Halloween Stuffed Peppers
Who says jack-o'-lanterns have to be pumpkins? Grab a paring knife and turn bell peppers into the cutest Halloween dinner!
Growing up, there was so much excitement surrounding Halloween. Costumes, trick-or-treating routes, candy swapping-there was so much joy!
Now, I prefer to spend my time crafting a festive menu to celebrate. And these Halloween Stuffed Peppers are the perfect dinner before the trick-or-treaters arrive.
All you need is a small sharp knife (such as a paring knife) to carve the faces into the orange bell peppers.
As for the inside, this particular recipe is Southwestern, but the jack o’lantern technique works with Old Fashioned Stuffed Bell Peppers and Italian Stuffed Peppers, too.
How to carve Jack O’Lanterns from Bell Peppers
You'll want to carve the peppers before cooking, and even before cutting the top off. Otherwise, they'll be too soft or flimsy.
I used my sharpest paring knife and it took about 15 minutes to carve four peppers once I had the technique down.
To carve the peppers, use a pen to draw your desired shapes onto the bell peppers. Then, use a paring knife to carve on the outside of the pen markings.
You could also use a pen with edible ink
(they're fun for decorating fondant or confections made with candy melts, too.) Or if you're really talented, you could just carve them freehand!
Discard the pieces that you’ve cut out, and the peppers are ready for stuffing!
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Can I make Halloween Stuffed Peppers ahead of time?
You can make the stuffed peppers up to 24 hours in advance. Cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve them.
When you’re ready to serve, cover with foil and place in a 350°F oven for 20-25 minutes, or until heated through. You can also microwave them.
Variations
- Use ground beef instead of ground turkey
- Replace the turkey with a can of black beans (rinsed and drained)
- Add a can of (drained) green chiles for even more Mexican flavor
- Instead of southwestern stuffed peppers, make them into Italian Stuffed Peppers
Side dishes for stuffed peppers
Here are a few side dish ideas!
- A leafy green salad (like this winter fruit salad with pecans and apples)
- Garlic bread (or this Pull Apart Garlic Bread if you’re feeling fancy!)
- Perfectly Crispy Garlic Potatoes
- Roasted Garlic Broccoli
I hope your little (and big) ghouls and goblins enjoy these!
📖 Recipe
Halloween Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 4 large orange bell peppers
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ yellow onion chopped
- 1 lb ground turkey (OR one (15oz) can black beans, rinsed & drained)
- 1 jalapeño, diced
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling into peppers
- ⅔ cup salsa
- 1½ cups cooked rice (this is approximately ½ cup uncooked)
- ½ cup canned corn, drained
- 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese, divided
- To garnish: chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Rinse and dry bell peppers. Carve jack o'lantern faces into each bell pepper using a sharp paring knife. I used a pen to draw the shapes first, and then cut on the outside of the markings with the paring knife. If you're more talented than I am, you could also cut them freehand.
- Cut ½ to ¾ of an inch off the top of each bell pepper. Set aside the tops. Carefully clean the ribs and seeds out of each pepper. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Place the peppers in a 8×8 inch glass baking dish and replace the top of each pepper. Put ½ inch of water in the bottom of the baking dish and microwave on high for 4-5 minutes, until the peppers are almost tender.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, jalapeño, and turkey (or black beans). Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and the turkey is cooked through, about 6-7 minutes.
- Add the cumin, salt, salsa, cooked rice, corn, and half of the cheese. Stir to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the mixture is hot throughout.
- Drain the water from the dish with the bell peppers. Divide the rice mixture evenly among the bell peppers. Divide the remaining ½ cup cheese between the tops of the peppers.
- Bake for 5-7 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the peppers are warm throughout. Replace the top on each pepper, sprinkle with cilantro, and serve.
Notes
to trace the faces first, if you wish!
You can substitute ground beef for the ground turkey. 
Delicious!!
I absolutely love these! So cute. I definitely need to try them out this weekend. Thank you!
Thanks so much, Stine Mari! Hope you enjoy them!