Stuffed peppers can be a polarizing dinner, and with good reason. If you overcook them, you have to nosh on a mushy, bitter pepper to get to the filling inside. But when done right, they can be a delicious, fun meal. By “done right,” I mean creating perfectly-cooked Halloween stuffed peppers.
TikTok is currently packed with these jack-o-lantern stuffed peppers, featuring endearing toothy faces cut into bell peppers. This spooky meal has all the trappings of your standard stuffed pepper, but with a sweet Halloween theme that’ll get even the pickiest eaters excited to try them.
The basic rules of stuffed peppers still apply here, including that you don’t want to overcook these. But the seasonal version is basically a reconstructed burrito with a pepper shell and adorable motif, creating a dish most spooky season fans can get behind. Even better: You can toss these together quickly, making for an easy Halloween dinner idea.
Peppers—and stuffed peppers—aren’t a regular thing in my house, so I was a little wary of putting this on the dinner table. But the jack-o-lantern faces meant that my kids were at least willing to give these a try. Spoiler: They loved them. Here’s why this Halloween food is going to be a regular feature on my dinner table every spooky season.
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Why These Jack-O’-Lantern Stuffed Peppers Are the Perfect Halloween Dinner
Courtesy Korin Miller
As a working mom of four kids in various activities, I’m constantly stressed about dinnertime. I have to scramble from working to whipping up a nutritious meal, all while trying to drive everyone to their sports, tutoring, play dates and more. So when someone mentions that a dinner will be quick, nutritious and fun, I’m all ears—even more when it features a theme for Halloween, aka the best time of the year.
These Halloween stuffed peppers work with basic ingredients you can find at most grocery stores, and they include a fun element—carving!—that gets other family members involved. Two of my kids were excited to help work on pumpkin faces, speeding up the process even more.
Prep time took about 20 minutes. That included cooking the meat and rice, along with washing and carving those pumpkin-peppers. They baked quickly, but gave me time to set the table and do other things around the house before plopping these spooky all-in-one mini meals on the dinner table.
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What You Need for Spooky Stuffed Peppers
Courtesy Korin Miller
You only need a few ingredients for Halloween stuffed peppers:
- Bell peppers
- Ground beef
- Rice
- Taco seasoning
- Shredded cheese
You might also want to have things like salsa, sour cream and avocado handy—pretty much whatever you’d toss in a burrito works well here.
How To Carve Bell Peppers Like Mini Pumpkins
I’ve seen videos of people carving their jack-o-lantern bell peppers with special pumpkin-carving knives, but I didn’t find that was necessary. Instead, I just used a steak knife.
Cut out your eyes, along with a goofy, toothy grin. There are no rules with how you carve your Halloween stuffed peppers, so you can have all of the faces look the same or mix them up.
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Step-by-Step Instructions
To make Halloween stuffed peppers, you’ll want to cook your ground beef and rice separately. These are steps you can do before making your stuffed peppers to save on time, if you want. Then, drain the grease from your ground beef and add taco seasoning.
Mix that in a bowl with the rice and a little shredded cheese. Set it aside and preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Courtesy Korin Miller
Wash your bell peppers and cut off the tops, before scooping out the inside seeds. You’ll want to cut the tops as close to the stem as possible to give you plenty of room for your jack-o-lantern faces.
Use a steak knife or pumpkin-carving knife to carve whatever faces you want. You can go with a classic toothy grin, something scarier or a mix of Halloween-themed faces.
Courtesy Korin Miller
Add your meat and rice mixture to your carved pepper, before stuffing shredded cheese on top. Nestle the peppers into a shallow baking dish and put them in the oven for 15 minutes. (Some recipes call for 30 minutes of cooking time, but I found that led to mushy, collapsed peppers.)
Courtesy Korin Miller
Once the cooking time is done, arrange your peppers on a plate or tray and serve them alongside salsa, sour cream, avocado or any other classic taco toppings you like.
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Top Tips for the Best Halloween Stuffed Peppers
Courtesy Korin Miller
Here are some answers to frequently asked questions, and more advice I’d suggest for the best results!
Do you have to boil or pre-bake the peppers before stuffing them?
No, I wouldn’t boil or pre-bake the peppers before stuffing them. You want your peppers to be nice and crisp to support the carving process and retain those sweet jack-o-lantern faces. The peppers will still warm up and soften in the oven, but won’t turn to mush if you toss them in raw.
Can I make these ahead of time?
You can definitely make Halloween stuffed peppers ahead of time, and you have a few options. You can prep all of your ingredients separately and then assemble them when you’re ready, or you can have fully-assembled peppers ready to be tossed in the oven when dinnertime rolls around.
I had these as leftovers the next day, too. They retained their shape well and survived the microwaving process just fine. If you’re really pinched for time, it’s worth considering doing the entire cooking process ahead of dinner.
Which color bell peppers work best?
Orange bell peppers work best for the most pumpkin-like vibe. However, there’s no reason not to try these with green, yellow or red bell peppers if that’s all you can find. Once you carve a jack-o-lantern face into your pepper, people will get what it’s supposed to be.
Can I make these vegetarian or low-carb?
The big draw of Halloween stuffed peppers is the carved face. Beyond that, you can toss whatever you want inside. Consider a beans and rice filling for a vegetarian option. If you want low-carb spooky stuffed peppers, swap in riced cauliflower or just stick with meat and cheese.
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What To Serve With Halloween Stuffed Peppers
The best part about Halloween stuffed peppers is you can serve them as-is for a well-rounded meal. But if you want to add more options, consider these:
- Monster-themed mashed potatoes. You can add green food dye to your classic mashed potatoes and put olives or candy eyes on top for a themed twist.
- Finger fries. Cut fries into long finger shapes and serve them alongside “blood” ketchup.
- Mummy garlic bread. Strategically wrap pieces of cheese around garlic bread for a mummy-like effect. Add green or black olive eyes on top to complete the look.
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