13 Halloween Dinner Ideas for Before the Candy Feast
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Between handing out candy and taking kids through the neighborhood to collect their haul, dinner still needs to happen on Halloween. And as tempting as a plate full of Twix and Sour Patch Kids may be, you need Halloween dinner ideas to line the belly and ward off the shivers if it's a chilly evening. Below you'll find our recommendations: some dishes hued appropriately orange with pumpkin, squash, and sweet potato, others just the kind of fall fare that feels comforting on a particularly busy Monday night. They're all easy to make, which is ideal if you're fussing with costume adjustments, face paint, and homemadefake blood. You'll find chili,soup, and creamy polenta below—plus some spooky breadsticks to stay on the Halloween theme.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich1/13
Vegetarian Black Bean Chili
We're not exactly sure how chili after trick-or-treating because a tradition, but it's one of the Halloween dinner ideas we come back to year after year. This recipe has an active prep time of just 30 minutes, and it's ready to serve in 45—less time than it'll take for the kids to start sorting all their candy.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Laura Rege2/13
Butternut Squash Soup With Apples and Bacon
It's not exactly a jack-o'-lantern in a bowl, but close enough. This warming squash soup don'trequiretoppings, but they are the fun part.
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Chris Gentile3/13
Witch's Finger Bread Sticks With Maple Mustard Dip
A weeknight Halloween means a whole meal of elaborate spooky foods feels a bit out of reach. But serving your soup or chili with these breadsticks is totally doable—make them on Sunday or even freeze them ahead of time.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Molly Baz4/13
3-Ingredient Creamy Pumpkin Pasta
In 25 minutes, you can have this creamy pasta ready to eat, so it's perfect if you want to fit dinner in before trick-or-treating begins. Not sure which canned pumpkin to buy? We did apumpkin purée taste testto find out the best option.
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Photo & Food Styling by Joseph De Leo5/13
Miso-Squash Ramen
Sticking with the pumpkin theme, this ramen gets its rich flavor from kabocha squash—butbutternutworks, too.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Dawn Perry6/13
Trenton Tomato Pie Pizza
Keep everyone happy with this simple homemade pizza, inspired by a classic pie served in Trenton, New Jersey.
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Photo by Marcus Nilsson7/13
Squid Ink Pasta with Shrimp, Nduja, and Tomato
If you're determined to find a way to work Halloween's signature colors into your dinner, squid ink pasta is here for you.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell8/13
Lentil and Chicken Soup With Sweet Potatoes and Escarole
This warming—but fresh-tasting—soup starts with arotisserie chicken. Lentils and sweet potatoes join in to make it hearty.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio, Food Styling by Monica Pierini9/13
Cheesy Baked Butternut Squash Polenta
This creamy, cheesy polenta dish has luscious cubes of squash hiding in each spoonful. Trick or treat!
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell10/13
Spiced Turkey Chili with Spaghetti Squash
Here's another chili recipe that we love. It's a Cincinnati-inspired version made withground turkeyand served over spaghetti squash.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Lillian Chou11/13
Braised Butternut Squash in Spiced Coconut Gravy
This low-effort squash dish is full of flavor; it's the idealvegetarianmain for a night when dinner needs to be on the table with minimal prep.
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Photo by Antonis Achilleos12/13
Detroit-Style Pizza
The super-crispy bits on this Detroit-style pie come from sprinkling cheese along the edges, where the dough touches the sides of the pan.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Laura Rege13/13
Creamy One-Pot Pasta With Sausage and Squash
We'd be happy with any of the Halloween dinner ideas on this list, but this easy, creamy one-pot pasta is a guaranteed hit.
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ByJoe Sevier