Jack-O’-Lantern Stuffed Peppers
Carved orange bell peppers filled with seasoned beef, rice, tomato sauce, and cheddar.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 80 minutes
- Yield: 6 stuffed peppers
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
- 6 large orange bell peppers
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 cups cooked rice
- 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
- Prepare peppers: Heat oven to 375°F. Cut tops from peppers, remove seeds, and carve simple faces into one side.
- Cook beef: Heat oil in a skillet. Cook beef and onion until browned; drain excess fat. Add garlic for 30 seconds.
- Make filling: Stir in rice, tomato sauce, paprika, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Simmer 3 minutes.
- Fill: Stand peppers in a baking dish, divide filling among them, and top with cheddar. Add 1/2 cup water to dish and cover.
- Bake: Bake 30 minutes covered, then uncover and bake 10 to 15 minutes until peppers are tender and filling reaches 165°F. Rest 5 minutes and garnish.
Notes
Choose peppers that stand upright. Refrigerate leftovers within two hours. Images are AI-generated illustrations; recipe not kitchen-tested.