Gordon Ramsay Spooky Jack-o’-Lantern Stuffed Peppers

Mini orange peppers carved with jack-o’-lantern faces, stuffed with smoky beef and rice, topped with melted cheese and baked until tender. They’re a proper Halloween dinner that doubles as a table centerpiece, ready in about 55 minutes. Serve them with a marinara “spiderweb” dip.

These are my Halloween invention, not a Gordon Ramsay dish, but the filling follows a principle he always teaches: brown the meat properly before anything else goes in. That browning is where most of the flavor comes from.

Ingredients

For the peppers

• 8 mini orange bell peppers
• 2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for brushing
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

For the filling

• 450g (1 lb) ground beef (80/20)
• 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 200g (1 cup) cooked long-grain rice
• 400g (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, well drained
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 150g (1 1/2 cups) shredded mozzarella or mature cheddar, divided

For the spiderweb dip

• 240ml (1 cup) smooth marinara or tomato passata, warmed
• 3 tbsp sour cream, thinned with 1 tsp milk

To serve

• Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Picking your peppers

Choose squat peppers with flat bottoms so they stand up in the dish, and avoid any with thin or wrinkled walls, which collapse in the oven. A snug baking dish helps too; the peppers hold each other upright.

Method

1. Carve before you stuff. Heat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Slice the tops off the peppers and scoop out the seeds. With a small paring knife, cut triangle eyes and a jagged grin into one side of each. Keep the shapes big and simple; fine details blur as the peppers soften. Brush the outsides with oil and sprinkle with salt.
   
2. Brown the beef well. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Soften the onion for 3–4 minutes, then add the beef, break it up and cook for 6–8 minutes until deeply browned. Drain off the excess fat and add the garlic for 30 seconds.
   
3. Finish the filling. Stir in the spices, salt and pepper, then the well-drained tomatoes and the rice. Simmer for 3–4 minutes so the rice soaks up the juices; wet filling makes the peppers steam instead of roast. Off the heat, fold in half the cheese.
   
4. Stuff. Stand the peppers in the dish and spoon in the hot filling, mounding it slightly. Top with the rest of the cheese and perch the lids back on at an angle.
   
5. Bake. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the peppers are tender and the cheese is bubbling. If the lids darken too quickly, cover the dish loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes. Rest for 5 minutes so the filling sets.
   
6. Make the spiderweb and serve. Pour the warm marinara into a small dark bowl, pipe 3–4 rings of thinned sour cream on top, and drag a toothpick from the center outward 8 times to make a web. Arrange the peppers on a platter with parsley and the dip.
   

Other fillings

• Turkey or chicken: use ground turkey or chicken and add an extra tablespoon of oil.
• Vegetarian: replace the meat with 400g drained black beans and 100g sweetcorn, keeping the same spices.
• Spicier: add a diced jalapeño with the onion and a pinch of chilli flakes.

Getting ahead

Carve the peppers and make the filling up to a day ahead and store them separately in the fridge; stuff and bake on the day. Unbaked stuffed peppers also freeze for up to a month; thaw overnight before baking. Leftovers keep for 3 days and reheat at 180°C (350°F) for 12–15 minutes.

Halloween Recipes

Gordon Ramsay Spooky Jack-o'-Lantern Stuffed Peppers

Mini orange bell peppers carved with grinning jack-o'-lantern faces, stuffed with smoky seasoned beef, rice and melted cheese, baked until tender and served with a spiderweb dipping sauce. A spooky Halloween dinner ready in 55 minutes.

Chef Gordon Ramsay Recipes

Prep
25 minutes

Cook
30 minutes

Total
55 minutes

Serves
4 servings (8 peppers)

🖨 Print Recipe

Ingredients

8 mini orange bell peppers2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for brushing1/2 tsp fine sea salt450g (1 lb) ground beef (80/20)1 small yellow onion, finely diced2 garlic cloves, minced200g (1 cup) cooked long-grain rice400g (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, well drained1 tsp smoked paprika1 tsp ground cumin1/2 tsp dried oregano1 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper150g (1 1/2 cups) shredded mozzarella or mature cheddar, divided240ml (1 cup) smooth marinara or tomato passata, warmed3 tbsp sour cream, thinned with 1 tsp milkFresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, to serve

Instructions

01

Carve the peppers

Heat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Slice the tops off the peppers and scoop out the seeds and membranes. Cut simple triangle eyes and a jagged grin into one side of each pepper with a paring knife, keeping shapes bold. Brush outsides lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

02

Brown the beef

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the diced onion for 3–4 minutes until softened, then add the ground beef. Break it up and cook 6–8 minutes until deeply browned, then drain off excess fat. Stir in the garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant.

03

Build the filling

Stir in the smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper, then the drained tomatoes and cooked rice. Simmer 3–4 minutes until thickened and the rice absorbs the juices. Remove from heat and fold through half the shredded cheese until just melted.

04

Stuff the peppers

Arrange the carved peppers upright in a snug baking dish. Spoon the hot filling into each, mounding slightly above the rim. Scatter the remaining cheese over the tops and perch the pepper lids back on at a jaunty angle.

05

Bake until tender

Bake for 25–30 minutes until the peppers are tender when pierced with a knife and the cheese is bubbly and golden. Tent loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes if the lids brown too quickly. Rest 5 minutes before serving.

06

Make the spiderweb sauce

Pour the warm marinara into a small dark bowl. Pipe 3–4 concentric sour-cream circles on the surface, then drag a toothpick from the centre outward in 8 spokes to form the web. Arrange the peppers on a platter, scatter with parsley, and serve hot with the sauce.

Chef Tips

• Choose squat, flat-bottomed peppers so they stand upright in the dish without toppling.
• Drain the tomatoes well — excess liquid makes the filling soggy and the peppers steam instead of roast.
• Keep carved faces simple and bold; fiddly details collapse as the pepper softens in the oven.
• Rest the baked peppers for 5 minutes so the filling sets and they hold their shape when lifted.

For a full Halloween menu, start with the Spooky Mummy Sausage Platter and finish with the Halloween Chocolate Cake.