We are teaming up with the Idaho Potato Commission this week to inspire you to “spookify” your #SundaySupper with Fun and Scary Halloween Recipes. With an easy and tasty beef and veggie mix topped with cheesy mashed Idaho® potatoes, you’ll have heads turning with Jack O’Lantern Shepherd’s Pie Stuffed Peppers.
Jack O’Lantern Shepherd’s Pie Stuffed Peppers
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by the Idaho Potato Commission. All opinions are my own.
Did your mom make a special Halloween dinner for you when you were a kid? Yeah, me either. I mean, I was of the generation that went trick-or-treating on our way home from school, stopped in to scramble to do any little bit of homework that any witchy teachers dared to assign on Halloween, then it was back out with my friends to keep filling our bags with treats. In fact, as I got a bit older, my friends and I would just stop in for a slice at the local pizzeria.
I think these mummy hot dogs, spaghetti brains with eyeballs, and meatloaf zombies are all a product of the Pinterest era. And while it sometimes seems that all of these websites and blogs (like, ahem, mine) have created a wee bit of craziness, fun food for Halloween is something I am totally down with. I mean, Halloween is all about silliness and fun, with maybe a sprinkling of creepy and eery, just for good measure. And if digging into monster guts or ghoulish graveyards or spiderwebs gets you in the spirit, I say “Go for it!”
In fact, I think these may become a Halloween tradition in my house…
I mean, how much fun are these Jack O’Lantern Shepherd’s Pie Stuffed Peppers? OK, so I know it looks and sounds like a bit of work, but I promise you, it’s super easy and can even be prepared in advance. All you need is a little paring knife to carve some cute or creepy little faces into your orange bell peppers. While you are boiling up some Idaho® potatoes, brown up a pound of ground beef and mix it with veggies (I used frozen to keep is super easy) and a simple gravy. Stuff that into the peppers, mash up the potatoes with come cheddar cheeses, and pop them into the oven. Just a short while later, you have these…
I mean, come on, how can you resist? And not only do they look awesome, they taste pretty awesome as well. Now I’ll be honest, The Bug isn’t the biggest pepper fan, but King Stuff took care of that. And both boys happily munched away on their meaty filling and of course the mashed Idaho® potatoes! Plus, they are healthy and loaded with protein and veggies, so they’ll fuel your little trick-or-treaters all over the neighborhood!
And if carving actual pumpkins has got you all jack o’lanterned out, then just skip the funny faces altogether. They’ll still be delicious any time of the year, like maybe when you are tired of Thanksgiving turkey leftovers but still want a cute little reminder of the harvest season. See, pumpkins! Cuuuute!
Looking for more recipes with Idaho® potatoes for Halloween and all year? Follow the Idaho Potato Commission on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.
Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos.
Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy! You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.
For more Fun and Scary Halloween Recipes for your parties or even just your family, check out these recipes from the Idaho Potato Commission, our Fun and Creepy Halloween Recipes Pinterest Board, and all of the #SundaySupper recipes featuring Idaho® potatoes at the bottom of this post!
Do you make a special Halloween dinner for your family?
- 4-6 orange peppers (See Note*)
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ medium onion, chopped (roughly ½ cup)
- 1 garlic clove, crushed or minced
- ¾ cup tomato paste (one 6-ounce can)
- ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ cups beef broth
- 4 cups, or about two 10 oz. packages frozen vegetable medley, thawed (carrots, peas, corn, and green beans)
- 1 pound Idaho® russet potatoes, peeled and cut into about 1 inch chunks
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- Slice the top off of each of the peppers and reserve. Remove the seeds and, if desired, use a paring knife to carve a jack o'lantern face into each pepper.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat, add the ground beef, onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper and cook, breaking up the meat, until it is browned. Drain any excess grease. Stir in the tomato paste, Worscestershire sauce, and beef broth. Add vegetables, bring to a simmer, and cook for 10-15 minutes or until thickened slightly. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- While the meat is cooking, place the Idaho® potatoes and a pinch of salt into a pot of cold water, cover, and bring to boil. Remove cover and boil for 10-12 minutes, until fork tender. Drain and return to the pot, add ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese, Greek yogurt or sour cream, milk, and salt. With potato masher or hand mixer, mash to desired consistency.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Divide the meat mixture between the peppers, then top with the mashed Idaho® potatoes and remaining cheese, and place in a glass baking dish.
- Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until heated through, peppers are tender and cheese and potatoes are slightly browned.
Enjoy this Jack O’Lantern Shepherd’s Pie Stuffed Peppers recipe!
I’ve got some more spud-spiration for you…
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- Beef & Potato Skillet Supper
- Buffalo Chicken Potato Hash
- Butternut Squash & Cheddar Potatoes au Gratin
Here is the entire “Spookified” #SundaySupper menu…
Fun and Spooky Potato Savory Bites:
- A Bowlful of Creepy Crawlies by kimchi MOM
- Bloody Mary Potatoes by The Messy Baker
- Devilish Potato Mummies by Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
- Halloween Baked Potato Skin Pizzas by Alida’s Kitchen
- Jack O’Lantern Shepherd’s Pie Stuffed Peppers by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
- Jalapeno Chili Stuffed Potato Mummies by Feed Me, Seymour
- Loaded Mashed Potato Spider Web Casserole by NeighborFood
- Mashed Potato Grave by Peanut Butter and Peppers
- Mashed Potato Monsters by Ruffles & Truffles
- Monster Mash Potatoes by Curious Cuisiniere
- Roasted Potato Eyeballs by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
- Roasted Potato Graveyard by Take A Bite Out of Boca
- Spooky Halloween Potatoes Graveyard by Clarks Condensed
- Spooky Spiderweb Loaded Mashed Potato Cakes by Rhubarb and Honey
- Stuffed Potato Spiders by Family Foodie
- Twice Baked Potato Graves by Kudos Kitchen by Renee
- Twice Baked Potato Mummies Covered with Roaches by The Wimpy Vegetarian
Fun and Spooky Potato Sweet Treats:
- Chocolate Potato Skull Cake by Magnolia Days
- Potato Candy Spiders by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Chocolate Raspberry Ghoulash by Desserts Required
Want to see lots more yummy food from me and my friends, and cute pictures of my kids?
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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I earn a small percentage from any purchases you may make if you click on them. These companies have not contacted me. I use the stuff because I love it.
So cute! Just so, so, so cute!!!
Renee Dobbs recently posted…Chocolate Potato Skull Cake for #SundaySupper
Thanks Renee! This was fun!
You win the prize for creativity…your jack-o-lantern peppers are adorable. The cutest Shepherd’s pie I’ve ever seen! What a fun recipe!
Thanks so much Alida! There is so much creativity this week!
What a perfect idea for Halloween! And they get spookier as they cook…love these peppers!
Liz recently posted…Potato Candy Spiders #SundaySupper
That is true. I didn’t cook these as long so they would hold up for photos, but they will get even wrinklier.
This are simply charming. Um, I mean spooky! Really, really great way to spookify potatoes.
Renee – Kudos Kitchen recently posted…Twice Baked Idaho® Potato Graves for #SundaySupper
All I can say is adorable! I love them! They turned out so cute!
Jennifer Drummond recently posted…Mashed Potato Grave #SundaySupper
What a fun treat for Halloween!
Cindys Recipes and Writings recently posted…Grown-up Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Cookies
These are darling…uh…I mean…SPOOKY!
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious recently posted…Photo Class: Using Custom White Balance
These are just the cutest! What a great idea.
Jennie @themessybakerblog recently posted…Bloody Mary Potatoes ~ #SundaySupper
I love these! What a wonderful way to celebrate Halloween for a party. And kids would love them!!!
susan @ the wimpy vegetarian recently posted…Twice Baked Potato Mummies: #SundaySupper
How cute are these “pumpkin” peppers … really, really cute!
And they sound so good as well … this is a great recipe for Halloween, and it’s also perfect any time of the year.
Love it!
Kimberly recently posted…Spooky Spiderweb Loaded Mashed Potato Cakes for #SundaySupper
These are so cute! And I adore shepherd’s pie, so I’d definitely scarf these down for Halloween!
Kim (Feed Me, Seymour) recently posted…Jalapeno Chili Stuffed Idaho® Potato Mummies for #SundaySupper
These pumpkins are awesome. You did such an amazing job at the cut-outs!
Shaina recently posted…A Roasted Potato Graveyard for #SundaySupper
I can’t believe how great these turned out! They are so adorable, and I love the idea of putting Shepherd’s Pie in a stuffed pepper!
Courtney @ Neighborfood recently posted…Loaded Mashed Potato Spider Web Casserole #SundaySupper
These are so creative…and healthy!
OhhEmmGeee to frickin’ adorable Brianne!! I have got to make these!
Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen recently posted…Devilish Potato Mummies #SundaySupper with Idaho® Potatoes
Could these be any cuter?!?! Love that you carved jack o lantern faces into the peppers…fabulous!!!
Katie recently posted…Mashed Potato Monsters for #SundaySupper
Brianne, adorable doesn’t even cut it – these are just too fun! I love Shepherd’s Pie and stuffed peppers … I’ll be making them. Boo! 😉
How adorably clever! Totally pinning this!
These really are too hard to resist and your directions let me know just how easy they are to make!
Betsy @ Desserts Required recently posted…Chocolate Raspberry Ghoulash #SundaySupper
Those are so cute! I don’t usually go for all the halloween food, but these are pretty awesome so I may have to make halloween food this year!
Stacey @ Bake.Eat.Repeat. recently posted…Breakfast Biscuits
These are cute! Plus I think they’d be delicious any time of year. I think I need to give it a go.
Susan recently posted…Za’atar Spiced Cashews #10daysofTailgate
Oh goodness, these are Adorbs! Nice filling too, pinning and making it this months board cover!
Oh wow, thanks!!
I could totally see the orange ones as Jack-o-Lanterns and the green ones as Frankenstein monsters! Now I just have to come up with something for the red ones…
Ooooh, love the Frankenstein idea! How about red devils?
Made this recipe tonight for my family, carved one of the peppers into a pumpkin for my 8-year-old. So yummy. Used ground turkey in place of the beef. Thanks for sharing!
Great idea to swap out the turkey! Glad you enjoyed them and had fun with them!
Hello – I just found your site today … it is amazing! I LOVE your Jack-O-Lantern Stuffed Peppers. I have reposted onto my blog … and referred them back to you … hope you don’t mind … but I wanted to share the word of your great creativity! If you want me to remove … just let me know. Thanks again for sharing … I will be making them with my kids this Friday.
Thanks for your kind words!