Mac-O’-Lantern & Cheese Bowls (The Perfect Halloween Dinner!)
A fun and festive Halloween-themed meal, this recipe features creamy macaroni and cheese served inside hollowed-out orange bell peppers that have been carved to look like jack-o’-lanterns. The bell pepper ‘bowls’ are first blanched to make them tender. A simple, rich, and from-scratch cheese sauce is made by reducing half-and-half and then melting in cream cheese and cheddar. This creamy sauce is tossed with cooked elbow macaroni and then spooned into the carved pepper bowls.
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 6 medium orange bell peppers
- 8 ounces elbow macaroni
- 1 1/4 cups half-and-half
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 4 ounces mild Cheddar, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl of ice water.
- Cut the tops off the bell peppers and reserve them. Remove the seeds and membranes from the peppers.
- Using a sharp paring knife, carefully carve a jack-o’-lantern face into one side of each pepper.
- Place the peppers and their tops in the boiling water and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until just tender. Immediately transfer the peppers to the ice bath to stop the cooking process. Once cool, remove them from the water.
- Return the water to a boil, add the macaroni, and cook for about 6 minutes, until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta.
- Make the Sauce: While the pasta cooks, heat the half-and-half in a large saucepan over medium heat until it just comes to a simmer. Continue simmering for about 10 minutes, until it has reduced to about 3/4 cup.
- Add the room-temperature cream cheese and stir until melted. Whisk in the shredded Cheddar until the sauce is smooth.
- Remove the sauce from the heat. Add the cooked macaroni and stir to combine. If the sauce is too thick, stir in some of the reserved pasta water to thin it. Season with salt if needed.
- Let the mac and cheese sit for 10 minutes, then divide it among the carved pepper ‘bowls’. Cap each with its pepper top to serve.
Notes
- This is a creative and kid-friendly way to serve mac and cheese for a Halloween dinner.
- Blanching the peppers and then shocking them in an ice bath is a key step that makes them tender enough to eat but still sturdy enough to hold the filling.
- Reserving the starchy pasta water is an important technique for adjusting the consistency of the cheese sauce.
Find it online: https://cookupjoy.com/mac-o-lantern-cheese-bowls/