Taco Pumpkins

When my son was younger, I loved making special meals for Halloween.  Mummy dogs, breadstick bones, and forked eyeballs were some favorites. These Taco Pumpkins were a huge hit as well. I first saw the idea from Taste of Home in 2009.  The ingredients were not something that he'd eat back then, so I adapted it to his tastes.

It really doesn't get any more simple. I used leftover taco meat and Fiesta blend cheese. Roll refrigerated biscuits out slightly to flatten them.  Place one biscuit on the baking sheet, add 2 to 3 tablespoons taco meat and then sprinkle with cheese.  How much? I don't know, life's just too short to measure cheese, don't you think?

Top with another biscuit.  You can go two ways now.  You can get artistic and cut out jack o'lantern faces, or just score lines to make it resemble a pumpkin. Cut out stem shapes from one of the biscuits, and I like to do the little curlycues too.  Press them onto the pumpkin to seal them together.

Another way to get creative is in the egg wash.  Just beaten egg works fine, but you can tint the wash with food coloring and paint it on too.   Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes.  The jack o'lanterns may ooze slightly, but don't worry, that just makes them more spooky!

No luck on getting the teenager to pose for a "then and now" shot with these, so I'll just share the "then."   Jake, October 2009

Taco Pumpkins

Yield: 7

Author: Jolene's Recipe Journal

ingredients:

• 2 8 count cans biscuits, I use Pillsbury Grands
• 1lb lean ground beef
• 1 package taco seasoning + water needed per directions.
• approximately 1 cup Mexican blend cheese
• 1 to 2 eggs, beaten
• Orange, green and brown food coloring, if desired

instructions:

How to cook Taco Pumpkins

1. Brown ground beef in a skillet over medium heat, drain grease. Add taco seasoning and water. Simmer over medium low heat until the water is absorbed.
2. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out 14 biscuits to flatten them to 1/2" and place on a cooking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray. Place two to three tablespoons of taco meat onto 7 biscuits. Top with 7 biscuits and score to resemble pumpkins, or "carve" jack o'lantern faces into them. Press to seal the edges.
3. With the remaining two biscuits, cut to make stems and curlicues. Press onto pumpkin bases. . If desired, separate the egg wash into 3 bowls and add green, brown and orange food coloring to them and "paint" it on. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the biscuits are completely cooked through.

Adapted from Trick or Treat Turnovers

Taco, Halloween,

Snacks, Dinner, appetizers

American

Created using The Recipes Generator

This post was originally published on October 1, 2013.  It has been updated with new text, photos, and a printable recipe card.