Pumpkin spice. You either love it, or you hate it. Or maybe you liked it, but you’re totally sick of everything being pumpkin spice. I mean, you can get pumpkin spice Cheerios, Twinkies, cream cheese, and even candy corn. Really? Candy corn. There is nothing that can enhance candy corn to make it more appealing. And not only are the packaged foods over-saturated with pumpkin spice, you can also buy pumpkin spice, soap, lotion, household cleaners, and even beard oil. With that said, I am one of those people that used to love pumpkin spice. My love for pumpkin spice came at a time when you had to make it yourself. You didn’t buy tons of pumpkin products, you bought tons of canned pumpkin and hit the kitchen making pumpkin spice pancakes, cookies, breads, and cakes. And that’s when I created pumpkin meatloaf.
It was my first fall as a working professional with a college degree. I had volunteered to take over making pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. My wife was working retail at the time and was gone most evenings so I had tons of free time and a lot of anxious creative energy. I like pumpkins and I like meatloaf, so with me left on my own, it was only a matter of time before these two merged together into a wonderful flavor extravaganza.
I just took a regular meatloaf recipe and added pumpkin, and pumpkin pie spices. When I make this I never write down what I do so it’s different every time. But this time I tried to really pay attention so I could be consistent. I also made a pumpkin gravy to go with it. It’s pretty amazing if I do say so myself, if you’re into that sort of thing.
This nice apple-cheddar soup from Better Homes and Gardens is a great supplement and compliments the spices of the meatloaf.
Pumpkin Spice Meat Loaf
Ingredients
- For the meatloaf:
- 1 1/2 -2 pounds ground beef
- 1 Cup chopped onions
- 3/4 panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 can pureed pumpkin
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 3/4 tsp allspice
- 3/4 tsp cloves
- For the glaze:
- 1 Tbsp ketchup
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp pureed pumpkin
- For the gravy:
- 2 3/4 cups beef broth
- 1/2 can pureed pumpkin
- 3 Tbs brown sugar
- 3/4 tsp allspice
- 3/4 tsp cloves
Instructions
- For the Meatloaf, mix together all ingredients. Form meat mixture into a loaf pan.
- Make the glaze and cover meatloaf.
- Bake at 350 degrees between 60-90 minutes. Meat should reach 155 degrees in the center.
- For the gravy, mix all ingredients and bring to a boil. Let simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- You can add flour or cornstarch to thicken the gravy if needed.
- Pour the gravy over some homemade mashed potatoes and serve.
