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Jack-o'-Lantern Stuffed Peppers · Tex-Mex Beef

Jack-o'-Lantern Stuffed Peppers

Orange bell peppers carved with spooky faces and packed with seasoned beef, rice, black beans and cheese. A Halloween-night dinner kids will actually eat before trick-or-treating.

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Prep
30 min
Cook
45 min
Total
1 hr 15 min
Serves
6 · 6 stuffed peppers
Level
Medium

Ingredients

Peppers

  • 6 large orange bell peppers, with flat bottoms so they stand up

Filling

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 can black beans, 15 oz, drained and rinsed
  • 1 ½ cups cooked rice
  • 1 cup salsa
  • 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
  • ¼ cup water

Cook to 160°F inside (check with a thermometer).

Steps

  1. Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
  2. Cut a lid off the top of each pepper around the stem, like a pumpkin. Pull out the seeds and white ribs.
  3. With a small sharp knife, carve a face into one side of each pepper. Keep the eyes and mouth small so the filling doesn't spill out. An adult should do the carving; kids can draw the faces with a marker first.
  4. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  5. Add the beef and onion and cook, breaking up the beef, until no pink remains and the beef reads 160°F (71°C).
  6. Spoon off the extra fat.
  7. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin and salt until fragrant.
  8. Turn off the heat and stir in the black beans, rice, salsa and 1 cup of the cheese.
  9. Stand the peppers in a 9x13-inch baking dish and pour the water into the bottom of the dish.
  10. Pack the filling into the peppers, mounding it slightly on top.
  11. Cover the dish with foil and bake until the peppers are tender when poked with a knife.
  12. Uncover, top with the remaining cheese and set the lids beside the peppers. Bake until the cheese melts.
  13. Put the lids back on and serve.

Tip: Use leftover or microwave rice to save time.

Tip: Ground turkey works; cook it to 165°F.

Storage: Refrigerate up to 4 days. Reheat covered at 350°F for 20 minutes.

Make ahead: Carve and stuff the peppers up to 1 day ahead, cover and refrigerate. Add 10 minutes to the covered bake.

Estimated nutrition per serving: 500 calories · protein 27 g · carbohydrates 38 g · fiber 9 g · sugars 10 g · fat 28 g (saturated 12 g) · sodium 980 mg. Estimate from USDA FoodData Central; not medical or dietary advice. Based on 13 of 13 ingredients.