Jack O Lantern Stuffed Yellow Peppers with Cheesy Pasta
These Jack o’ Lantern Stuffed Yellow Peppers are a fun Halloween dinner packed with pasta, rich marinara sauce, and plenty of gooey melted cheese.
Carving spooky faces into yellow bell peppers turns a simple cheesy pasta dish into an easy Halloween meal that both kids and adults can enjoy.
You can also assemble the peppers several hours ahead. Refrigerate them covered, then bake just before serving, adding a few extra minutes to the cooking time if they’re going into the oven cold.
Ingredients
- 4 large yellow bell peppers
- 8 oz (225 g) short pasta, such as penne, rigatoni, or macaroni
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Fresh basil or parsley, for garnish
Instructions
Prepare the Yellow Peppers
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
Wash and dry the peppers. Slice the tops off and set them aside to use as little Jack o’ Lantern lids.
Remove the seeds and membranes from inside each pepper.
Using a small, sharp knife, carefully carve triangular eyes, a nose, and a spooky smile into one side of each pepper.
Lightly brush the peppers with olive oil and arrange them upright in a baking dish.
Cook the Pasta
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until just al dente, about 1–2 minutes less than the package directions.
Drain well. Avoid overcooking the pasta at this stage because it will continue cooking inside the peppers.
Make the Cheesy Marinara Pasta
Return the pasta to the pot and add the marinara sauce, garlic powder, oregano, and basil.
Stir in 1 cup of mozzarella and ¼ cup of Parmesan. Mix until the pasta is thoroughly coated in marinara and the cheese begins to melt.
Taste and season with salt and black pepper as needed.
Stuff the Jack o’ Lantern Peppers
Spoon the cheesy pasta mixture into each carved pepper. Allow some of the saucy pasta to show through the carved faces for an extra-spooky effect.
Combine the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan and generously sprinkle it over the top of each pepper.
Bake
Pour about ¼ cup of water into the bottom of the baking dish and loosely cover with aluminum foil.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Remove the foil and bake for another 10–15 minutes, until the peppers are tender and the cheese on top is melted and bubbling.
For a golden cheese topping, place the peppers under the broiler for 1–2 minutes at the end.
Serve
Allow the peppers to cool for about 5 minutes. Place the reserved pepper tops back on at a slight angle and garnish with fresh basil or parsley.
You can serve these in the middle of a large plate with marinara sauce surrounding them for an added spooky effect.
Best Pasta to Use
Short pasta shapes work best because they’re easy to spoon into the peppers. Good choices include:
- Penne
- Rigatoni
- Ziti
- Macaroni
- Fusilli
- Small shells
Small shells are particularly good because they capture pockets of marinara and melted cheese.
Best Cheese for Jack o’ Lantern Stuffed Peppers
Mozzarella is the star of this recipe because it melts beautifully and creates the stretchy, gooey filling you want with marinara pasta.
Parmesan adds a salty, nutty flavor that makes the sauce taste richer. You could also add provolone for extra flavor or substitute some of the mozzarella with Monterey Jack.
Recipe Tips
You can use yellow or red bell peppers, green bell peppers always taste a little to acidic to me so I rarely use them for this type of dish.
For the best-looking Jack o’ Lanterns, choose peppers that are wide, relatively straight-sided, and able to stand upright.
Keep the carved facial features fairly large and simple. Very detailed cuts can lose their shape as the peppers soften in the oven.
