Description
Easy Halloween Jack O'Lantern Rice and Beans Stuffed Peppers that is quick and simple to make, full in flavor and kids and grownups will love this fun presentation!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Jack O'Lantern Peppers
- 8 orange bell peppers
- 7 oz ground beef, 200g
- 1 onion, small-ish, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 6 oz uncooked rice, 175g
- 1 1/3 cups beef or chicken broth, 300ml.
- 1 tsp cumin
- 3/4 tsp smoked paprika, or just paprika
- 1/2-1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2-1 tsp salt, depending on water or broth
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 3 oz canned black beans, drained, about half a can. 85g
- 1/2 cup corn, 90g
- 1 1/4 cups shredded cheese, e.g. Mexican blend, Jarlsberg, cheddar. 150g
- 1/2 cup salsa, your favorite kind. 115g
Optional Toppings
- crushed tortilla chips, as decorative 'glass shards' and crunch
- guacamole, * recipe below
- more salsa
- sour cream
- fresh salad
- cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- The beef: Begin with pre-heating your oven to 180C (350F). Quickly brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium high heat. Set beef aside but continue with the pan.
- The onion and rice: Reduce heat to medium. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until translucent - about 7-10 minutes. Add the rice and stir frequently until rice is golden and opaque. Add the ground beef, season with salt and pepper, smoked paprika, cayenne and cumin.
- Simmer: Pour in the broth or water. Stir gently. Cover and bring to a boil. Then reduce to low and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed. Approximately 17 minutes, depending a little on the rice.
- Draw Jack O'Lanterns: Meanwhile, draw Jack O'Lanterns on the bell peppers. Cut with a sharp knife outside of the markings. Cut the top of the bell peppers off, but save it for presentation. Hollow and de-seed the peppers and cut a little on the bottom to make them more steady (if needed).
- Bake the peppers: Fluff with a fork and add in the beans, corn, salsa and half of the cheese. Divide the mixture into four bell peppers. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the bell peppers are soft and the cheese is melted.
- Serve: Add a few broken pieces of nachos on top to make it look like it's been cut with broken glass! Serve the Rice and Beans Halloween Jack O'Lantern Peppers with a fresh salad and optional toppings, such as guacamole, sour cream and more salsa.
Notes
Leftover Filling: Most likely you will have leftover filling. You can bake however many bell peppers you want, and just keep the leftover filling covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Very important to not let it sit out in room temperature because of the rice. Bake new peppers the next day or you can make burritos with the filling. Serve with flour tortillas, guacamole, salsa and fresh veggies if you like.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Inactive Time: 0 hours
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 stuffed pepper
- Calories: 294
- Sugar: 7.7
- Sodium: 358
- Fat: 8.5
- Saturated Fat: 4.5
- Carbohydrates: 37.2
- Fiber: 4.4
- Protein: 18.5
- Cholesterol: 41