These Jack-O’-Lantern Stuffed Peppers are the perfect way to bring Halloween fun to your dinner table without overloading on sweets. Packed with lean protein, whole grains and plenty of veggies, they’re a wholesome, festive meal that keeps the spooky spirit alive—no sugar rush required!
Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 4 large bell peppers
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup cooked rice
- 1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
- ⅓ cup thinly sliced green onions
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 pinches cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 2 cups seasoned tomato sauce, warmed
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Coat a baking dish with olive oil.
- Use a small knife to cut eyes, nose and mouth into the flattest side of each pepper, just like a jack-o’-lantern. Cut around the seedpods and remove the tops, trimming and discarding any seeds from under the stems. Trim the white membrane from the inside of each pepper and shake out any seeds; place them in the prepared baking dish.
- Mix ground beef, cooked rice, cheese, green onions, melted butter, ketchup, garlic, salt, Worcestershire, black pepper and cayenne together in a large bowl until well combined.
- Stuff the beef mixture evenly into the peppers and cover with the pepper tops.
- Wrap the baking dish loosely with aluminum foil and place it on a sheet pan.
- Bake in the upper center of the preheated oven for 1 hour. Remove the foil and continue baking until peppers are tender and ground beef is cooked through, 10 to 15 more minutes.
- Place stuffed peppers on a few tablespoons of warm tomato sauce. Serve hot with more sauce on the side. Enjoy!
Source: All Recipes
