Halloween Mummy and Spider Pizzas (Quick Halloween Dinner)

Need a fast, fun Halloween dinner before trick-or-treating? These mummy and spider pizzas are English muffin mini pizzas dressed up with string cheese bandages and black olive eyes and legs. They take 15 minutes, and kids can decorate their own.

“Halloween dinner ideas” is a breakout search in US Google Trends this month, along with “fun Halloween food” and “easy Halloween food.” This recipe sits right in the middle: quick, cheap and actually filling.

Why it is so fast

English muffins are a ready-made crust, and the pizzas only bake about 8 minutes in total. Decorating takes a couple of minutes while the cheese melts.

Ingredient notes

English muffins. Their nooks get crispy, and they are the perfect kid-size crust.

String cheese. It peels easily into thin bandage strips that soften in the oven but keep their shape.

Black olives. Rings make the eyes and spider bodies; thin slivers make the legs.

Sauce. Any pizza or marinara sauce works. Check the label is alcohol-free if you buy a wine-flavored marinara.

Step by step

Toast. A quick toast keeps the base crisp.

Sauce and cheese. A thin layer of sauce, then mozzarella.

Decorate. Mummies get crisscross strips and eyes; spiders get an olive body and legs.

Finish. One more minute melts the mummy bandages.

Variations

• Jack-o’-lantern pizzas: Use shredded cheddar and cut a face from bell pepper.
• Meat lovers: Add halal beef pepperoni or browned halal ground beef under the cheese.
• Veggie: Use green bell pepper strips for Frankenstein hair.

Common mistakes

Too much sauce. English muffins absorb sauce and go soggy. A tablespoon per half is plenty. Spread it close to the edge, but not over it.

Skipping the pre-toast. Toast the split muffins for two or three minutes before topping them. A crisp base holds up under the cheese and the kids’ handling.

Placing the eyes too early. Olive slices placed before baking can slide or shrivel. For neat faces, add the olive “eyes” after the pizzas come out of the oven, pressing them into the hot cheese.

Substitutions and halal swaps

• Pepperoni: most supermarket pepperoni is pork, so if you add the optional meat, use only halal beef or turkey pepperoni, or cooked halal ground beef seasoned with paprika and fennel.
• Cheese: check that the mozzarella and string cheese use microbial rennet, or buy halal-certified brands. Many supermarket mozzarellas already do, but labels differ by country.
• Bases: mini naan, pita rounds, bagel halves or flour tortillas all work. Thin tortillas need only 4 to 5 minutes.
• Eyes: sliced cherry tomatoes, sliced green olives, or peppercorns for tiny spiders.
• Veggie add-ins: finely chopped peppers or spinach under the cheese hide some vegetables for picky eaters.

Kids in the kitchen

This is a good recipe for children to help with. Adults handle the oven; kids can spread the sauce and lay the cheese “bandages.” Set the toppings out in bowls and let everyone build their own.

What to serve with it

A big bowl of carrot sticks and cucumber with ranch keeps the orange-and-green theme. For a warm bowl before trick-or-treating, serve with the easy taco soup or the creamy pumpkin pasta. More fast meatless ideas are in our vegetarian dinners.

Storing leftovers

These are best fresh. Leftovers keep in the fridge for 2 days; reheat on a tray in a hot oven for 3 minutes so they crisp again.