Soups & StewsNo. 1442 · The 2026 edition
23 Halloween Dinners To Make Before a Night of Trick-or-Treating
Our own summary of the original — the full post and photos live at foodnetwork.com.
About this
A Food Network roundup of 23 Halloween dinner ideas designed to fuel kids before a night of trick-or-treating. The dishes lean on seasonal ingredients like pumpkin and squash, plus frightfully fun twists on family favorites such as spaghetti shaped into a brain, mummy-wrapped hot dogs and cheesy skull meatballs. It covers pastas, pizzas, sandwiches, soups, chili and sliders, along with a mocktail, and links to each full recipe.
Tips
- It's tempting to eat only treats on October 31st, but a real dinner is needed for energy to trick-or-treat.
- The roundup includes seasonal-ingredient dishes like pumpkin alongside kid-friendly mac and cheese, pizza and chicken fingers.
- The bloody temple mocktail can be spiked with gin or vodka for adults (see the recipe's Cook's Note for the amount).
The list
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01
Meatball-Stuffed Pasta Brain
Spaghetti shaped into a creepy brain; cutting in releases prosciutto-wrapped meatballs
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02
Monster Veggie Burgers
Veggie-and-greens burgers; optional cheese slice melted on patties near end
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03
Halloween Meatballs with Cheesy Skulls
Five-ingredient dish; melted mini cheese rounds in skull molds; olive oil, garlic, crushed tomato sauce
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04
Hot Dog Mummies
Store-bought crescent dough wrapped around hot dogs; wrapping needn't be perfect
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05
Pumpkin alla Vodka
Pumpkin purée vodka sauce tossed with zucca pasta shaped like mini pumpkins
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06
Individual Scary White Pizzas
Store-bought dough, no sauce; no need for perfect circles
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07
Mac-O-Lantern and Cheese Bowls
Orange bell peppers carved as jack-o-lanterns filled with mac and cheese
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08
Bloody Temple
Spooky drippy Shirley Temple mocktail with gummy eyeballs; optional gin or vodka for adults
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09
Spaghetti Worm Cups with Bolognese
Maneet uses squid-ink pasta for black color; black bean pasta is a substitute
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10
Pumpkin Ravioli
Homemade pumpkin pasta cut with cookie cutter; pumpkin and crème fraîche filling; brown butter–sage sauce
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11
Meatball Mummies
Puff pastry wraps kid-friendly, Halloween-inspired meatballs
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12
Sweet Potato Tot Casserole
Family-friendly casserole topped with sweet potato tots; filling can be made ahead
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13
Chicken Pumpkins
Bites of chicken transformed into little pumpkins with a swish of the knife
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14
Green Chicken Finger Sandwiches
Crispy chicken fingers colored green by matcha powder in the panko crust
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15
Pizza Tentacles
Sea-monster pizza tentacles stuffed with pesto, crumbled Italian sausage and cheese
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16
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Trisha Yearwood's quick tortilla soup; hundreds of 5-star reviews, pleases all ages
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17
Halloween Party Pizzas
Mini pizzas decorated to look like ghosts, jack-o-lanterns and spiders
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18
Wormy Weenie Sandwiches
Dressed-down sausage and peppers with a worms-style 'yuck' factor
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19
Pumpkin Lovers Lasagna
Rachael Ray baked pasta with butternut squash, nutmeg and pumpkin puree
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20
Mummy-aki Chicken Fingers
Teriyaki-marinated chicken wrapped in phyllo strips like mummies for extra crunch
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21
Blood Orange-Shrimp Stir-Fry
Quick stir-fry sweetened with blood oranges as a Halloween nod
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22
Spicy Juicy Lucy-fer Sliders
Broil during an 'on' flame cycle so the fast-cooking burgers brown on top
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23
Squash-Black Bean Chili
Hearty chili with squash and black beans to keep everyone full all night
The plan
- October 31st — Serve a hearty dinner on October 31st so everyone has energy to go door-to-door collecting candy
- Plan for dishes that satisfy both kids and grown-ups
- One to two days ahead — For casseroles, the filling can be prepared a day or two ahead and topped with cheese and frozen tots before baking
- Use shortcuts like store-bought crescent dough, puff pastry, frozen meatballs and store-bought pizza dough
- For broiled sliders, check that the broiler flame is on and broil during an 'on' cycle for a browned top
Food & drink
- Meatball-Stuffed Pasta Brain
- Monster Veggie Burgers
- Halloween Meatballs with Cheesy Skulls
- Hot Dog Mummies
- Pumpkin alla Vodka
- Individual Scary White Pizzas
- Mac-O-Lantern and Cheese Bowls
- Bloody Temple
- Spaghetti Worm Cups with Bolognese
- Pumpkin Ravioli
- Meatball Mummies
- Sweet Potato Tot Casserole
- Chicken Pumpkins
- Green Chicken Finger Sandwiches
- Pizza Tentacles
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Halloween Party Pizzas
- Wormy Weenie Sandwiches
- Pumpkin Lovers Lasagna
- Mummy-aki Chicken Fingers
- Blood Orange-Shrimp Stir-Fry
- Spicy Juicy Lucy-fer Sliders
- Squash-Black Bean Chili
Activities
- Trick-or-treating door-to-door after dinner
- Host a Halloween party and serve these dishes
- Enjoy a cozy autumn dinner at home
More photos
Photos hosted by foodnetwork.com.
