Fair Trade Pepper-o-Lanterns

Women’s Bean Project is about making long-lasting connections that give a hand up, not a hand out. Graduates of the program find their place in the world. Before the soup even makes it into your bowl, it has done so much good! And delicious soup from Women’s Bean Project isn’t just soup—you can use the mixes as base for other recipes. Kids will love these spooky pepper jack-o-lanterns for Halloween! Read more about Women’s Bean Project on our blog.

We made this in the Instant Pot; click here for slow cooker or stovetop recipes from Women’s Bean Project.

Ingredients:

• 1 package 10 Bean Soup Mix
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 28 oz. can crushed or diced tomatoes
• 5 cups water or broth (this is one less cup of water from package directions for soup, so the mixture is thicker for filling the peppers)
• 8 oz. of your favorite dried pasta
• 10-12 bell peppers (see if you can find peppers with the fair trade logo at the grocery store!)
• Grated cheddar cheese

Directions (for Instant Pot):

Turn on Instant Pot to Sauté; add 1 T of fair trade olive oil. When it’s hot, add diced veggies and cook until softened. Add spice packet from 10 Bean Soup Mix and garlic; sauté for a minute until fragrant.

Rinse beans in cold water for a minute.

Add drained beans, tomatoes, and broth or water into the Instant Pot.

Push cancel and lock the lid in place. Press the Manual or Pressure Cook button on high, set the timer for 40 minutes, and start. Once the cooking has finished let sit for 20 minutes to naturally release, then open the seal for a quick release. Once the steam has fully released, open the lid and add the pasta. Set to sauté and boil the pasta with the soup for 5 minutes or so, until pasta is al dente.

Cut the tops off the bell peppers (save them to bake with the filled peppers), remove the seeds, and cut your most creative jack-o-lantern faces in them using a serrated knife. Fill each pepper with a scoop of the cooked bean & soup mixture and top with cheese.

Bake the peppers on a sheet pan for 30 minutes at 350°. Let cool a bit, and enjoy the spooky dinner!