Description
Halloween crockpot meals make spooky season stress-free with festive, slow-cooked dishes like chili, stews, and monster mac—perfect for parties, trick-or-treat nights, or cozy family dinners.
Ingredients
Scale
Egg Eyeballs
- 4 large hard boiled eggs
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 6 drops red food coloring
- 8 pimento stuffed green olives
Noodle Worms
- .25 pound udon noodles look for the thick kind
Hot Dog Fingers and Toes
- 5 jumbo beef franks I used Nathan’s
Chili
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 5 large cloves garlic minced
- 2 pounds ground beef I used 80/20
- 0.5 teaspoon sea salt
- .25 teaspoon black pepper
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 0.5 tablespoon chipotle chili powder
Instructions
Egg Eye Balls
- Gently tap eggs against the counter to make small cracks, but keep the shells intact.
- Fill a 4-cup measuring cup halfway with warm water. Add vinegar and food coloring, stir to combine. Add the eggs and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Drain the water and peel the eggs. Cut each egg in half and remove the yolk. Turn the egg over, cut side up, and make a hole in the center with a large metal decorating tip*. Flip the egg over and place an olive in the hole.
- Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Noodle Worms
- Prepare noodles following package directions. Drain and rinse the noodles to keep them from sticking together. Set aside until ready to use, or cover and refrigerate if preparing ahead of time.
Hot Dog Fingers and Toes
- Cut each hot dog into two pieces, a long finger and short toe. To make the fingernail, slice the two sides of the fingernail, then straight across the top. Then make a slight curved slice for the bottom nail bed. Next, take the knife and carefully slice the thin “fingernail” piece off the top.
- For the knuckles, making one slit along the middle of the hot dog with two smaller slits directly above and below. Then between the knuckle and the nail, make two small slits.
- Cut the toe nails the same way, but you will only need one set of knuckles/slits.
- Air fry for 5 minutes at 380 degrees.Boil in boiling water for 4 to 5 minutes.Microwave for 30 seconds? Add more time if needed.
For the Chili
- Heat oil in a Dutch or large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for one additional minute. Add the ground beef, stirring to break it apart, until browned; 8 to 10 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and seasonings. Add the beans and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
To Serve
- When ready to serve, pour about three quarters of the chili into a cast iron skillet or serving dish of your choice. Mix the noodles with the remaining chili in the original pot.
- Pour the noodles over the chili in the serving dish and twist them around in the chili. Place the fingers, toes, and eye balls randomly around the chili. Serve immediately.
Notes
- For more heat, add more chipotle powder, or addd hot sauce.
- Substitute ancho chili powder for the chipotle powder for less heat, and less smokey flavor.
- Substitute a can of diced, fire-roasted tomatoes and a can of tomato sauce for a more traditional chili.
- Do not forget the vinegar to dye the eggs!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: About 1 ½ cups (1 bowl)
- Calories: 562 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 967 mg
- Fat: 39 g
- Saturated Fat: 14 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 20 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 23 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 31 g
- Cholesterol: 190 mg