Jack-o'-Lantern Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 4 large orange bell peppers
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
• 0.33 cups thinly sliced green onions
• 2 tablespoons salted butter , melted
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 3 cloves garlic , minced
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 0.5 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 3 pinches cayenne pepper , or to taste
• 2 cups seasoned tomato sauce , warmed

Instructions

1. 1

   Gather all ingredients. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Coat a baking dish with olive oil.

2. 2

   Use a small knife to cut eyes, nose, and mouth into the flattest side of each pepper, just like a jack-o'-lantern. Cut around the seedpods and remove the tops, trimming and discarding any seeds from under the stems. Trim white membrane from the inside of each pepper and shake out any seeds. Place in the prepared baking dish.

3. 3

   Mix ground beef, cooked rice, cheese, green onions, melted butter, ketchup, garlic, salt, Worcestershire, black pepper, and cayenne together in a large bowl until well combined.

4. 4

   Stuff beef mixture evenly into peppers and cover with the pepper tops.

5. 5

   Wrap the baking dish loosely with aluminum foil and place on a sheet pan.

6. 6

   Bake in the upper center of the preheated oven for 1 hour. Remove the foil and continue baking until peppers are tender and ground beef is cooked through, 10 to 15 more minutes.

7. 7

   Place stuffed peppers on a few tablespoons of warm tomato sauce. Serve hot with more sauce on the side.

8. 8

   Serve and enjoy!