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Spooky Mummy Stuffed Peppers: Best Halloween Dinner

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These Spooky Mummy Stuffed Peppers are a fun and delicious Halloween dinner that kids and adults will love. Bell peppers are stuffed with a savory beef and rice filling, wrapped in mozzarella ‘bandages,’ and baked until tender and cheesy.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 large green bell peppers
  • 1 lb ground beef (85/15)
  • 1 cup cooked white rice
  • 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • 8 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, sliced into thin strips
  • 12–16 black olive slices
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Optional: ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
  2. Cook the rice if you don’t have leftovers. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil, add ½ cup uncooked rice, cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork. You need 1 cup cooked.
  3. Prepare the peppers. Wash and dry 4 bell peppers. Using a sharp knife, slice the top off each pepper about ½ inch from the stem. Set the tops aside. Use a small spoon to scoop out the seeds and white membranes from inside each pepper. Rinse briefly to remove any stray seeds. Pat dry inside and out with a paper towel. Stand the peppers upright in your baking dish. If they wobble, slice a tiny sliver off the bottom to create a flat surface.
  4. Start the filling. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 4-5 minutes until translucent and starting to brown at the edges. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
  5. Brown the meat. Add the ground beef to the skillet. Break it up with a wooden spoon or spatula. Cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink. If there’s excess fat, spoon most of it out, leaving about 1 tablespoon for flavor.
  6. Season and combine. Stir in the drained diced tomatoes, cooked rice, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper. If using cheddar cheese, stir it in now until melted. Cook for 2-3 minutes until everything is heated through and well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning.
  7. Stuff the peppers. Spoon the filling into each pepper, packing it gently but firmly. Leave about ¼ inch of space at the top for the cheese. Mound the filling slightly if needed.
  8. Create the mummy wrappings. Take your mozzarella strips and lay them across each pepper, crisscrossing to look like bandages. Leave small gaps for the eyes. Tuck the ends of the strips down into the dish so they don’t curl up while baking.
  9. Add the eyes. Press 2-3 black olive slices into the exposed gaps in the cheese on each pepper to create eyes. Push them gently into the filling so they stay put.
  10. Bake. Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. The peppers should be tender when pierced with a fork, and the cheese should be melted, bubbly, and starting to brown in spots. If you want darker, more toasted cheese, switch the oven to broil for the last 2 minutes.
  11. Rest and serve. Remove from the oven and let the peppers rest for 5 minutes. Use tongs to transfer each pepper to a plate. Spoon any extra filling from the dish alongside. Serve warm.

Notes

For softer peppers, blanch them in boiling water for 3 minutes before stuffing. Don’t skip draining the tomatoes to avoid a soupy filling. Use room-temperature cheese for even melting. Add olive eyes halfway through baking if you prefer them less dry. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in a 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes.

Nutrition

Keywords: Halloween dinner, stuffed peppers, mummy peppers, spooky dinner, kid-friendly, Halloween recipe

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