Jack O Lantern Stuffed Peppers

These easy cheesy beef n rice stuffed Jack o lantern peppers are an easy Halloween dinner idea. They are milk enough to be kid-friendly, hearty enough for the meat lovers, yet healthy enough to give everyone in your family a healthy boost. The best part is that you get to eat the “brains” for dinner!

I used my Beefy Bolognese sauce for this recipe, but you can substitute your favorite (healthy) meat sauce to make preparation of this wacky fun Halloween dinner easy to put together before you go out for the evening festivities. If you use my sauce recipe, make sure to use grass fed beef or venison or other lean, healthy meat. It really does make a difference, health-wise.

I purposely made the filling mixture more “kid-friendly” and yes, my daughter actually had it for dinner and, although she looked at me with a disbelieving eye when I told her there were no hot peppers in it, she willingly gobbled down a bunch of it. It’s a hearty cheesy beef, rice and veggie mixture that should go over well with most everyone, but if you want a little extra “kick”, go ahead and throw in a hot pepper or some spices or herbs to jazz it up a bit.

I found it was easier to make triangles for the “eyes” and “noses” for the faces than to attempt a circle. Anybody have any tips for making circular holes in a pepper?

Jack O Lantern Stuffed Peppers

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: About 4 stuffed peppers 1x

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Ingredients

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• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
• 2 cups cooked Basmati rice
• 2 cups meaty spaghetti sauce (I used my Bolognese – recipe here)
• 1 tomato, cored & chopped
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese

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Instructions

1. Cut the top off of 4 bell peppers and clean out the seeds from the inside and top. Cut Jack O Lantern faces into the peppers. Cut the seeds off the inside of the tops. Set the peppers and tops aside.
2. In a frying pan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the onion and bell pepper and saute until the onion is translucent and soft. Stir in the rice and sauce and saute for a few more minutes. Stir in the tomato and cheese and cook until the cheese is melted.
3. Stuff the rice mixture into the peppers. Eat them now, or if you like, top the topping with some more cheese and bake the peppers at 350 F until the cheese melts and the pepper is tender.

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Notes

For more flavor/spice, add Italian seasonings or fresh herbs, hot peppers or flavorful cheeses to the beefy rice mixture.

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

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This recipe was shared at Foodie Friends Friday, Weekend Potluck, What to Do Weekends and Simple Supper Tuesday.