Jack-o'-Lantern Stuffed Peppers

Orange bell peppers are stuffed with a tasty meat, cheese, and rice mixture that looks just like scary little jack-o'-lanterns in this fun main dish.

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 10 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 25 mins
• Calories: 613 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
• 1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
• 3 pinches cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 4 large orange bell peppers
• 2 cups seasoned tomato sauce, warmed
• 0.5 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 0.333 cup thinly sliced green onions

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

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.

Step 2

Serve and enjoy!

Step 3

Gather all ingredients. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Coat a baking dish with olive oil.

Step 4

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 white membrane from the inside of each pepper and shake out any seeds. Place in the prepared baking dish.

Step 5

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.

Step 6

Stuff beef mixture evenly into peppers and cover with the pepper tops.

Step 7

Wrap the baking dish loosely with aluminum foil and place on a sheet pan.

Step 8

Place stuffed peppers on a few tablespoons of warm tomato sauce. Serve hot with more sauce on the side.