A Menacing Halloween Meal
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Picture a crisp, cool All Hallow’s Eve – there’s almost certainly a haunting jack-o’-lantern on the porch and kid-friendly foods on the menu. Why not enjoy the best of both worlds at the dinner table?
With these Mac-O’-Lantern and Cheese Bowls from Food Network, you can trade out time-intensive pumpkin carving for bell peppers stuffed with creamy mac and cheese. Equal parts spooky and scrumptious, you can make sure your loved ones are fueled up for trick-or-treating with real food in their stomachs before all the sweets.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice water to prepare the bell peppers.
- Carefully cut the tops off six peppers and reserve then remove seeds and membranes. Plunge the peppers and tops in boiling water and cook 2-3 minutes then transfer to the ice bath. Once they’re cool, remove and use a sharp knife to carve jack-o’-lantern faces in the peppers.
- Return the pot of water to a boil and cook 8 ounces of macaroni al dente, about 6 minutes, then reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and drain.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat 1 1/4 cups half-and-half until simmering. Reduce to about 3/4 cup, about 10 minutes, then add 8 ounces of cream cheese and stir until melted. Whisk in 4 ounces (about 1 1/2 cups) cheddar cheese until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.
- Turn off the heat then add cooked macaroni to the saucepan and stir to combine. If the sauce is too thick, add some of the reserved pasta water, as needed.
- Divide the macaroni and cheese among the peppers and add their tops for a ghoulishly good Halloween meal.
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