When I launched into Whole30 back in July, I did it alone. My family has dealt with enough of my yo-yo diets, I decided to keep this one to myself. If it worked, maybe they would want to join me next time. If it didn’t they were none the wiser. Perfect plan, right? Well… it worked. It worked so well in fact that when I mentioned that I wanted to do it again – Mike jumped on board. There aren’t even words for how happy that made me.

After that round (his first, my second) we made an agreement to stay as close to whole30 as possible going forward. We all four agreed as a family to stick to Whole30 at least 90% – not stressing over if we eat out or go to a dinner party or whatever. It has been wonderful. I have had so much fun learning new Whole30 Recipes and getting creative with what I serve. With Halloween just around the corner I had an idea of a “treat” everyone would enjoy.

Mike had said before that he used to love when his Mom made stuffed bell peppers. I had never had them before, so I thought I would give it a go – adding a bit of a kid-friendly spin. When the family came to the dinner table they all loved their little individual “jack-o-lanterns” and gobbled up every bite. It wasn’t until after they finished that I told them they were 100% Whole30 Compliant. How’s that for a “trick!?”

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Whole30 Halloween Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground turkey breast
• 1 large head of cauliflower , cut into pieces
• 4 large orange bell peppers
• 1 can whole30 complaint tomato sauce
• 1 large yellow onion , minced
• 1 large green bell pepper , minced
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons parsley
• 2 tablespoons basil
• 1 tablespoon garlic salt
• 4 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

1. The first step is to turn your cauliflower into “rice.” Grate pieces of raw cauliflower in a food processor. In a skillet, heat olive oil and garlic salt. Add in cauliflower “rice” and cook 5-7 minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking. Cauliflower will be soft and begin to brown. Turn off the heat and set aside. Turn your oven on to preheat 350*.
2. In another skillet, brown your turkey completely until all pink is gone. Add in minced onion, minced green bell pepper, minced garlic, parsley, and basil. Add in chicken broth and let cook down – about 7-10 minutes. Add in tomato sauce and cauliflower “rice” and let simmer until most of the liquid is gone, stirring often.
3. While the meat mixture cooks down, cut the tops off of the four orange bell peppers and gently remove the seeds from the inside. With a small paring knife, carefully cut out the eyes, nose, and mouth of the jack-o-lantern. Fill each bell pepper with the meat mixture and replace the top. Gently place into the corner of a deep pyrex dish with the jack-o-lantern facing out. Make sure they are standing upright and gently place on the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until bell pepper is softening.
4. Let cool and serve with your favorite sides. Enjoy!