Vegan Jack O’Lantern Stuffed Bell Peppers

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To celebrate spooky season, these vegan stuffed bell peppers are carved to look like jack o’lanterns! Stuffed with a Mexican-inspired quinoa black bean filling, these delicious peppers are perfect served as a savory main dish or appetizer at any Halloween celebration.

Halloween-Style Jack O’Lanterns Stuffed Bell Peppers

When you think about what people eat on Halloween, one thing comes to mind: candy! Lots of sugar and all things sweet. Since every Halloween celebration is already going to have an abundance of spooky desserts, I wanted to create something savory and scary (or cute). 

These vegan stuffed bell peppers are a great Halloween-themed main dish or appetizer! Best yet, each person can get their own individual jack o’lantern pepper, making it a great food for social distancing. 

Ingredients for Vegan Stuffed Bell Peppers

I wanted to go with a yummy Mexican-inspired filling for these vegan stuffed bell pepper jack o’lanterns! I created this recipe for a virtual cooking class I’m teaching, so I wanted to make sure all the ingredients were relatively cheap and accessible. 

• Bell peppers: green, red, orange, or yellow – it’s up to you! The orange bell peppers look the most like pumpkins, but any bell pepper will work. Try to buy ones with a flat bottom so they sit up straight. 
• Quinoa: I like white quinoa because it cooks fastest, but use any quinoa you’d like. Or feel free to substitute quinoa for rice. 
• Black beans: for some plant-based protein. 
• Corn: because, duh. 
• Salsa: any chunky salsa of choice. 
• Spices: ground cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and salt for some Mexican spice. 
• Vegan cheese: optional, but recommended for some delicious melty goodness! I like the Daiya Cutting Board Shreds. If you’re not vegan, feel free to use whichever cheese you’d like.

Tips for carving the Bell Peppers Jack O’Lanterns

Just like a pumpkin, be sure to carve out the “guts” of the bell pepper before carving it. First, cut off the top of the bell pepper. You can cut it straight across, or cut it in a fun zig-zag shape. Then, carefully cut out the white bits and seeds, making sure not to cut through the pepper itself.

Once you gut the pepper, you can start carving it! When carving, there are a few things to keep in mind:

• Use a pairing knife to carve the pepper. A pairing knife is small and allows you to get nice little details on your pepper. 
• Don’t carve facial features too close together. Make sure there is adequate space between eyes, nose, and mouth. The pepper gets softer as it cooks and you risk the pepper breaking apart if there is not enough flesh between each detail. I usually carve just a mouth and eyes. 
• Don’t carve too many details. Again, if you add too many details to the pepper, you risk it collapsing in on itself when cooked. And if the details are too small, they will not maintain their shape when cooked. 

How to make Vegan Stuffed Bell Peppers

There are a couple of different ways to make stuffed bell peppers. Some ways will take you nearly 2 hours, but my way takes just about 1 hour. I am all about finding the quickest and easiest way to cook something without sacrificing flavor, so I am convinced my way is best 😉

1. Steam the peppers 

Place the peppers and their tops in a large baking dish. Make sure they are sitting on their bottoms, so their facial features stay intact in the oven! Pour 1/4 cup water into the bottom of the dish, cover the dish with foil, poke a couple of holes in the foil, and bake for 30 minutes. This will steam the peppers, making them nice and tender. 

2. Make the filling 

While the peppers are steaming in the oven, prep the filling. To make this Mexican-inspired filling, cook the quinoa. Meanwhile, mix together the rest of the filling ingredients in a mixing bowl. When the quinoa is done cooking, stir it into the mix as well. 

3. Stuff the peppers 

The peppers will be done steaming shortly after the filing is finished. Remove the peppers from the oven and use tongs to pour out any water that may have accumulated inside the pepper. It’s okay if there is some water left on the bottom of the baking dish. Carefully stuff the peppers with the filling, sprinkling extra vegan cheese on the top if desired. 

Note: if you have extra filling, it tastes amazing in tacos!

4. Bake the peppers again 

Cover each bell pepper jack o’lantern with it’s top, and bake uncovered for about 10 minutes. This second round of baking is to warm the filling, melt the cheese, and finish cooking the pepper. 

Then you’re done! Happy Halloween! 🎃

How to serve Stuffed Bell Pepper Jack O’Lanterns

These vegan stuffed bell peppers are the perfect main dish or appetizer! If serving as a main, I think these peppers would taste great alongside a salad or fried plantains. And be sure to whip out some extra salsa, vegan sour cream, and cilantro!  

How long do stuffed bell peppers keep?

These keep about 4-5 days in the fridge, but are best eaten within 1-2 days. The peppers get softer over time, and since they are carved into jack o’lanterns, they may start to wilt and collapse a bit after a few days.

More vegan fall recipes

• Apple Sage Seitan Sausages
• Creamy Vegan Mashed Potatoes
• Vegan Mushroom Gravy

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