Halloween is just days away and if you haven’t decided what to serve for dinner yet, we have a perfectly spooky recipe that’s not only easy, but also makes a warming comfort food for a cold Halloween night.
This Jack-o’-Lantern Pot Pie recipe from Wisconsin Cheese has quite a few ingredients, but don’t let that deter you. It also uses refrigerated pie pastry, so you don’t really have to make anything from scratch.
You will need to rely on your artistic skills a bit, however, as you will be responsible for turning the pot pie into a jack-o’-lantern. To do so, you’ll cut out the pumpkin face, using the cutouts for the stem and leaf. You’ll also be cutting out peppers for the eyes and teeth.
Take a look at the full recipe below:
Jack-o’-Lantern Pot Pie
Ingredients:
- 1 large green pepper
- 1 large sweet red bell pepper
- 1 pound of lean ground beef (90% lean)
- 1 medium chopped onion
- 1 can of black beans (rinsed and drained)
- 1 can of diced tomatoes and green chilies (undrained)
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 10 ounces of Buholzer Brothers Havarti cheese (shredded and divided)
- 2 sheets of refrigerated pie pastry
- 2 large eggs
- Orange and green food coloring (optional)
Instructions:
Heat the oven to 425°Fahrenheit. Line a 17 x 12-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
Finely chop half of each green and red bell pepper; set aside remaining bell peppers. Cook the beef, onion and chopped bell peppers in a large skillet over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
Add the black beans, tomatoes and garlic powder; cook and stir for 4-6 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat. Stir in two cups of Havarti cheese.
Roll out one pie pastry on a lightly floured surface to a 10-inch circle. Transfer to prepared pan. Spoon beef mixture in the center of the pastry within 1/2 inch of the edges. Roll out remaining pastry to a 10-inch circle.
Cut pumpkin face; set aside cutouts for the stem and leaf.
Place pastry over beef mixture. Pinch pastry edges together and fold under to seal. Shape stem and leaf with reserved pastry; place on pie.
Whisk one egg and orange food coloring if desired in a small bowl. Brush pumpkin with egg wash. Whisk remaining egg and green food coloring if desired in another bowl; brush over stem and leaf.
Bake for 15 minutes. Brush pastry with egg washes. Sprinkle remaining Havarti cheese in the eyes and mouth. Cut reserved bell peppers for pupils in eyes and teeth; place on pie.
Bake for 14-16 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown.
If you have any vegetarians in the family who won’t enjoy the recipe, you can also whip up some quick Halloween pasta from Aldi and as a side dish, check out this recipe for 3-ingredient baked string cheese “mummies.” Serve it all up with these Fanta Jack-O’-Lantern floats!
While Halloween dinner is of course important, everyone knows the holiday is all about sweet treats, so you’ll also need some dessert recipes. This recipe for candy corn surprise cake is easier than it sounds, or if you want something more decadent, take a look at this pumpkin caramel cream cheesecake.
Once the night is over, if you end up with a lot of candy, you can also make a post-Halloween candy cookie cake, which calls for a variety of fun-sized treats, like M&Ms and chopped-up candy bars.
What will you be serving up for Halloween this year?
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for additional stories.
