Carve faces into the side of a bell pepper for a cute jack-o’-lantern you can eat too! This adorable Halloween-themed dinner is perfect for a family dinner to fuel your trick-or-treating adventure. Or serve them at a Halloween party and watch them disappear! Don’t feel like freehand-carving the faces with a knife? Try using a cookie cutter instead.
Jack-o’-Lantern Stuffed Peppers
Carve faces into the side of a bell pepper for a cute jack-o'-lantern you can eat too! This adorable Halloween-themed dinner is perfect for a family dinner to fuel your trick-or-treating adventure. Or serve them at a Halloween party and watch them disappear! Don't feel like freehand-carving the faces with a knife? Try using a cookie cutter instead.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 large clove garlic minced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 ½ cups cooked brown rice
- 1 (8 ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce, divided
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 4 large orange bell peppers
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add beef, salt and pepper; cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon, just until it loses its pink color, about 5 minutes more. Remove from heat and stir in rice, 3/4 cup tomato sauce and parsley.
- Meanwhile, cut out stem ends of bell peppers and set aside; scoop out seeds. With a sharp paring knife, cut out a jack-o’-lantern face on one side of each pepper. Place the peppers and tops, cut-side down, in a microwave-safe pie pan. Add ¼ cup water. Microwave on High until tender but firm, 4 to 6 minutes. Empty the water from the dish and turn the peppers cut-side up.
- Stuff the peppers with the beef mixture. Spoon the remaining ¼ cup tomato sauce over the peppers. Bake until the mixture is heated through, 20 to 25 minutes. Place the steamed tops back on top of the peppers.
Notes
To make ahead: Refrigerate filling (Step 2) for up to 2 days. Continue with recipe.
