Quick Info
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4–6
- Course: Dinner
- Cuisine: American comfort with a spooky twist
- Skill Level: Easy
- Special Equipment: Large skillet, rimmed baking sheet, 9×13-inch pan, parchment paper, small paring knife
Introduction
When my kids were little, we started a Halloween tradition: after trick-or-treating practice (a.k.a. running around the living room in costumes), we’d sit down to a Spooky Halloween Dinner that looked creepy but tasted like pure comfort. This menu has become our go-to—festive, make-ahead friendly, and secretly full of veggies. The star is a pan of Jack-O’-Lantern Stuffed Peppers, surrounded by garlicky Bone Breadsticks and Swampy Roasted Green Beans. It’s the kind of meal that makes the whole house smell amazing and gets everyone to the table, capes and all.
Use this as your family feast blueprint: one main, two easy sides, and lots of edible fun. Everything bakes at the same oven temperature to keep the evening stress-free. Ready to conjure dinner?
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- Jack-O’-Lantern Stuffed Peppers
- 4–6 large orange bell peppers (flat-bottomed, for carving)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef or turkey (see vegetarian swap below)
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup cooked rice (white or brown)
- 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella or Monterey Jack
- Bone Breadsticks
- 1 tube refrigerated pizza dough (or 1 lb homemade)
- 2 tbsp butter, melted (or olive oil)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp dried parsley
- Pinch of flaky salt
- Swampy Roasted Green Beans
- 1 lb fresh green beans, trimmed
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1–2 tsp black sesame seeds (for “swamp specks,” optional)
- Lemon wedges, to serve
Optional / Variations
- Vegetarian Cauldron Filling: Swap meat with 1 can (15 oz) lentils or black beans, drained and rinsed; bump paprika to ¾ tsp.
- Grain Options: Use quinoa, farro, or cauliflower rice (for low carb).
- Cheese Choices: Try pepper jack for extra heat or dairy-free shreds for a vegan-friendly plate.
- Make It Spicier: Add ½ tsp red pepper flakes or a spoonful of harissa to the filling.
- Gluten-Free: Use a gluten-free pizza dough for breadsticks or serve with roasted baby potatoes instead.
- Hidden Veggies: Finely chop a cup of mushrooms or zucchini and sauté with the onions. No one notices—cross my witchy heart.
Instructions
Step 1: Heat the Oven & Prep Your Pumpkins
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Slice the tops off the orange bell peppers (reserve the lids) and scoop out seeds. Use a small paring knife to carve simple jack-o’-lantern eyes and a grin—it doesn’t need to be perfect. My daughter calls the crooked smiles “spooky-chic.”
Lightly salt the pepper interiors. Set the carved peppers upright on the baking sheet; set lids aside.
Step 2: Cook the Savory “Cauldron” Filling
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium. Add the onion and sauté 3–4 minutes until translucent. Stir in garlic for 30 seconds. Add ground beef or turkey and cook, breaking up, until browned, 5–6 minutes; drain excess fat if needed.
Stir in cooked rice, crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Simmer 2–3 minutes to thicken slightly. Off heat, fold in ½ cup cheese (save the rest for topping). Taste and adjust seasoning—this is your moment to add a pinch more salt or paprika.
Step 3: Stuff, Top, and Bake the Jack-O’-Lanterns
Spoon the hot filling into each carved pepper, mounding slightly. Sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup cheese. Place the pepper lids back on at a jaunty angle so the cheese can peek through the “faces.” Bake for 30–35 minutes, until the peppers are tender and the filling is bubbly. If your peppers lean, nestle them with crumpled foil “nests.”
Step 4: Shape and Bake Bone Breadsticks
While peppers bake, unroll the pizza dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 8–10 strips about 1 inch wide. To form “bones,” slit each end of a strip lengthwise about 1 inch, then roll the two small ends away from each other to make rounded “knobs.” Transfer to a parchment-lined 9×13-inch pan.
Brush with melted butter, then sprinkle garlic powder, dried parsley, and flaky salt. Slide the pan into the oven with the peppers for the last 12–15 minutes of baking, until puffed and golden.
Step 5: Roast the Swampy Green Beans
Toss green beans with olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Spread on a second parchment-lined sheet. Add to the oven during the last 15 minutes of the pepper bake. Roast until tender-crisp with charry spots, 12–15 minutes. Shower with black sesame seeds and a squeeze of lemon right before serving for a swampy shimmer.
Step 6: Plate the Halloween Family Feast
Arrange the Jack-O’-Lantern Stuffed Peppers down the center of a platter, lids slightly askew so those cheesy smiles glow. Tuck the Bone Breadsticks along one side and heap the Swampy Green Beans on the other. If you want extra drama, drizzle a ribbon of warm tomato sauce around the platter like a “moat.” Call everyone to the table—bonus points if you serve by candlelight.
Tips & Variations
- Make-Ahead Magic: Stuff peppers up to 24 hours in advance; cover and refrigerate. Bake straight from the fridge, adding 5 minutes. Breadstick dough can be shaped earlier in the day and chilled.
- Filling Flexibility: Double the filling and freeze half (without cheese) for an easy weeknight reuse. Thaw, reheat, and stuff fresh peppers.
- Kid Helpers: Little hands can carve pepper faces using cookie cutters—press gently to mark, then an adult finishes with a knife. Kids also love twisting breadstick “bones.”
- Balanced Plate: Add a quick “graveyard” side salad—spring mix with sliced black olives (“pebbles”) and pumpkin seeds (“gravel”) tossed in balsamic.
- Cheese Pull Factor: If your family loves extra gooey goodness, layer a slice of provolone on top of each stuffed pepper during the final 5 minutes.
- All Veg, No Problem: Use the lentil/bean swap, dairy-free cheese, and gluten-free breadsticks. Replace green beans with roasted Brussels sprouts for a deeper “swamp” vibe.
- Crowd Serving: For a party, halve the peppers horizontally to make open “pumpkin bowls,” then bake cut-side up; guests can scoop with a spoon.
- Leftovers Love: Refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat peppers, covered, at 350°F (175°C) for 15–20 minutes, or microwave 2–3 minutes. Breadsticks crisp back up in a 350°F oven for 5 minutes.
- One-Temp Wonder: Everything in this feast bakes at 400°F, so oven juggling is a breeze—slide sides in and out as timers buzz.
Nutrition
(Per serving, about 1 stuffed pepper, 1–2 breadsticks, and 1 cup green beans. Values are estimates.)
- Calories: 560
- Protein: 29 g
- Carbs: 62 g
- Fat: 20 g
- Fiber: 9 g
- Sodium: 980 mg
- Sugar: 10 g
Final Thoughts
This Spooky Halloween Dinner brings all the haunted-house charm without scaring you away from the stove. The carved peppers steal the show, the bone breadsticks disappear first (always), and the green beans balance the plate so you can still enjoy a mini candy bar for dessert. If this becomes your family’s October tradition too, send me your best pepper grin—ours get sillier every year.
Save this for Halloween dinner ideas, jack-o’-lantern stuffed peppers, kid-friendly Halloween recipes, easy Halloween party food, and make-ahead Halloween family meals. From my cozy, slightly haunted kitchen to yours—happy feasting!
