-pot (skillet) meal that’s kid-friendly, too.

• Author: Carole from Toot Sweet 4 Two
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins
• Total Time: 30 mins
• Yield: 8 1x
• Category: Dinner
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
• 5 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely minced
• 1 pound of lean ground beef
• 2 – 14.5 ounce cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 – 15 ounce can of dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups fresh mashed pumpkin or 1 can mashed pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (more to taste)
• 4 cups water
• 1 – 12 ounce package of elbow macaroni
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 16 (or more) black olives (for garnish)
• 1/2 red onion, peeled, cut in half and sliced (for garnish)
• 1 bunch celery leaves (for garnish)

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Instructions

1. In large skillet with a lid, add canola onion and heat over medium heat.
2. Add onions and saute until translucent.
3. Add garlic and saute a few minutes more.
4. Add ground beef, breaking up with spoon and saute until brown.
5. Add tomatoes, kidney beans and pumpkin and stir until well-combined.
6. Add water and bring to a boil.
7. Add macaroni, stir, bring to another boil.
8. Cover and reduce heat to medium and cook 10 to 15 minutes until macaroni is al dente.
9. Add cheddar cheese and stir until incorporated and melted.
10. Taste and correct seasonings by adding more salt and pepper.
11. Serve with black olives for eyes, sliced red onion for smiles and celery leaves for hair.

Notes

Makes 8 hearty servings or 12 smaller servings.

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Tootles,

Related Posts:

(other Halloween and autumn recipes)

• Baked Sweet Potatoes with Warm Maple Drizzle and Toasted Pecans
• Crazy Chocolate Cake with Homemade Chocolate Frosting
• Creamy Pumpkin Soup
• Cryptically Easy Chocolate Milk with Halloween Oreo Cookie Straws
• Easy Jack-O-Lantern Cheesecake Pie
• Harvest Pumpkin Chili
• Pumpkin Patch Pals Pumpkin Pie
• Roasted Pumpkin Seeds with Sea Salt
• Southwest Tamale Pie
• Spicy Crock Pot Chili
• Turkey Vegetable Chili in Sourdough Bowls