Halloween Stuffed Peppers [Best Jack-O’-Lantern Recipe]

Why read: These super easy Halloween stuffed peppers are perfect for a Halloween dinner or party. Your whole family will be delighted with these stuffed jack-o-lanterns!

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Get ready for Halloween excitement!

You know how fun carving a Jack-O’-Lantern is, right?

Well, we’re turning stuffed peppers into a spooky dinner for kids with these Halloween stuffed peppers.

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

1. Exciting Halloween twist. Perfect for a Halloween dinner. 
2. Creative family activity. It’s a fun way to have an exciting Halloween meal together as a family. 
3. Tasty and healthy dinner.
4. Easy to make.

Ingredients Needed For Halloween Stuffed Peppers Recipe

• 4 red or orange bell peppers
• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 cup cooked rice
• ½ onion, chopped
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1 large minced garlic clove
• Salt and pepper to taste
• ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Step-by-Step Preparation With Pictures

Preheat the oven to 350° F. 

Remove the tops from the bell peppers, and remove the seeds. 

Using a small sharp knife, cut Jack-O’-Lantern faces on the bell peppers. You can get creative here and make the carved faces all look different.

Add all of the ingredients except the mozzarella cheese to a large bowl. 

Start with ground beef.

Add chopped onions.

Add cooked rice. You can use brown rice for a healthier option.

Add minced garlic.

Season with salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning. You can also add a little chili powder.

4. Mix well.

Add the meat mixture inside of each pepper.

Sprinkle a handful of mozzarella cheese on the tops of the bell peppers.

Place the peppers upright on a baking sheet or in a large baking dish. 

Bake in the preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until the meat is cooked through. 

Enjoy this festive dish as a main course on a Halloween night!

Preparing the Peppers

Let’s have fun designing the Jack-O’-Lantern face!

Think about how you want them to feel – spooky, silly, or happy.

Will it be funny faces?

Your imagination can go wild and your creativity can shine.

When you’re ready, take a sharp knife and start carving.

Begin with simple shapes like triangles for the eyes and a zigzag for the mouth.

Try different looks, like squinty eyes or big grins, to make it exciting.

After carving perfectly, put the tops back like hats for a whole different look.

Kids can help using a safe cutting tool from pumpkin carving kits with your help.

If they’re too young for that, they can draw with food-safe markers while you do the main carving of the peppers.

There are so many different ways that the faces can be carved.

Use red peppers for a more dramatic look.  Add small plastic spiders or other creepy creatures for some spookiness.

Pairing and Serving Suggestions

To make your Halloween meal even more exciting, you want to include some fun side dishes and drinks to go with your perfect dinner.

Here are a few of my favorite spooky ideas. 

• For side dishes, how about a spooky salad with ghost-shaped cheese and orange veggies?
• Serve creepy carrot sticks with “witch’s fingers” made from almonds as a healthy snack.
• A warm cup of apple cider with a cinnamon stick can be a cozy drink choice.

And of course, don’t forget about the dessert!

These graveyard dirt cups or these chocolate mummy cupcakes will go perfectly well with your stuffed Jack-O’-Lantern peppers.

Decoration Ideas

If you’re making these Jack-O’-Lantern orange peppers for a Halloween party, make sure everything looks as good as it tastes.

Here are some simple decoration ideas to amaze your party guests. 

• Lay out a black or orange tablecloth for a Halloween base.
• Use black or orange plates or spooky-themed placemats.
• Place small pumpkin decorations as centerpieces.
• Add battery-operated candles or string lights for a magical glow.
• Incorporate spiderweb napkins and witch hat place card holders for extra fun.
• Hang spooky banners or garlands on the walls for an eerie atmosphere.
• Make Halloween crafts with kids like this spider or this witch and incorporate those in your overall Halloween decor!

Variations and Swaps For Stuffed Pepper Jack-O’-Lanterns

There are a few variations and swaps you could do while staying pretty true to the recipe: 

• Brown rice for white rice: This is a simple swap that can add a little more nutrition to an already very healthy rice stuffed dinner. 
  
  
• Cauliflower rice: This is a relatively low-carb meal.
  
  It comes in at 7 net carbs.
  
  If you wanted it to be lower in carbs, or if you wanted to sneak more vegetables into the recipe, you could swap the white rice with cauliflower rice. No one would ever know. 
  
  
• Ground chicken, ground turkey, or even shredded chicken: Use your choice of meat instead of ground beef in the filling.
  
  The flavor doesn’t change much but it is a simple variation that gives you the option to use what you have on hand. 
  
  
• Black Beans: If you want to make a vegetarian version or stretch your filling, you could swap ground beef for black beans. 
  
  
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese. Shredded or grated cheddar cheese would work just as good if you have that on hand.
  
  
• Spaghetti. Another popular variation is to use spaghetti with tomato sauce and have spaghetti come out of the mouth and eyes of your pepper jack.

Storage

Make Ahead: This is a great make ahead meal in preparation for the Halloween night dinner.

Put these together 2-3 days before Halloween.

To store them, allow the peppers to cool down to room temperature before placing them in an airtight container. Store them in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Then reheat in the microwave or oven on high.

Freeze: For longer storage, you can freeze the little jack-o-lanterns.

Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and place them in a freezer-safe container. Frozen stuffed peppers can last for 2-3 months in the freezer.

When you’re ready to enjoy them, thaw the peppers in the refrigerator before reheating them.

To reheat, place them in the oven or microwave until they’re heated through.

Proper storage and reheating will help you savor your delicious stuffed peppers even after they’ve been prepared.

Store: Place any leftovers in an airtight container and store in the fridge for 2-3 days.

FAQ

Is it better to boil peppers before stuffing?

There is no need to boil the peppers before stuffing them. The peppers will cook fully in the oven. 

Why are my stuffed peppers soggy?

When the peppers are overcooked they can become soggy and lose their structure.

Another reason that the peppers can be soggy is if you use veggies that have a lot of water content in them.

Sometimes, the onions or other added veggies hold the water.

You need to sauté the vegetables before adding them to the filling when you are adding extra vegetables. 

How do you cook peppers and keep them crisp?

To cook stuffed peppers and keep them crisp make sure to not overcook them.

Also, make sure there is not too much excess water in the filling.

Since the ground beef is being cooked in the peppers, you want to aim for beef that isn’t too high in fat.

The excess grease can also make the peppers lose their crispiness. 

What makes stuffed peppers bitter?

​Several things can cause stuffed peppers to have a slightly bitter taste.

One reason is that green peppers are always slightly bitter anyway, so if you are making regular stuffed peppers and not these jack-o-lantern stuffed peppers, that might be the issue.

Another reason is to make sure you get out the seeds and the pith.

The pith is the white ribs inside of the pepper.

This has a bitter taste and can cause an unappealing taste in the pepper. 

Why are my stuffed bell peppers tough?

Making sure your stuffed bell peppers turn out tender and not tough is essential.

Toughness can happen for a few reasons. Here’s how to avoid this:

• Cooking Time: Be sure to bake the stuffed peppers for the right duration. If they’re undercooked, they might end up tough. The goal is to achieve tenderness without making them mushy.
• Moisture Balance: To soften the peppers during baking, ensure the filling has enough moisture. If the filling is too dry, the peppers could turn tough.
• Cover While Baking: If the pepper tops seem to be getting overly crispy or tough during baking, cover them loosely with foil. This helps maintain the needed moisture.
• Select the Right Peppers: Opt for peppers with thinner walls. These peppers tend to cook more evenly and become tender faster.
• Check for Doneness: To determine if the peppers are done, gently pierce them with a toothpick. If the fork goes in easily, they’re likely ready. If there’s resistance, they need more cooking time.

What is the best thing to serve with stuffed peppers?

Stuffed peppers, whether you are making jack-o-lantern peppers or traditional peppers, are a complete meal all by itself.

That is one of the reasons it’s great for a weeknight dinner because even if you are pressed for time, it doesn’t take a lot of work.

You can even prep it the night before.

When deciding on side dishes to go along with Halloween stuffed peppers, you can serve something as simple as a side salad and cornbread or additional vegetables like fire-roasted tomatoes or these stuffed portobello mushrooms.  

Why is my rice hard in stuffed peppers?

When making stuffed peppers, you want to make sure your rice is always pre-cooked.

Rice will not cook inside of the peppers because there isn’t enough liquid to cook it.

So if you didn’t cook the rice beforehand, that could be why the rice is hard.

Another reason the rice is hard could be that there wasn’t enough moisture in the filling and the rice dried out during the cooking process.

Next time, make sure the rice mixture isn’t too dry.

I also recommend lightly covering the Jack-O’-Lantern stuffed peppers with foil. 

One Last Thing

Before you start making your Halloween stuffed peppers, remember to have a spooktacular time creating, cooking, and enjoying this yummy meal!

Mixing creativity and flavors will make your Halloween dinner really special.

Get your ingredients, feel the festive vibes, and enjoy every bite of your Jack-O’-Lantern feast.

Have a great time cooking and have a Happy Halloween! 

Your Turn

If you try making these super cute Halloween stuffed peppers, please take a moment to let me know how you liked them by leaving a rating and a comment below on the recipe card.