In a dilemma over what to serve for Halloween night? Of course time is short, so something quick must be the order of the day. Hopefully you have a few packets of seasoned ground beef from the Ground Beef Module in the freezer; it will save lots of time (if not, brown 2 pounds ground beef with a chopped onion and season with salt, pepper, and garlic). For this Sloppy Jack-O-Lantern Pie, all you need is a couple of packages of the ground beef mixture, cans of Sloppy Joe sauce (your favorite variety), frozen tater tots, and a ready rolled pie crust. The bonus is that it actually tastes good.

Egg yolk paint (egg yolk with food coloring added) brushed on the face of the Jack-O-Lantern makes it easy to decorate, and no art talent is necessary. Leaf cutters or free-hand leaves give extra color and charm to the pie. Although this cute Jack-O-Lantern pie is perfect to place on the annual Halloween BOO-ffet, it’s easy enough for a weeknight family dinner. The official Hancock tasters loved it, although it took a bit of coaxing for Mr. Picky to try it – hunger gave in at the end and he actually liked it.

12 Servings

24 ounces frozen tater tots

4 cups ground beef mixture from the Ground Beef Module, (2 packages)
2 15 oz. cans sloppy Joe sauce

1 rolled pie crust
1 egg yolk
Paste food coloring

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Arrange the tater tots in the bottom of a 12" deep dish pizza pan.
3. Place the tater tots in the oven to crisp while preparing the remaining ingredients.
4. Thaw the ground beef mixture and place it in a large skillet; add the sloppy Joe sauce and stir over medium heat until it boils,
5. Turn down to a simmer and let simmer 5-10 minutes.
6. When the tater tots are crisp, remove them from the oven and pour the bubbling sloppy Joe mixture over.
7. Unroll the pie crust and cut pieces out so it resembles a Jack-O-Lantern; carefully place it over the ground beef mixture.
8. Whip the egg yolk with a fork, measure about a teaspoon into another bowl, and add orange food coloring to the largest amount of egg yolk.
9. Brush it over the surface of the crust.
10. Reroll the cutouts and cut leaves; add green coloring to the 1 teaspoon egg yolk and brush onto the leaves.
11. Arrange them decoratively on the top of the Jack-O-Lantern.
12. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the crust is cooked through.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 414 Calories from Fat 204
Percent Total Calories From: Fat 49% Protein 18% Carb. 33%

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 23 g
Saturated Fat 9 g
Cholesterol 81 mg
Sodium 1034 mg
Total Carbohydrate 34 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugars 7 g
Protein 19 g

Vitamin A 1% Vitamin C 7% Calcium 0% Iron 2%