15 HALLOWEEN DINNER IDEAS

Halloween dinner is the one meal of the year where presentation matters as much as flavour — and where turning a bowl of pasta into a spider's web or a hot dog into a mummified finger is not only acceptable but actively encouraged. I have been making themed Halloween dinner ideas for years and the thing I have learned is that the dishes that go over best are the ones that are genuinely delicious first and visually creative second. A creepy presentation on a mediocre meal fools no one, but a bowl of rich pumpkin pasta with perfectly crisped sage leaves that also happens to look seasonal and autumnal — that is the recipe people ask for every October.

What I love about this collection is how many different directions it goes. There are dishes that lean into the Halloween aesthetic with full commitment — mummy hot dogs wrapped in crescent dough, bloody finger hot dogs with ketchup, spider pasta made from olives and spaghetti — and there are dishes that are simply excellent seasonal autumn recipes that happen to fit the occasion perfectly, like savory pumpkin stew and crockpot chicken enchiladas with spicy pumpkin sauce. The collection covers everything from quick appetizers and crowd-friendly finger foods to slow cooker dinners that are ready when the trick-or-treating is done.

These recipes work for family Halloween night dinners, Halloween party spreads, and potluck contributions alike. Most are quick to prepare, several can be made ahead, and all of them are genuinely fun to put on the table. This dinner ideas collection focuses on the balance between a merry atmosphere and real, satisfying food — because Halloween dinner should be exciting to look at and just as satisfying to eat.

Save this post for the whole spooky season. Let me walk you through every recipe in this collection.

15 CREATIVE HALLOWEEN DINNER IDEAS TO WOW YOUR GUESTS

15. Creamy Pumpkin Pasta with Crispy Sage

A rich, silky pasta sauce made from pumpkin, garlic, and cream, tossed with pasta and finished with crispy sage leaves fried in butter until shatteringly crunchy — one of the most genuinely elegant seasonal dinners in this collection. This made the list because creamy pumpkin pasta is the Halloween dinner option for adults who want something sophisticated rather than novelty-themed — the deep orange sauce looks absolutely seasonal and autumnal without any forced spooky presentation, and the flavour of pumpkin with browned butter and sage is one of the great autumn flavour combinations. It is also an autumn pasta that comes together in 25 minutes from pantry ingredients. The crispy sage is not optional — it provides the textural contrast that makes each bite interesting rather than uniformly soft.

Ingredients:

• 12 oz pasta (rigatoni or penne work well)
• 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ½ cup pasta cooking water (reserved)
• 3 tablespoons butter (divided — 1 for sauce, 2 for crisping sage)
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste
• ¼ cup parmesan, grated
• 12–15 fresh sage leaves, for crisping

Instructions:

1. Cook pasta al dente in well-salted water. Reserve ½ cup pasta water before draining.
2. In a large pan, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add pumpkin puree, cream, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Stir and simmer 3 minutes. Thin with pasta water to a silky, coating consistency.
3. Add drained pasta and parmesan to the sauce. Toss to coat, adding more pasta water if needed.
4. In a separate small pan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat until foaming. Add sage leaves and fry for 30–45 seconds until crispy and the butter turns golden brown. Spoon crisped sage and brown butter over the plated pasta immediately before serving.

14. Halloween Mac and Cheese (Mac-O-Lantern)

Classic mac and cheese served in a jack-o'-lantern mold or shaped into a pumpkin face — the most beloved comfort food given a Halloween identity that makes children genuinely excited about dinner. This made the list because Mac-O-Lantern is the perfect compromise for families with picky eaters who need Halloween night to feel festive without any unfamiliar flavours — the mac and cheese is exactly the dish every child loves, and the jack-o'-lantern presentation does all the work of making it feel special and seasonal. It is also one of the recipes at a Halloween party that generates the most immediate excitement when it arrives at the table. A Bundt pan creates the pumpkin shape beautifully — pack the mac tightly, invert onto a platter, and use a bell pepper stem as the pumpkin stalk.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb elbow macaroni, cooked al dente
• 2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups sharp cheddar, shredded
• ½ cup pumpkin puree (for the orange colour — optional but makes it look authentically pumpkin-orange)
• Salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika to taste
• 1 green bell pepper stem (for the pumpkin stalk)

Instructions:

1. Make a roux with butter and flour. Whisk in milk gradually until smooth and thickened. Add pumpkin puree if using. Remove from heat and stir in cheddar until melted. Season to taste.
2. Toss the cooked macaroni in the cheese sauce until completely coated.
3. Grease a Bundt pan generously. Pack the mac and cheese tightly into the pan, pressing firmly. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to firm up.
4. Invert onto a serving platter. Place the green bell pepper stem in the centre hole for the stalk. Use piped ketchup or mustard to draw a jack-o'-lantern face on the front if desired. Serve immediately.

13. Bloody Halloween Hot Dog Fingers

Hot dog sausages scored and shaped to look like severed fingers, with ketchup as blood — one of the most dramatically effective and genuinely simple Halloween food presentations possible. This made the list because bloody hot dog fingers are the Halloween dinner contribution that generates the most theatrical reactions — children are simultaneously grossed out and delighted, and the preparation requires nothing more than a sharp knife and a bottle of ketchup. The trick is in the scoring: a horizontal cut near the top for the knuckle, small diagonal cuts for the finger wrinkles, and a v-shaped notch at the top for the fingernail (fill the notch with a thin onion slice or a sesame seed painted with mustard for the most realistic result). Cook the sausages by boiling or pan-frying — the scored cuts open slightly during cooking, creating a very convincing finger appearance.

Ingredients:

• 8–10 hot dog sausages
• Ketchup, for the "blood"
• Thin onion strips or sesame seeds (for fingernails)
• Mustard (optional, for painting the nails)

Instructions:

1. Using a sharp knife, score each hot dog to resemble a finger — horizontal cuts across the body for knuckle lines, and a v-shaped notch cut at one end for the fingernail.
2. Press a thin onion slice or sesame seed into the nail notch to look like a fingernail.
3. Cook the sausages in boiling water for 4–5 minutes or pan-fry until heated through and the cuts open slightly.
4. Arrange on a platter and drizzle ketchup generously over the serving area to look like blood. Pool extra ketchup at the cut end of each sausage. Serve immediately while hot.

12. Pumpkin Cheese Ball

A creamy, herb-spiced cheese ball shaped and coloured to look exactly like a pumpkin — an ideal Halloween party centerpiece that doubles as the most-photographed appetizer on any table. This made the list because the pumpkin cheese ball is the Halloween appetizer that looks the most impressive relative to the effort involved — the shaped cheese ball with its orange coating, scored ridges, and herb stem looks genuinely like a miniature pumpkin when done well, and it is simply cream cheese, cheddar, and seasonings shaped by hand. Serve with crackers arranged around the cheese ball like a sunburst. The orange colour comes from mixing shredded sharp cheddar into the exterior coating — no food colouring required. A sprig of fresh rosemary or parsley inserted at the top creates the stem.

Ingredients:

• 16 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sharp cheddar, finely shredded (plus extra for rolling)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon fresh chives or parsley, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary or a breadstick (for the pumpkin stem)
• Crackers, for serving

Instructions:

1. Beat cream cheese, 1 cup cheddar, garlic powder, onion powder, chives, salt, and pepper until well combined.
2. Shape the mixture into a ball, then press and sculpt into a rounded pumpkin shape with a slight flattened top.
3. Roll the outside in extra finely shredded cheddar until the entire surface is covered and orange in colour.
4. Using a butter knife or the back of a spoon, score 6–8 vertical lines from top to bottom around the ball to create pumpkin ridges. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to firm up. Insert the rosemary sprig in the top as a stem immediately before serving. Surround with crackers.

11. Witch's Brew Stew

A deeply warming, chunky meat and vegetable stew with a Halloween-appropriate name that makes even a standard weeknight dinner feel like part of the celebration — served bubbling and fragrant after trick-or-treating or pumpkin carving. This made the list because witch's brew stew solves the Halloween dinner problem for families who want a substantial, warming meal after a cold evening outside without any complicated preparation. The slow cooker does all the work while the family is out, and returning to a house that smells of beef, herbs, and autumn vegetables is genuinely one of the great comforts of the season. Use green olives, broccoli florets, or kale to add eerily coloured "potion ingredients" to the stew for an extra Halloween touch that children find genuinely exciting.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3 cups beef broth
• 3 medium potatoes, diced
• 2 large carrots, sliced
• 1 onion, diced, 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon each: thyme, rosemary, paprika
• Salt and pepper, 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with water (for thickening)
• Green olives or broccoli florets (spooky "potion ingredients" — added in the last 30 minutes)

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients except the cornstarch mixture and "potion ingredient" additions in the slow cooker. Stir briefly.
2. Cook on low for 7–8 hours or high for 4–5 hours until the beef is completely tender and the vegetables are cooked through.
3. Stir in the cornstarch mixture in the last 30 minutes to thicken the broth. Add the green olives or broccoli florets.
4. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve in deep bowls, ideally in a cauldron-shaped serving bowl if you have one. Garnish with a swirl of cream or sour cream for a "potion" visual effect.

10. Spooky Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

A baked mac and cheese made with pumpkin puree stirred directly into the cheese sauce, creating a vibrant orange, deeply flavourful, and genuinely nutritious Halloween dinner idea that is Halloween-themed without requiring any elaborate decoration. This made the list because pumpkin mac and cheese occupies a different category from the mac-o-lantern — this version integrates the pumpkin into the actual dish rather than using it as visual presentation, producing a richer, more complex flavour than standard mac and cheese with an orange colour that reads as inherently Halloween. The pumpkin replaces some of the cream in the sauce, which also makes it slightly lighter. A Halloween-shaped cookie cutter pressed into the baked surface (pumpkin, bat, or ghost) before baking creates the seasonal visual with almost no additional effort.

Ingredients:

• 12 oz elbow macaroni, cooked al dente
• 2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons flour
• 1.5 cups whole milk
• ½ cup pumpkin puree
• 2 cups sharp cheddar, shredded
• ½ teaspoon each: garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, nutmeg
• Salt and pepper, ½ cup breadcrumbs mixed with 1 tablespoon melted butter (for topping)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Make a roux with butter and flour. Whisk in milk until smooth and thickened. Stir in pumpkin puree and all spices. Remove from heat and stir in cheddar until melted.
2. Toss the cooked pasta in the pumpkin cheese sauce. Pour into a greased baking dish.
3. Top with the buttered breadcrumbs in an even layer. If desired, press a Halloween cookie cutter lightly into the breadcrumb surface to create a ghost or pumpkin outline before baking.
4. Bake for 20–25 minutes until bubbling and the breadcrumb topping is golden and crispy. Serve hot.

9. Spider Spooky Pasta

Spaghetti or noodles twisted into spider web shapes on the plate, with black olive spiders — their bodies made from whole olives and their legs from sliced olive pieces — arranged across the pasta surface for a genuinely creepy and equally enjoyable Halloween dinner. This made the list because spider pasta is the Halloween food that generates the most visual impact relative to the cooking effort — the pasta itself can be any favourite recipe (marinara, aglio e olio, or a simple cheese sauce all work), and the spider assembly takes 2 minutes per plate. The key technique is the pasta web: twirl a forkful of pasta and press it flat, using more twirled sections to create lines radiating from the centre. Black olives on pasta look completely natural and genuinely spider-like.

Ingredients:

• 12 oz spaghetti or thin noodles
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, 4 cloves garlic (minced), ½ teaspoon chilli flakes
• ¼ cup parmesan, grated, salt and pepper
• 1 can pitted black olives (whole olives for spider bodies, sliced olives for legs)

Instructions:

1. Cook spaghetti al dente. While cooking, warm olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add garlic and chilli flakes and cook 1 minute until fragrant. Remove from heat.
2. Drain pasta and toss with the garlic oil. Season with salt, pepper, and parmesan.
3. To plate: twirl a large forkful of pasta into a nest shape on each plate. Add additional strands radiating outward to suggest a web.
4. Assemble spiders: place 1 whole black olive as the body, then arrange 8 thin olive slices radiating outward as legs. Place 2–3 spiders on each pasta plate. Serve immediately.

8. Savory Pumpkin Stew

A thick, warmly spiced pumpkin stew with vegetables and herbs — deeply orange, filling, and inherently seasonal in the best way, with the pumpkin serving as both a flavour component and a natural thickener for the broth. This made the list as the vegetarian and vegan-friendly warming dinner for Halloween night — hearty enough to be satisfying after a cold evening outside, completely plant-based, and genuinely delicious rather than just seasonally appropriate. The pumpkin breaks down during simmering and thickens the stew to a rich, velvety consistency without any flour or starch. Serve in hollowed mini pumpkins for a presentation that is both visually striking and practically useful — the pumpkin bowl holds the stew at temperature and the guests can scoop the walls while eating.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 1 can (14 oz) chickpeas, drained
• 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1 onion (diced), 3 cloves garlic (minced), 1 inch fresh ginger (grated)
• 1 teaspoon each: cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, turmeric
• 1 can coconut milk, salt and pepper
• Fresh cilantro and lime, for serving

Instructions:

1. Sauté onion in a large pot over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute more. Add all spices and cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
2. Add pumpkin cubes, chickpeas, diced tomatoes, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
3. Cook for 20–25 minutes until the pumpkin is completely tender and breaking down to thicken the stew.
4. Stir in coconut milk. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and lime juice. Serve garnished with fresh cilantro and lime wedges — ideally in hollowed mini pumpkins for a Halloween presentation.

7. Easy Crescent Roll Mummy Pizza Pockets

Pizza filling wrapped in strips of crescent dough and shaped to look like mummies — baked until golden with olive slice eyes peeking out — a fun, easy, and genuinely delicious Halloween appetizer that children and adults both reach for. This made the list because crescent roll mummy pizza pockets solve the Halloween appetizer problem elegantly — they are visually obvious Halloween food without requiring any cooking skill beyond opening a crescent roll tube, they taste like pizza (which means everyone eats them), and they bake in 12 minutes. The mummy strips of dough are applied before baking and puff up gloriously in the oven, creating a realistic wrapped-mummy appearance. Use any pizza fillings that work for your household — classic pepperoni and mozzarella, or a vegetarian combination of mushroom and roasted pepper.

Ingredients:

• 2 tubes refrigerated crescent roll dough
• ¼ cup pizza sauce
• ½ cup mozzarella, shredded
• 16–20 mini pepperoni slices (or diced mushrooms/pepper for vegetarian)
• Black olive slices (for the eyes)
• 1 egg, beaten (for brushing)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Unroll the crescent dough and cut into thin strips. Set some strips aside for wrapping.
2. Form the remaining dough into small oval shapes. Spread a small amount of pizza sauce on each oval, then top with a pinch of mozzarella and 2–3 pepperoni.
3. Lay thin strips of crescent dough across each filled oval at intervals to resemble mummy wrapping. Leave a small gap near the top for the eyes.
4. Brush with beaten egg. Place 2 small olive slice circles in the eye gap on each mummy. Bake for 10–12 minutes until golden. Serve hot with marinara dipping sauce.

6. Mummy Hot Dogs

Hot dogs wrapped in crescent roll dough strips to look like mummies, baked until golden, and served with olive eyes — the most child-requested Halloween dinner recipe in this collection. This made the list because mummy hot dogs represent the absolute ideal of Halloween food: instantly recognisable as a Halloween dish, familiar and beloved as a food, and requiring almost no cooking skill to produce. They are the recipe for families with younger children who want to be involved in making dinner — children can do the wrapping themselves, which makes the activity as valuable as the eating. Serve with mustard and ketchup alongside for dipping. The olive eye detail is the finishing touch that takes them from wrapped hot dogs to genuinely mummy-like and should not be skipped.

Ingredients:

• 8 hot dogs
• 1 tube refrigerated crescent roll dough
• 16 small black olive slices (for eyes)
• 1 egg, beaten (for brushing)
• Mustard and ketchup, for serving

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Unroll crescent dough and cut into thin ½-inch strips.
2. Wind dough strips around each hot dog, wrapping at angles to create the mummy bandage appearance. Leave a small gap near one end for the face.
3. Place wrapped hot dogs on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush lightly with beaten egg for golden colour.
4. Bake for 12–14 minutes until the dough is puffed and golden. While still warm, press 2 small olive slice circles into the face gap for eyes. Secure with a tiny dab of mustard if needed. Serve immediately with dipping sauces.

5. Halloween Pasta Salad

A vibrant, colourful pasta salad made with Halloween-shaped or black-coloured pasta, fresh vegetables, and a tangy Italian dressing — the most flexible and crowd-friendly side dish in this collection. This made the list as the Halloween dinner side dish that works alongside everything else on this list — it is served cold, requires no reheating, and can be made entirely ahead of time. Black pasta (coloured with squid ink and available in Italian delis) makes it look authentically spooky, or look for Halloween-shaped pasta in seasonal sections of supermarkets in October. The dressing keeps it fresh for hours, making it ideal for parties where food sits out for extended periods. Children love the coloured pasta shapes and the fact that something so familiar looks unusual and seasonal.

Ingredients:

• 12 oz Halloween-shaped or black squid ink pasta, cooked al dente and cooled
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 orange bell pepper, diced (for Halloween colour)
• ½ cup black olives, sliced
• ½ cup mozzarella balls or cubed mozzarella
• ¼ cup Italian dressing
• Fresh basil, salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Cook pasta al dente, drain, rinse under cold water and cool completely.
2. Combine cooled pasta with tomatoes, orange bell pepper, black olives, and mozzarella in a large bowl.
3. Pour Italian dressing over the salad and toss to coat every piece evenly. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Toss again before serving. Top with fresh basil and a drizzle of extra dressing if the pasta has absorbed the original dressing.

4. Pumpkin Rice

Warmly spiced rice cooked with pumpkin puree or diced pumpkin until each grain is infused with autumn colour and flavour — a versatile, naturally orange side dish that pairs with virtually any protein and adds a genuinely seasonal dimension to a Halloween dinner table. This made the list as the most practical make-ahead side dish in the collection — pumpkin rice holds beautifully at room temperature, reheats quickly, and pairs with both the savoury stews and the meat-based mains in this list. The pumpkin colours the rice a deep golden orange as it cooks, and the combination of warm spices (cumin, cinnamon, and turmeric work well) makes it smell extraordinary. Serve alongside the witch's brew stew or the chicken enchiladas for a complete Halloween dinner spread.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups long grain white rice
• ½ cup pumpkin puree
• 2.5 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 small onion, finely diced, 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
• ½ teaspoon each: cumin, turmeric, cinnamon
• Salt and pepper, fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions:

1. Sauté the onion in butter or oil over medium heat for 3–4 minutes. Add garlic and all spices and cook 30 seconds more until fragrant.
2. Add the rice and stir to coat in the spiced oil for 1 minute — this toasting step improves the texture of the cooked rice significantly.
3. Whisk the pumpkin puree into the broth until smooth. Pour over the rice and bring to a boil. Reduce to the lowest possible heat, cover tightly, and cook for 18 minutes without lifting the lid.
4. Remove from heat and rest covered for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Taste and adjust seasoning. Garnish with fresh parsley. The rice should be vibrant orange and lightly spiced.

3. Hot Dog Mummies

Hot dogs fully encased in crescent roll dough with olive eyes — baked until golden and served with dipping sauces — the Halloween dinner version of a corn dog that children ask for by name and adults genuinely enjoy. This made the list as the second mummy hot dog variation because this version wraps the entire hot dog in a full crescent roll piece rather than strips, producing a more substantial pocket around the sausage that puffs into a proper bread enclosure. It is a simple recipe perfectly suited for Halloween family dinners and after-school pre-trick-or-treating meals — quick to make, universally eaten, and festive enough that the occasion feels properly celebrated. Serve with ketchup, honey mustard, and ranch for the full dipping spread.

Ingredients:

• 8 hot dogs
• 1 tube refrigerated crescent rolls (8 triangles)
• 16 black olive slices (for eyes)
• Ketchup, mustard, and ranch, for serving

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Unroll crescent dough and separate into 8 triangles.
2. Wrap each crescent triangle around a hot dog starting from the wide base, winding it loosely to leave gaps that look like bandage wrapping. Leave a small section at one end exposed for the face.
3. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet with the seam side down.
4. Bake for 12–14 minutes until the dough is puffed and deeply golden. While still warm, press 2 olive slice eyes onto the exposed end. Serve immediately with dipping sauces.

2. Mummy Meatballs

Beef meatballs wrapped in thin strips of crescent dough to look like mummies, baked until golden and served with marinara dipping sauce — a Halloween appetizer that is genuinely satisfying as a protein-rich starter or substantial party snack. This made the list because mummy meatballs are the most grown-up Halloween appetizer in the collection — they are actual meatballs rather than just hot dogs, which means they work for adult gatherings as well as family dinners, and the crescent dough wrapping creates a proper bread component that makes them filling and satisfying rather than just a snack. The marinara sauce is essential — it ties the meatball and the bread dough together into a coherent Italian flavour profile that tastes genuinely good rather than just looking Halloween-themed.

Ingredients:

• 20–24 cooked meatballs (homemade or frozen and thawed)
• 2 tubes refrigerated crescent roll dough
• Small black olive slices or black sesame seeds (for eyes)
• 1 egg, beaten (for brushing)
• 1 jar marinara sauce, warmed, for dipping

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Unroll crescent dough and cut into very thin strips — approximately ¼ inch wide.
2. Wrap 3–4 strips around each cooked meatball, criss-crossing at angles to create a bandage pattern. Leave a small gap near the top for the eyes.
3. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the dough strips with beaten egg for a golden finish.
4. Bake for 10–12 minutes until the dough is puffed and golden. While still warm, press 2 small olive slice eyes into the exposed gap. Serve immediately with warm marinara sauce for dipping.

1. Crockpot Chicken Enchiladas with Spicy Pumpkin Sauce

Chicken enchiladas cooked in a deeply spiced pumpkin sauce in the slow cooker all day — tender, flavourful, and ready when the family returns from trick-or-treating — the most substantial and genuinely hands-off Halloween dinner in this collection. This earns the top spot because crockpot chicken enchiladas with spicy pumpkin sauce solves every Halloween dinner challenge simultaneously: it is completely prepared before anyone gets dressed in costumes, it feeds a crowd from a single pot, it tastes genuinely extraordinary (the pumpkin sauce is deeply spiced with chipotle and cumin and produces a flavour that is far more complex than standard enchilada sauce), and the seasonal pumpkin component makes it unmistakably autumnal. Set the slow cooker in the morning and return to a complete meal that has been slowly developing in flavour all day — no reheating, no last-minute cooking, just serve.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs boneless chicken breasts or thighs
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 can (7 oz) chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (use 2–3 peppers plus 2 tablespoons sauce for medium heat)
• 3 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon each cumin and smoked paprika, salt
• 8 corn or flour tortillas
• 1.5 cups shredded cheese (cheddar or Monterey Jack)
• Sour cream, fresh cilantro, and lime, for serving

Instructions:

1. Blend the pumpkin puree, chicken broth, chipotle peppers and adobo sauce, garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, and salt until completely smooth. Taste and adjust heat level.
2. Pour half the pumpkin sauce into the slow cooker. Add the chicken. Pour remaining sauce over the top.
3. Cook on low for 6–8 hours or high for 3–4 hours until the chicken is completely tender. Shred the chicken directly in the slow cooker and stir into the sauce.
4. Warm the tortillas. Fill each with the shredded chicken and pumpkin sauce mixture and a sprinkle of cheese. Roll and serve topped with remaining sauce, extra shredded cheese, sour cream, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.

Whatever your Halloween evening looks like — trick-or-treating with young children, a spooky party with friends, or a cosy family night in with costumes and pumpkin carving — there is a dinner in this collection that fits. Save this post and come back to it every October. 🎃🕷️👻

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