Looking for a fun and festive dinner idea for Halloween? These Halloween Jack-O'-Lantern Stuffed Bell Peppers are just the thing! Turn ordinary bell peppers into adorable little jack-o'-lanterns by carving funny faces into them and filling them with a delicious stuffing.
I saw this clever idea with a different recipe on a wonderful blog called Carol On The Lake. I thought it was so cute that I could not wait to try it and share my version. Thanks Carol.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Wash and dry your peppers. Using a sharp pairing knife, cut off the lids, clean out the pepper, and cut out the triangle eyes. Place the peppers in a wide pyrex pan with 1/2 -3/4 cup of water or just enough to steam the peppers without boiling them or burning them. Cover the pyrex and bake for about 25- 30 minutes or until the peppers are on the soft but not mushy. Check after 20 minutes.
Instead of Carol's meat filling for the stuffed peppers, I made
a filling that is vegan and gluten-free for me.
Tex Mex Plant-Based Filling
Ingredients
1 cup of chopped onions
1 cup of chopped bell peppers
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 can of black beans, drained
1.5 cups of cooked rice (of your choice)
1 cup of salsa
1 teaspoon of cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Optional: some like it hot- add hot sauce!
Directions:
Saute onions, bell peppers, and garlic on a low heat in a large rimmed skillet until they are soft-stirring often. Add black beans, cooked rice, salsa, and seasonings. Cook on medium for another 5 minutes until filling is hot.
Add the filling to the softend peppers and serve.
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| My Pyrex pan for steaming the peppers in a little water in the oven covered. Check frequently to make sure you take out the peppers when firm enough to stuff. |
These easy Halloween stuffed peppers are a creative way to bring a little Halloween or fall spirit to the dinner table. They're perfect for a family dinner before heading out to trick-or-treat, or for serving when you want something a little different during the Halloween or fall season. With their silly faces and tasty filling, these edible jack-o'-lanterns are sure to bring some smiles to the table!
We really enjoyed these stuffed peppers; they were very filling and tasty. Since the bell peppers were large, I only made three- which was enough for the two of us ! We each had one and a half.
Don't Forget to Visit Carol's Blog
For the full original meat recipe and directions, visit Carol's Blog at Carol On The Lake. You may even be interested in some of her other posts. I visit her weekly.
Don't want to cook the peppers?
They could also be used uncooked to hold carrot sticks or celery sticks for crudités at a party!!!
Haha, how cute! I've carved bell peppers into Jack-o-lanterns before, but I kept them raw and stuffed them with guacamole for a party tray. Such a versatile little pepper!
ReplyDeleteI like that idea too Hannah!!
DeleteWhat a cute idea. My husband doesn't like peppers, but I may make one for myself since I still have peppers to harvest from the garden.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea. You can make 3 and freeze what you don't eat. They freeze well too.
DeleteWhat a fun idea, Judee! These Jack-o’-lantern peppers are so cute and perfect for Halloween!
ReplyDeleteYes, as soon as I saw them I loved the idea and I loved my filling too. so tasty.
DeleteThey do look very tempting.
ReplyDeleteThank You.
DeleteThese jack-o'-lantern peppers are so cute!
ReplyDeleteSuch a creative presentation.
Yes, I had fun with them and they were really tasty for dinner too.
DeleteGracias por la receta. Te mando un beso.
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by. You are welcome for the recipe.
DeleteOkay those look so good. I love peppers! They are so cute!
ReplyDeleteThey are easy to make too.
DeleteOh these are so clever! I'm going to try this. Thank you so much.
ReplyDeleteYay!! give it a try!!
DeleteThey look seasonal perfect!
ReplyDeleteThanks Angie. I had fun making them.
DeleteThese are so cute!
ReplyDeleteThanks Tandy. I thought so too...It would have been even more fun if the grandkids were here to eat them.
DeleteVery cute, I love stuffed peppers. Take care, have a great day!
ReplyDeleteI love stuffed peppers too. and there are so many ways you can stuff them.
DeleteThese are so cute, colourful and look delicious!
ReplyDeleteThanks Linda.
DeleteThese are cute for Halloween!
ReplyDeleteYes, my thoughts exactly.
DeleteThese are so cool! What a great idea
ReplyDeleteYes, Thanks to Carol on Carol by the Lake.
DeleteSteaming the peppers covered in a little water first is a tip I’d copy, I always worry they’ll end up either raw or mushy. I only know stuffed peppers the Sicilian way, with breadcrumbs, capers and olives, so black beans and salsa would be a nice change. Three peppers for two people sounds about right.
ReplyDeleteI steamed them first because I made the stuffing outside the pepper and then stuffed it. I like the sound of your Sicilian recipe. I might try something like that. Did you ever post the recipe?
DeleteHow fun are these? I’m glad you were inspired by Carol’s post.
ReplyDeleteYes, they were fun !! They would be good even raw as servers at a party.
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