Sandworm Stuffed Bread is a Spooky Halloween Surprise
Turn your Halloween party into a movie-worthy feast with Halloween Sandworm Stuffed Bread. Your guests will be dying to try it!
With Halloween around the corner, I thought I would make some fun Beetlejuice inspired recipes to celebrate. For those that don’t know, Beetlejuice is an iconic movie from the late 80s. It has some of my favorite actors in there from Wynona Ryder, Gina Davis, Catherine O’Hara, and Michael Keeton. Tim Burton directed the movie and he’s one of my faves, too.
The main characters played by Gina Davis and Alec Baldwin die in the opening scene and spend the rest of the movie trying to reclaim their house from the living Catherine O’Hara, Wynona Ryder, and Jeffrey Jones (most famous for me is Ferris Buehller’s Day Off). Michael Keeton is the ghost with the most who claims he can help them spook the living, but that’s not necessarily the case.
What is a sandworm?
They play a significant role in the film’s spooky atmosphere. They lurk in the underworld and add a sense of danger and mystery to the story. Every time a ghost tries to leave the house by walking through the door, they wind up in this dessert wasteland with sandworms. They’re also in Dune but these sandworms are slightly different in appearance.
Sandworms are monstrous creatures that dwell in the afterlife, specifically in the Netherworld depicted in Beetlejuice. These gigantic beings are characterized by their long, snake-like, jagged teeth, and insatiable appetite for anything in their path. Maybe some deli meats and cheeses were in their path as they passed through the sand and that’s how this Sandworm Stuffed Bread recipe came to be. Or maybe someone set up a trap of Italian meats and cheeses to stuff the sandworm making it a spine-chilling yet delectable treat for your Halloween festivities.
Stuffed bread vs calzone vs stromboli vs panzerotti
Stuffed bread is simple. It’s a bread dough stuffed with something. That something happens to be some Italian meats and cheese with some roasted red peppers and black olives for creepy Halloween decorations in this recipe. A stromboli is pretty much the same thing. The dough is rolled out into a rectangle, the filling is placed on the dough, and then the dough is folded over and sealed into a rectangle or cylinder.
A calzone also has dough and filling, however, their shape is quite different. It’s almost like taking a pizza and folding it in half then sealing the edges. But that’s not the only difference. Calzone never have sauce in them. Stromboli sometimes does. But a calzone is only dipped into sauce after it’s baked. The rest of the ingredients can be exactly the same, but the sauce is not. Then there’s the origins. Calzone are Italian. Stromboli are an Italian-American invention. Finally, panzerotti are fried calzone.
Ingredients You’ll Need:
- Refrigerator crescent rolls
- Filling – ham, salami, Provolone cheese, roasted red peppers
- Decorations – roasted red peppers and sliced black olives
Instructions to make sandworm stuffed bread
Preheat the oven so it’s hot and ready when the sandworm stuffed bread is ready to bake. While the oven is preheating, grab a sheet pan and place a silpat mat on it or line it with some foil sprayed with cooking spray or rubbed with oil.
Unroll the crescent roll dough and arrange on your baking sheet in a wavy pattern to mimic a snake shape. Make sure the widest part of the dough overlaps slightly. Place a layer of Provolone cheese on top of the widest part of the dough. Next, place a layer of ham, salami, sliced roasted red peppers, more Provolone cheese, and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. Make sure to put less filling towards one end to make it the head of the sandworm.
Carefully pull the tip of the crescent dough over the filling. Carefully lift the up the dough and tuck the tip underneath making sure to press the dough to seal it. Towards the head, the dough should totally cover the filling. Arrange the sliced black olives in stripes down the stuffed bread on top of the exposed filling. Place an olive slice with a piece of roasted red pepper in the center for an eyes. Bake the stuffed bread at 375 F for 15 to 20 minutes or until the crescent dough is golden and the cheese is melted.
What are some filling ideas for sandworm stuffed bread?
I went the Italian route with salami, ham, and cheese, but there are so many filling options for a delicious stuffed bread. Like roast beef and cheddar with some sliced red onion or pepperoncini. Or go for a Philly cheese steak with some beef and cheese sauce with sauteed mushrooms and onions. Try a classic ham and Swiss with some whole grain mustard. Or how about a Hawaiian with ham, pineapple, some bell peppers and onions.
You can also skip the meat and go for some veggie variations. Spinach and feta for a Greek style or spinach and ricotta for a Florentine style stuffed bread. Fresh tomatoes, basil and some fresh mozzarella for a margherita pizza stuffed bread. How about sun-dried tomatoes, marinated artichokes and Asiago for flavor packed stuffed bread?
What other bread dough can you use?
I like the convenience of the crescent rolls. And, I’m’ not going to lie, I love the buttery and flaky goodness of them, too. But they’re not the only type of dough you can use to make stuffed bread. I would hazard a guess that you can use any dough to make stuffed bread. The obvious first choice would be pizza dough. Because stuffed bread is like a stuffed pizza. You could make a sweet roll or brioche dough work with some turkey or ham and lighter cheeses like cheddar or Swiss. Or brie and figs?
Going the ready to bake route, you could flatten out biscuits and put a layer of biscuits, then toppings, then press a layer of biscuits on top to seal the stuffed bread. Or ready to bake rolls. They would work well, too. My only hope is you take the idea I’ve presented and run with it based on what your family enjoys and whatever you have handy to use.
What does sandworm stuffed bread taste like?
Every bite is cheesy and delicious. The crescent dough is slightly sweet and buttery. The ham and Provolone pair well with the sweet roasted red peppers. The salami brings a slightly spicy kick. Finally, the black olives add some briny flavor to the whole sandworm stuffed bread. And they make the fun stripes that sandworms are known for in the movie Beetlejuice.
It’s a simple and fun Halloween appetizer to snack on while watching movies. Or to bake up for your Halloween party. Omit the stripes and the sandworm décor and it’s a delicious appetizer for any holiday party. Swap out the black olives and stripe it up with some green bell peppers or green olives. Sliced pimento stuffed olives would make a festive and fun holiday appetizer.

Sandworm Stuffed Bread
Turn your Halloween party into a movie-worthy feast with Halloween Sandworm Stuffed bread. Your guests will be dying to try it!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces refrigerator crescent rolls
- 2 ounces sliced salami
- 2 ounces sliced ham
- 3 ounces thinly sliced Provolone cheese
- 1/4 cup sliced roasted red pepper
- 1/4 cup quartered black olives
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F. While the oven is preheating, grab a sheet pan and place a silpat mat on it or line it with some foil sprayed with cooking spray or rubbed with oil.
- Unroll the crescent roll dough and arrange on your baking sheet in a wavy pattern to mimic a snake shape. Make sure the widest part of the dough overlaps slightly.
- Place a layer of Provolone cheese on top of the widest part of the dough. Next, place a layer of ham, salami, sliced roasted red peppers, more Provolone cheese, and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. Make sure to put less filling towards one end to make it the head of the sandworm.
- Pull the tip of the crescent dough over the filling. Carefully lift the up the dough and tuck the tip underneath making sure to press the dough to seal it. Towards the head, the dough should totally cover the filling.
- Arrange the sliced black olives in stripes down the stuffed bread on top of the exposed filling. Place an olive slice with a piece of roasted red pepper in the center for an eyes.
- Bake the stuffed bread at 375 F for 15 to 20 minutes or until the crescent dough is golden brown and the cheese is melted.
Nutrition Information
Yield
8Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 181Total Fat 11gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 36mgSodium 432mgCarbohydrates 12gFiber 1gSugar 3gProtein 8g
Welcome to 2024’s #HalloweenTreatsWeek event!
If you’re new here, Welcome! If you’re a returning haunt, welcome back!
#HalloweenTreatsWeek is a yearly Halloween blogging event that is hosted by Angie from Big Bear’s Wife . This spooky event is an online, week-long event that is filled with some frightfully fun Halloween treats and recipes from some fantastic Halloween loving bloggers!
For this year’s 7th annual #HalloweenTreatsWeek event we have 12 hauntingly talented bloggers who are sharing their favorite Halloween recipes throughout the week! You can follow the hashtag #HalloweenTreatsWeek on social media to collect all of these frightful recipes to use at your own Halloween parties and events!
- BeetleJuice Jell-O Poke Cake from BigBearsWife
- Bloodshot Eyeball Cookies from Semi-Homemade Recipes
- Pumpkin Whoopie Pies from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
- Halloween Candy Corn Pizza from Savory Moments
- Black Garlic Skull Deviled Eggs from The Spiffy Cookie
- Sandworm Stuffed Bread from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Mummy Garlic Bread from Cheese Curd In Paradise
- Spiced Skull Cakelets from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Mocha Spider Donut Cupcakes from Sweet ReciPEAs
- Halloween Caprese Crostini from Art of Natural Living
- Halloween Blackberry Margarita Mocktail from Jen Around the World
- Halloween Ghost Toast from For the Love of Food
- Pumpkin Vegetable Tray from A Day in the Life on the Farm
A perfect treat for watching Dune!
Dune or Beattlejuice! They both have sandworms in them.
What a fun Beetlejuice themed recipe! I would love to make this for a Halloween movie night!
Thank you! It’s so easy to make, too.
Well, how fun is this?!! Great idea Chris.
Thanks so much!
Love the use of the olives for the stripes! Super fun snack for kids and adults!
Most definitely! And the kids can even help decorate it.
I feel so out of it having never seen the movie! This bread is adorable and looks delicious as well as spooky!
It’s one of my favorite movies. Michael Keaton is one of my favorite actors.