Halloween Mac and Cheese Recipe (Mac-O-Lantern) (2024)

Loaded with veggies and goodness, this Halloween Mac and Cheese recipe is a spooky twist on your favorite comfort food! Perfect for an easy dinner during Halloween week or your next Halloween party, this macaroni and cheese may just become a year-round staple.

🧡Why you will love this recipe

• Easy: This is just like making regular macaroni with 2 extra steps: steamed and pureed veggies, and jack-o-lantern peppers to stuff the pasta in. It is so simple!
• Healthy: This mac and cheese recipe is loaded with extra vegetables to boost nutrition. It is one of my favorite ways to sneak extra vegetables into my kid’s diet.
• No dye: Many Halloween mac and cheese recipes call for green food coloring. I skipped it entirely because the mac and cheese turned out green enough for me without needing to add the extra ingredient.
• Delicious: This fun Halloween dinner is so tasty. I think I prefer it to the typical mac and cheese!

🗝️Key Ingredients & Substitutions

• Broccoli & spinach: Broccoli and spinach are steamed and blended to make the mac and cheese green. I used frozen spinach, however, fresh would work too. On the other hand, I used fresh broccoli but frozen would also be fine.
• Macaroni noodles: Macaroni is the perfect pasta shape for this recipe. I used gluten-free macaroni noodles, however normal macaroni noodles are great for this recipe too.
• Cheese: A mixture of mild cheddar and gouda make the cheese sauce creamy and cheesy. Sharp cheddar is also a good option instead of mild.
• Butter: You can substitute regular butter for a plant-based alternative.
• Flour: I used gluten-free plain flour to make the cheese sauce (bechamel) and it works just like regular flour, possibly even better! Regular flour can be substituted 1:1.
• Milk: Any kind of unflavored milk can be added. I prefer either whole milk or unsweetened almond milk.
• Bacon: Bacon adds a whole lot of flavor. Be sure to mix any excess grease into the pasta as well. If you’re looking for a vegetarian option, try veggie bacon or skip this ingredient entirely.
• Bell Pepper: If you want to make it really look like a carved pumpkin, use orange bell peppers. Red, yellow, or even green bell peppers will work too, they will just look less like traditional jack-o-lanterns.
• Seasoning: Salt, black pepper, and a little garlic powder round off this recipe perfectly. Adjust the seasoning to taste.

🎃How to make Toxic Waste Mac and Cheese

1. Steam the greens: Cut and steam the broccoli with the spinach for about 10 minutes, until fork-tender.

2. Cook the pasta: Prepare the macaroni pasta according to the package directions. You want the pasta to be al dente when it’s ready. Strain the cooked pasta and set aside.

3. Cook the bacon: Dice and cook the bacon in a large pan over medium heat until it is crispy (about 5 minutes).

4. Melt butter and add flour: To prepare the cheese sauce, melt butter in a large saucepan and then gradually stir in the flour.

5. Stir in milk: Little by little, add in the milk stirring as you go. Stirring in a little at a time helps to avoid lumps. Add in the garlic powder once all the milk is mixed in.

6. Boil and thicken: To thicken, bring the white sauce to a boil and reduce the heat, stirring often.

7. Shred or slice cheese: While the sauce is thickening, shred or thinly slice the gouda and cheddar cheese.

8. Add cheese: Once thickened, remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the sliced or shredded cheddar cheese and gouda until it is melted.

9. Blend the greens: Puree the broccoli and spinach with a blender, immersion blender, or food processor until it is a smooth consistency. Add it to the cheese mixture and mix well.

10. Add pasta and bacon: Add the prepared macaroni to the green creamy cheese sauce along with the bacon and mix well.

11. Make the face: Remove the top of the bell pepper and scoop out the membrane and slice off the seeds sticking to the top. Cut out a jack-o-lantern face in each bell pepper using a small sharp knife.

12. Stuff the bell peppers: Spoon the macaroni mixture into the bell peppers and place the lid on top.

13. Bake! Bake the mac-o-lanterns in a preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until the bell peppers are softer.

🫙Storage Instructions

• Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
• Reheat in the microwave or oven until piping hot.

🪄Recipe Notes & Tips

• Avoid kraft: Kraft macaroni and cheese will not work for this recipe! It’s also full of some strange ingredients. Avoid it if you can!
• Mac and cheese cups: Try making mac and cheese muffin cups by baking the macaroni mixture in a large muffin baking dish or two.
• Without the bell peppers: This recipe makes a delicious homemade macaroni and cheese dinner with or without the bell peppers. In my house, we eat it year-round. Nothing beats mac and cheese or broccoli and cheese in my opinion, and this is the perfect marriage of the two.
• Half of the bell peppers: Sometimes I just make 4 mac and cheese stuffed bell peppers and save the rest of the pasta for later. I also like to make the leftovers into mac and cheese cups.

😋More Halloween recipes you will love

• Halloween Witch Popcorn Balls
• Frankenstein Avocados
• Halloween Strawbwebs
• 75 Kid-Friendly Halloween Recipes

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