Halloween Stuffed Peppers Jack-o-Lanterns (Taco stuffed peppers)
Hearty satisfying Halloween Stuffed Peppers carved like jack-o-lanterns are filled with lean, healthy taco flavored filling. Perfect for a healthy Halloween main dish!
Servings: 6
Calories: 208kcal
Ingredients
- 6 medium-large orange bell peppers
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped (1 ½ cup yield)
- 2 large garlic cloves minced
- 1 pound lean ground turkey (99% fat free)
- 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 cup chopped zucchini
- 1 ½ tablespoons mild taco seasoning store bought or homemade
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ¾ cup canned black beans drained and rinsed
- ¾ cup cooked rice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Cut the top of the peppers off just underneath the stem and save the tops. With fingers or a paring knife remove and discard the inner membrane and seeds. Using a sharp small paring knife cut out jack o'lantern face on one side of each pepper.
Blanch the peppers
- Heat a large pot of boiling water. Prepare an ice bath by combining cold water and lots of ice in a large mixing bowl.
- Add 1 or 2 peppers to the boiling water for 1 minute. Transfer immediately to the ice bath for a few minutes until cool to the touch.
- Remove and place upside down (cut side down) on layers of paper towels. Repeat with the remaining peppers.
Make the filling
- In a non-stick large skillet heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onions and sauté until transparent and softened (about 5 minutes).
- Add the garlic and the ground turkey. Cook stirring with a wooden spoon or firm spatula to break turkey into small pieces until the turkey is cooked and no pink remains.
- Add the tomato sauce, zucchini, taco seasoning, cumin, oregano, salt, black pepper, black beans and rice. Stir and simmer until ingredients are combined and the liquid from the tomato sauce has begun to absorb into the other ingredients (about 5 minutes).
- Place the carved peppers in a medium baking dish (enough room for them all to fit easily and if possible rest against each other which helps if the bottom of the peppers is uneven). Evenly divide the filling into each pepper.NOTE: it may sit higher than the top of the pepper and that's ok as it will shrink some when cooking.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove and add 1 ½ tablespoons shredded reduced fat Mexican cheese blend on top of each pepper. Return to oven and bake 5 more minutes until the cheese has melted.
- Remove from oven, allow to rest a few minutes before serving.
Notes
Making these other times of the year. When not making these for Halloween skip carving the faced of jack o' lanterns and make the recipe as described. You can use different color peppers too.
Use another grain. Instead of rice you can use another grain like quinoa or a blend of rice and quinoa.
Add more vegetables. You can skip the beans and replace them with more vegetables of your choosing (chopped fresh tomatoes, canned fire-roasted tomatoes, corn, more chopped bell pepper, mushrooms). Be sure to sauté them before baking the peppers. We don't suggest substituting the rice as that holds the filling together.
Make it spicy. Using mild taco seasoning accommodates the heat tolerance of a wider range of diners but if you want the little jack o' lanterns to be spicier you can add some cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to the filling before stuffing the peppers. Another option is adding hot sauce or salsa when serving.
Swapping in riced cauliflower. You can use cooked cauliflower rice instead of regular rice although it does not have the same absorbency and won't hold it's texture. If substituting add 1 cup instead of the ¾ cup of regular cooked rice.
How to store
Store any leftover stuffed Halloween stuffed peppers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 208kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 0.5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 869mg | Potassium: 624mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 4142IU | Vitamin C: 164mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 2mg