Jack-O-Lantern Stuffed Peppers
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Preparing jack-o-lantern stuffed peppers is a fun and creative way to celebrate Halloween with your family.
This dish is not only inexpensive, but you can also customize it with all your favorite ingredients.
I know how challenging it is to cook for picky eaters in your home. That’s why I’m sharing this creative, delicious, and nutritious festive dinner recipe to keep both the kiddos and adults happy at the dinner table!
Kids will love these cute little stuffed peppers because of their carved jack-o-lantern faces.
Parents will adore them because they’re so delicious – and super easy to make with Instant Pot and my motto of Magical Meals In Minutes!
What are jack-o-lantern stuffed peppers?
Orange bell peppers are carved into edible jack-o’-lanterns and stuffed with seasoned beef and cooked rice and loads of mozzarella to become a scary good dinner for Halloween gatherings, harvest parties, and fun family meals.
Regardless of whether you serve these spooky stuffed peppers as an appetizer or a main course, they’re delicious!
You can even use leftovers as lunch the next day! So make this recipe with your kids tonight, and get ready for some spooky Halloween in the kitchen!
They’re easy enough to prepare – especially with an Instant Pot. Even young children can help in the kitchen by scooping stuffing into each pepper.
Stuffed bell peppers easy for Halloween
You won’t believe how much fun everyone will have while preparing this dish! So go ahead and treat yourself while making something healthy for your family tonight.
The kids will be thrilled when they discover what mommy has cooked conjured up!
These stuffed peppers are just what you need after a long day of trick or treating with all those sweet treats filling up their bellies! So grab your ingredients, and let’s get started cooking up something special together.
Don’t forget about my other recipes while you’re here.
I’ve got lots of ideas that’ll keep your family happy throughout the holiday season. Happy Halloween!
Kitchen equipment for jack-o-lantern stuffed peppers in the Instant Pot
- Instant Pot electric pressure cooker
- Instant Pot Omni Plus oven
- Small paring knife
- Baking sheet or casserole dish
Shop my kitchenware!
Instant Pot Duo Nova | Instant Pot Omni Plus oven | Amazon small paring knife | Amazon baking sheet | Courtly Check casserole dish | Amazon white serving plate | Anthropologie dish cloths | The Pioneer Woman measuring bowls | Kate Aspen heart-shaped measuring spoons | Amazon small rubber spatula | Amazon stainless steel mixing bowls | Famous Dave’s Seasoning Rib Rub | Target frozen crushed garlic | MacKenzie-Childs similar dish towel | Amazon similar colander | Pyrex measuring glass | The Pioneer Woman Instant Pot |
Ingredients for the ground beef
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic minced
- ½ cup of yellow onion, diced
- 1 pound of ground beef
- ½ cup of water
- 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
- ¼ cup of your favorite all-purpose seasoning (I used Famous Dave’s, Rib Rub)
Ingredients for the rice
- 1 cup of rice
- 1 cup of water
- ½ a teaspoon of salt
Ingredients for the Instant Pot stuffed bell peppers
- 6-8 bell peppers
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 14 oz. of diced tomatoes
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- ½ tablespoon of Italian seasoning
- ¼ cup of fresh parsley, finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
- ¼ teaspoon of black pepper
- 1 teaspoon mixture of ½ a teaspoon of salt & ½ a teaspoon of pepper
Instructions for the ground beef
- Remove the Instant Pot lid and turn on the sauté setting for 20 minutes. (Although you will not use all of this time. I like to have the extra minutes for the time it takes for the sauté to become active.)
- In the Instant Pot stainless steel inner pot, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and garlic and onions.
- Sauté for about one minute until the onions are softened.
- Add the water, tomato paste, ground beef, and all-purpose seasoning on top of the ground beef.
- As the ground meat begins to cook, fold in the all-purpose seasoning and cook until the meat is browned, breaking it up with a spatula as needed.
- Sauté in the Instant Pot (with the lid off) until the ground beef is browned.
- As the meat browns, continue to fold and stir all the ingredients.
- Turn off the Instant Pot and drain the ground beef using a colander.
- Set aside the cooked ground beef mixture.
Instructions for the rice
- Add the rice, water, and salt to the Instant Pot stainless steel inner pot.
- Stir to mix the ingredients and make sure the rice is covered in the liquid.
- Close the Instant Pot lid (make sure the valve is in the sealing position – up) and pressure cook on high for 4 minutes.
- When the cooking time is finished, allow a natural release of pressure for at least 2 minutes.
- To open the Instant Pot lid, move the valve to ‘venting’ and manually release any remaining pressure, if applicable.
- Fluff the rice with a fork.
- Remove the rice from the Instant Pot and set it aside.
Instructions for the jack-o-lantern stuffed peppers – Instant Pot
- Preheat your oven to bake at 350 degrees F.
- Use a sharp knife to slice off the top of each bell pepper horizontally, making sure you have a small amount of the top of the bell pepper sliced off with the stem.
- Set the tops aside (do not discard).
- Remove all seeds and membranes from the inside of the peppers.
- Use a small paring knife to cut holes into the exterior of the peppers to make jack-o-lantern faces. (If your peppers don’t stand upright, use a small paring knife to slice a small amount off the bottom of the pepper to flatten the surface.)
- Drizzle each carved pepper with olive oil and rub both the inside and outside to coat.
- Sprinkle the salt and pepper mixture on the inside of each oil-coated bell pepper.
- Arrange the peppers on a baking sheet or in a casserole dish and pre-bake for about 10 minutes in the Instant Pot Omni Plus oven or 15 minutes in a conventional oven.
- While the peppers are baking, combine the drained ground beef, tomatoes, parsley, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and the cooked rice, mixing thoroughly.
- Set aside the ground beef mixture.
- Remove the bell peppers from the oven and use a small spoon to fill them with the ground beef mixture.
- Top by sprinkling on the mozzarella shredded cheese.
- Place the set-aside bell pepper lids with stems back on top of each pepper.
- Place the stuffed peppers back in the oven and bake for 15 minutes in the Instant Pot Omni Plus oven, or 20 minutes in a conventional oven, or until the peppers have softened.
- Remove the stuffed peppers from the oven and serve jack-o-lantern stuffed peppers warm, and enjoy!
Pro tips:
- You can bake these stuffed bell peppers in the Instant Pot oven in two casserole pans or one larger sheet pan or baking dish in the conventional oven.
- For aesthetics, orange peppers will be best for these Halloween jack-o-lantern stuffed peppers. Yellow and red can also work if you can’t find orange peppers.
How do you carve these jack-o-lantern peppers?
- Use a small paring knife to cut holes into the exterior of the peppers to make jack-o-lantern faces.
- If your peppers don’t stand upright, use a small paring knife to slice a small amount off the bottom of the pepper to flatten the surface.
What type of knife works best?
The tops of most peppers can be easily lopped off with a regular chef’s knife. But for carving the peppers, you need a small knife.
Paring knives are ideal as long as they are sharp.
What do you serve with stuffed peppers?
You can serve these delicious Southern stuffed bell peppers on a bed of lettuce or alongside your favorite vegetables.
- Instant Pot brown sugar-glazed carrots
- Instant Pot Southern green beans
- Southern creamed corn
- Southern tomato watermelon salad
- Southern cornbread dressing
- Southern cornbread recipe with corn
- Southern creamed corn casserole
- Thai curry chicken mango kabobs
Your kids will love them no matter how you serve them, but whatever you do, they will gobble them up!
Jack-o-lantern stuffed peppers FAQs:
Can you use leftovers?
These jack-o-lantern stuffed peppers also serve as a great leftover that makes for a leisurely lunch the next day.
You don’t have to be concerned about having too much food because we’re always up for seconds when it comes to these pumpkin peppers!
Can you reheat stuffed peppers?
Yes, and it’s easy with the Instant Pot. You can use either the Instant Pot pressure cooker or the Omni Plus oven. Both have the ‘keep warm’ setting which is perfect for reheating.
How do you make vegan jack-o-lantern stuffed peppers?
The vegan version of these peppers is easy to make. Use mushrooms, olives, onions, zucchini, or any other vegetables you prefer, and replace the mozzarella cheese with vegan cheese. No changes are needed to the seasonings and spices.
Simply remove the ground beef to make this recipe vegetarian-friendly.
How do you store jack-o-lantern stuffed peppers?
These stuffed peppers are best kept in the fridge, wrapped in plastic, or stored airtight for up to 3 days.
Can you freeze jack-o-lantern stuffed peppers?
I wouldn’t recommend freezing them. The bell peppers will likely turn watery and soggy when thawed.
Can You Make Jack-O-Lantern Stuffed Peppers Ahead of Time?
Definitely! Making these ahead of time and baking them on the day you intend to serve is perfectly fine. However, it’s best not to make them more than 3 days in advance.
Do you have to cook the peppers before stuffing them?
The peppers stay quite crisp if you don’t precook them. So I think it’s better to cook them a bit for the perfect flavor and texture before adding everything else so that they can release some of their moisture as well.
Do you precook the rice or use instant uncooked rice?
Yes, the rice needs to be precooked before stuffing the bell peppers.
This pressure cooker recipe includes the easy Instant Pot method for cooking the rice in only 4 minutes!
How long do you cook these easy stuffed peppers?
First, precook the peppers, unstuffed for 10-15 minutes.
Once the peppers are stuffed, if cooking in an Instant Pot Omni Plus oven, use only 15 minutes; if using a conventional oven, cook 20 minutes before removing from the heat source. You don’t want to over-cook because it can ruin the vegetables or meat’s natural flavor.
What substitutes can you use in this recipe?
You can use many substitutes for this recipe if you’re out of a specific ingredient or you want to make this recipe your own.
For example, tomato sauce can be used in place of tomato paste. Likewise, you could add taco seasoning or chili powder instead of garlic and include black beans.
Brown rice and quinoa are acceptable substitutes for white rice, and shredded chicken or ground turkey are healthy alternatives to ground beef.
Same for cheddar cheese if you like it better than mozzarella, or you can add 2 cloves of garlic instead of 1. Or use garlic salt or garlic powder if you don’t have fresh garlic on hand.
Chopped mushrooms and zucchini are great veggie additions, too – but you get the idea!
What did you think about this Southern stuffed bell peppers recipe?
This recipe will leave everyone happy at any dinner table. Plus, it’s super fun and easy to make.
Don’t hesitate to give this Southern stuffed bell peppers recipe a try with the added holiday twist of spooky or funny Jack-o-lantern faces!
And if you like this recipe, you’ll love these best Instant Pot Southern recipes roundup HERE.
Leave a 5-star rating and a comment below, and share your Halloween finished recipe pictures HERE in the Facebook group!
Like this post? Pin the below picture to your “Southern Food Recipes” Pinterest Board!
Equipment
- Instant Pot electric pressure cooker
- Instant Pot Omni Plus oven
- Small paring knife
- Baking sheet or casserole dish
Ingredients
Ingredients for the ground beef
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ cup yellow onion diced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup seasoning your favorite all-purpose seasoning (I used Famous Dave’s Rib Rub)
Ingredients for the rice
- 1 cup rice
- 1 cup water
- ½ teaspoon salt
Ingredients for the Instant Pot stuffed bell peppers
- 8 bell peppers *This recipe makes 6-8 stuffed peppers.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 14 oz diced tomatoes
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- ½ tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ cup parsley fresh & finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon seasoning mixture of ½ a teaspoon of salt & ½ a teaspoon of pepper
Instructions
Instructions for the ground beef
- *This recipe will make enough stuffing to yield 6-8 stuffed jack-o-lantern peppers.
- Remove the Instant Pot lid and turn on the sauté setting for 20 minutes. (Although you will not use all of this time. I like to have the extra minutes for the time it takes for the sauté to become active.)
- In the Instant Pot stainless steel inner pot, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and garlic and onions.
- Sauté for about one minute until the onions are softened.
- Add the water, tomato paste, ground beef, and all-purpose seasoning on top of the ground beef.
- As the ground meat begins to cook, fold in the all-purpose seasoning and cook until the meat is browned, breaking it up with a spatula as needed.
- Sauté in the Instant Pot (with the lid off) until the ground beef is browned.
- As the meat browns, continue to fold and stir all the ingredients.
- Turn off the Instant Pot and drain the ground beef using a colander.
- Set aside the cooked ground beef mixture.
Instructions for the rice
- Add the rice, water, and salt to the Instant Pot stainless steel inner pot.
- Stir to mix the ingredients and make sure the rice is covered in the liquid.
- Close the Instant Pot lid (make sure the valve is in the sealing position – up) and pressure cook on high for 4 minutes.
- When the cooking time is finished, allow a natural release of pressure for at least 2 minutes.
- To open the Instant Pot lid, move the valve to ‘venting’ and manually release any remaining pressure, if applicable.
- Fluff the rice with a fork.
- Remove the rice from the Instant Pot and set it aside.
Instructions for the jack-o-lantern stuffed peppers – Instant Pot
- Preheat your oven to bake at 350 degrees F.
- Use a sharp knife to slice off the top of each bell pepper horizontally, making sure you have a small amount of the top of the bell pepper sliced off with the stem.
- Set the tops aside (do not discard).
- Remove all seeds and membranes from the inside of the peppers.
- Use a small paring knife to cut holes into the exterior of the peppers to make jack-o-lantern faces. (If your peppers don’t stand upright, use a small paring knife to slice a small amount off the bottom of the pepper to flatten the surface.)
- Drizzle each carved pepper with olive oil and rub both the inside and outside to coat.
- Sprinkle the salt and pepper mixture on the inside of each oil-coated bell pepper.
- Arrange the peppers on a baking sheet or in a casserole dish and pre-bake for about 10 minutes in the Instant Pot Omni Plus oven or 15 minutes in a conventional oven.
- While the peppers are baking, combine the drained ground beef, tomatoes, parsley, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and the cooked rice, mixing thoroughly.
- Set aside the ground beef mixture.
- Remove the bell peppers from the oven and use a small spoon to fill them with the ground beef mixture.
- Top by sprinkling on the mozzarella shredded cheese.
- Place the set-aside bell pepper lids with stems back on top of each pepper.
- Place the stuffed peppers back in the oven and bake for 15 minutes in the Instant Pot Omni Plus oven, or 20 minutes in a conventional oven, or until the peppers have softened.
- Remove the stuffed peppers from the oven and serve jack-o-lantern stuffed peppers warm, and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- You can bake these stuffed bell peppers in the Instant Pot oven in two casserole pans or one larger sheet pan or baking dish in the conventional oven.
- For aesthetics, orange peppers will be best for these Halloween jack-o-lantern stuffed peppers. Yellow and red can also work if you can't find orange peppers.
Nutrition
I would love to eat these cute Jack-O-Lantern all day long.
I know! They’re so cute, right?!