If stuffed peppers loaded with ground beef and cheese take you back to your childhood, you're not alone. And if you want to enjoy keto (or low-carb) stuffed peppers, you've come to the right place! Giving up carbs doesn't mean ditching flavorful, beautiful dinners. With one or two simple switches, stuffed peppers can be paleo, keto, and low-carb deliciousness!
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The Story
Italian-style or as a chili-cheese delight, stuffed and roasted bell peppers pop with a mildly sweet flavor that plays nice with so many others. And while sweeter than cruciferous or root vegetables, one medium-size bell pepper only adds about six carbs to your day. So it's entirely possible to enjoy stuffed peppers on a low-carb, paleo, or ketogenic diet with the right substitutions.
The Substitutions
If you're looking to lower the carbs and increase the nutrients in a traditional stuffed pepper, here is an ingredient cheat sheet. After you make these changes to the classic stuffed bell pepper recipe, which flavors you choose are entirely up to you. For adding tomato, the best choice is diced fresh or a little tomato sauce. Steer clear of ketchup, which typically includes a high amount of added sugar.
- Ditch the rice
- Mix in riced cauliflower, onions, garlic, and even tomatoes
- Choose pastured ground meat such as grass-fed beef, bison, lamb, turkey, or chicken
- Garnish with a healthy fat
Any ground or fresh herbs and spices are fair game, as are cheeses like aged cheddar and Parmesan. For a true keto macro-nutrient ratio that is highest in fat, top the roasted peppers off with crème frâiche, full-fat sour cream, or avocado slices.
Total Carbohydrates
There's no one-size-fits-all answer to how many carbohydrates are in any one bell pepper. However, one average-sized pepper with the top sliced off contains around six grams of carbohydrates. Green peppers have the least amount of carbohydrates since they are picked underripe.
So with the addition of diced onions, garlic, and tomatoes, you may reach ten carbs in one stuffed pepper, perhaps less if you chose green. If you're nervous, reach for onion and garlic powder instead of fresh aromatics. Or leave them out.
Benefits
Entire articles exist on the antioxidant properties of bell peppers! Bell peppers of all colors are loaded with vitamins A, C, and E. These vitamins, perhaps the most talked-about antioxidants, fight off free radicals in the body (bad cells that cause diseases like cancer).
Peppers of all kinds also contain many antioxidant compounds like capsanthin and lutein that offer high levels of immune protection. Bell peppers are truly one of the best vegetables for a keto diet because they are chock-full of nutrients not found in fat and protein sources.
On Fiber
If there is one element missing from many low-carb or keto diets, it's dietary fiber. Truly, a low-carb diet should be heavy on vegetables, but that is not necessarily the reality on the plate. Stuffed peppers to the rescue! Adding in cauliflower rice, onions and a few diced tomatoes to the dish can add several grams of gut-boosting fiber to your day.
The Ingredients
This list will look like many classic stuffed pepper ingredient lists, minus the carb-heavy rice. You can certainly leave out the cauliflower rice if you don't have any or don't like it. But it adds fiber and stretches the meat to fill more peppers.
- ground meat
- whole bell peppers
- cauliflower rice
- onion
- garlic
- grated cheese, Parmesan, cheddar, etc.
- fresh herbs, like parsley or cilantro
- avocado, sour cream, or olive oil
- diced tomatoes and/or tomato sauce, optional
The Formula
Stuffed peppers are an incredibly flexible meal, that doesn't need much foresight or planning, and really doesn't require a recipe. Any meat, leftover vegetables, and cheese on hand can be seasoned and stuffed into hollowed-out peppers for a quick and easy dinner.
1 pound ground meat + 1 cup riced cauliflower + 4 bell peppers
Generally, one bell pepper holds about six ounces or one heaping cup of ground meat filling. So a pound of ground meat, once cooked and mixed with added vegetables and cheese should be plenty enough to fill four peppers. Depending on the size of your peppers, this amount may fill a few more.
The Method
The method here is a simple sauté, stuff and roast, and can be done in one pan if the cauliflower rice is cooked or steamed ahead. You can stretch the filling by adding even more cauliflower rice. I like to sauté any onions and garlic a little first, then add the meat, and once it's browned, the remaining ingredients.
The Steps
Before you begin, gather your pans, baking dishes, and ingredients. Rinse your bell peppers under water and dry them well. Bring your ground meat to room temperature. Mise en place. Everything in place.
- Preheat the oven to between 375° and 400° F. The hotter the oven, the more the peppers will caramelize or brown during roasting.
- Cook your cauliflower rice per the package instructions. Set aside.
- In a large skillet or pan, sauté minced onions and garlic in a little oil on medium heat. When the vegetables begin to brown, add ground meat.
- Cook, breaking up the meat every so often, until no pink remains.
- While the meat cooks, trim the tops off bell peppers and hollow them out. Level off the bottoms of any bell peppers that don't stand mostly upright with a sharp knife. Take care not to create a hole in the bottom (if it happens, just fill the pepper with loads of cheese before adding the meat mixture). You can also simply slice the peppers in half lengthwise, leaving the stem on.
- Season the insides of the peppers with a sprinkling of salt.
- Mix cauliflower rice, chopped herbs, diced tomatoes, cheese, and salt into the pan with the meat mixture. The filling can be made a couple of days ahead and chilled, or even frozen. Thaw and bring any frozen or chilled filling to room temperature before finishing the process.
- Divide the filling evenly among the hollowed peppers. Transfer the peppers to a sheet pan or baking dish. Top with more shredded cheese, if desired.
- Roast the bell peppers until the skins begin to wrinkle and they are soft, 25 to 35 minutes.
- Serve drizzled with olive oil, or topped with healthy dollops of sour cream, plain yogurt, or crème frâiche.
- Store cooked stuffed peppers in the refrigerator for up to a week. Reheat stuffed peppers in the oven at 350° F until the innermost section of the filling is 165° F. You can also use the microwave, but the peppers may turn a bit soggy.
More Keto Vegetables
My husband shed stubborn weight by following a true keto diet: loads of vegetables, avocados, sour cream, pastured meats, wild-caught fish, and absolutely NO artificial sweeteners (these mess with the blood sugar-insulin cycle in similar ways as sugar). Here are more nutrient-dense vegetables that are low in carbohydrates.
- Cruciferous types: broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbages
- Dark & leafy greens: spinach, kale, mesclun (salad) mix, collard greens, chard
- Alliums: onions, garlic, shallots, scallions (green onions)
- Celery
- Asparagus, when in season
- Chilis like jalapeño, Anaheim, poblano, hatch, Thai bird, etc.
- Tomatoes (in moderation)
Flavor Variations
A classic stuffed pepper is my family's favorite way to enjoy them. Diced tomatoes, a little tomato sauce, and fresh chopped parsley along with mounds of Parmesan both in the filling and melted on top. But the mild, sweet nature of bell peppers makes them a friend to many flavors and ethnic cuisines.
Enchilada Stuffed Peppers. Enjoy the smoky, savory goodness of an enchilada without all the starch. Mix chili or chipotle powder, chopped cilantro, green onions, enchilada sauce, diced tomatoes, and Cotija or Manchego cheese with the browned meat and riced cauliflower. Top with pico de gallo, sour cream, avocado, or all three.
Chili + Cheese. Simply delicious! Mix sautéed diced onions, green pepper, garlic, and diced tomatoes with the ground meat. Then add several tablespoons of chili powder, a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce or coconut aminos, fresh or dried oregano, and loads of your favorite cheddar or Colby jack cheese.
Curried Stuffed Peppers. Flavor the meat filling with minced garlic, ginger, and scallions, store-bought or homemade curry sauce, wilted spinach, a squeeze of lime juice, dashes of fish sauce, and paneer (Indian fresh cheese). If you can't find paneer at a local specialty market and don't want to make it at home, a little cottage cheese would be a good substitute.
Frequently Asked Questions
There's no one-size-fits-all answer to how many carbohydrates are in any one bell pepper. However, one average-sized pepper with the top sliced off contains around six grams of carbohydrates. Green peppers have the least amount of carbohydrates since they are picked underripe.
My professional opinion as a classically-trained chef is absolutely not. If you boil bell peppers the water will leach out nutrients like Vitamin C. You can also make the bell peppers a bit limp and water-logged. A soggy pepper will not caramelize, or brown, in the oven. And this caramelization creates new, delicious flavors. But it will only happen in the absence of moisture.
Soft peppers will also not be easy to stuff. If you prefer to cook bell peppers before stuffing, the best method is to roast them in the oven. But only do so for 10 or 15 minutes around 375° F. Since you will be putting the peppers back in the oven after stuffing, you risk mushy peppers if you cook them too long before filling.
You certainly can! Adding an egg to a batch of stuffed pepper filling will make it more cohesive. The egg white proteins and the lecithin (an emulsifier) from the yolk will bind the filling ingredients a little. If you do add an egg to the stuffing mixture, roast the stuffed peppers for at least 15 to 20 minutes at 375° F. This will allow the egg to cook and reach a safe temperature of 160° F. When in doubt, use a meat thermometer to check the stuffing temperature in the center of each pepper.
Edible Epilogue
My recipe skips pre-baking the bell peppers like you will see in classic stuffed pepper recipes. Baking the peppers first eliminates a bit of their water content. But the extra step is not a deal-breaker. And can be less than enticing on a busy weeknight. But your kitchen, your rules.
Please share your favorite way to turn classic recipes into keto-friendly dishes in the comments!
📖 Recipe
Keto Stuffed Peppers
I've truly never met a more colorful, flavorful no-fuss dinner! Substituting cauliflower rice for the starchy original makes for a low-carb and ketogenic version of classic stuffed peppers. This recipe is also safe for a paleo-style diet and the Full GAPS diet.
A dollop (or three) of sour cream as a garnish makes for a creamy, savory, nourishing dinner that you can feel good about feeding your family (or just yourself)!
Truly, no recipe is required! But a reliable formula for ensuring you have enough filling for each pepper is in the notes.
For a true paleo dish, garnish with olive oil and avocado, but leave out any dairy.
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 pound of pastured ground meat such as grass-fed beef, bison, turkey, chicken, or lamb
- 4 whole bell peppers, organic recommended
- ¼-½ small onion, diced into small pieces
- 1 garlic clove, minced (about a tablespoon)
- About 1 cup riced cauliflower, cooked
- 1 Roma tomato or several of a smaller variety, diced small
- ½ cup tomato sauce
- 1-3 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
- ¾ cup Parmesan, grated (or as much or little as you like)
- 1 teaspoon of kosher salt (less if table salt, but know iodized salt contains sugar)
- A pinch of ground black pepper
Garnish Ideas
- sliced avocado
- sour cream, plain whole-fat yogurt, créme frâiche
- olive oil
- additional grated Parmesan
Instructions
Before you begin, gather your pans, baking dishes, and ingredients. Rinse your bell peppers briefly under running water and dry them well. Bring your ground meat to room temperature. Mise en place. Which in English means get everything in place.
- Preheat the oven to between 375° and 400° F. The hotter the oven, the more the peppers will brown during roasting.
- Cook your cauliflower rice per the package instructions. Set aside.
- In a large skillet or pan, sauté minced onions and garlic in a little oil on medium heat. When the vegetables begin to brown, add ground meat.
- Cook over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat, until no pink remains.
- While the meat cooks, trim the tops off of the bell peppers and hollow them out. Level the bottoms of any bell peppers that don't stand upright with a sharp knife. Take care not to create a hole in the bottom (if it happens, just fill the pepper with loads of cheese before adding the meat mixture). You can also simply slice the peppers in half lengthwise, leaving the stem on.
- Season the insides of the peppers with a sprinkling of salt.
- Mix the cauliflower rice, chopped herbs, diced tomatoes, cheese, and salt into the meat mixture.
- Divide the filling evenly among peppers. Transfer the peppers to a sheet pan or baking dish. Top with more shredded cheese, if desired.
- Roast the bell peppers until the skins begin to wrinkle, the peppers begin to brown, and they are soft, 25 to 35 minutes. If the filling begins to brown, cover the peppers loosely with foil.
- Serve drizzled with olive oil, or topped with healthy dollops of sour cream, plain yogurt, or crème frâiche.
- Store stuffed peppers for up to a week in the refrigerator. The filling can be made ahead and frozen for several months.
Notes
The Ratio... An easy formula to remember for stuffed peppers is one pound of cooked meat and one cup of riced cauliflower for every four bell peppers. Any aromatic vegetables, herbs, and cheese are a matter of preference. And don't greatly affect the overall volume of filling like the meat and cauliflower.
For the lowest carbohydrate content possible, reach for green peppers since they are under-ripe and contain a little less natural sugars. Use half the amounts given for the added aromatic vegetables like onions and garlic, and cut back on the tomatoes and tomato sauce.
For true keto peppers, divide the filling among 5 or 6 bell peppers, and load up on the avocado slices and sour cream.
On making ahead... You can make the filling (through Step 7) ahead and chill or freeze it. If you freeze filling, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight or in a bowl of cold water that you refresh often. Bring the filling to room temperature before stuffing prepped bell peppers and roasting.
To reheat... Reheat stuffed peppers in the oven at 350° F until the very inside of the filling is 165° F. You can also use the microwave, but the peppers may turn a bit soggy.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Keto
- Method: Sautéing + Roasting
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Stuffed Pepper
- Calories: 404
- Sugar: 4.9 g
- Sodium: 243.2 mg
- Fat: 30.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 8.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 13.2 g
- Fiber: 5.8 g
- Protein: 22.1 g
- Cholesterol: 60.2 mg
Keywords: keto stuffed peppers, low-carb stuffed peppers, keto friendly veggies, easy stuffed peppers, how to make stuffed peppers
I am a private chef and culinary consultant with a basic education in nutrition and food safety. I am not a certified nutritionist or dietitian, and none of the information here is intended as medical advice. If you are overweight, hypertensive, or suffer from chronic disease and seeking to improve your health, consult your doctor first. If your doctor doesn't recommend a change of diet, find a new doctor.
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Deb
I love these! Delicious!