Keto Stuffed Bell Peppers

Name: Keto Stuffed Bell Peppers
Prep time: 20 minutes
Ingredients: Ingredients6 bell peppers; ¾ pound each of ground beef & ground pork; 1 red onion diced; 3 stalks celery chopped; 1 zucchini chopped; 1.5 cups frozen cauliflower rice; 1 teaspoon dried thyme or oregano; ¼ cup walnuts Finely chopped; 3 cloves garlic minced; 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin; 1.5 tablespoon tomato paste; 1/2 cup water or bone broth; 1 egg; 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese; 3 cups marinara sauce or crushed tomatoes; Kosher salt & black pepper; Avocado oil

Low carb stuffed peppers recipe with beef, pork, walnuts, and cheese. These peppers are baked in tomato sauce and make the ultimate keto meal.

This recipe is Budget, Gluten Free, Keto/Low Carb, Super Easy with main ingredient Beef, Pork

This stuffed bell pepper recipe is a gem! It's low carb and keto friendly, plus the addition of walnuts and not cooking the ground beef before stuffing the bell peppers makes this one of the best recipes for stuffed peppers I have ever had! I am not sure why people choose to brown the beef before stuffing. This results in the beef drying out or the stuffed pepper does not have enough time to cook. If you are looking for more stuffed recipes that are keto, check out my low carb keto stuffed pork chops and my stuffed and rolled chicken breasts.

I don't know about you, but I want my stuffed peppers soft enough where I can actually eat the pepper and the filling moist and juicy. Who said I can't have my cake and eat it too!?

Low Carb Stuffed Peppers Recipe

Not only is the flavor and texture of these low carb stuffed bell peppers the bomb, but this is also a keto recipe. Most recipes for stuffed peppers call for using rice or other starchy fillers. I work around that by using walnuts and a combo of ground pork and beef for a soft, creamy texture.

low carb keto stuffed peppers

Stuffed bell peppers cook in the oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes, so they need some liquid love to prevent them from shrinking like a frightened turtle. Most marinara sauce recipes are loaded with sugar and high carb veggies, but if you just take a 28 ounce tin of good quality whole tomatoes, San Marzano are the best. Puree that into a sauce and season with salt and pepper, and you just made a keto tomato sauce.

The stuffed peppers don't absorb the cooking liquid. They just stay nice and moist, so don't worry about eating too many tomatoes if you are on keto. Plus, I only use a couple tablespoons at garnish over the tops of the bell peppers at the end.

How To Make Stuffed Peppers?

The first step in making the perfect stuffed peppers recipe is to saute the aromatic veggies, the onions, zucchini, and garlic need to sweat out there moisture before being stuffed inside the green and red bell peppers. Next, add some tomato paste, cauliflower rice, and walnuts to the pan and let the nuts toast and the paste cook so the flavors develop. Add a bit of chicken bone broth to loosen the mixture up and then you can add it to the ground meats.

If you want juicy meat inside the bell peppers, (and who doesn't?) then I recommend a mixture of ground beef and pork, which will add some nice fat to the blend and prevent it from drying out while baking in the oven.

Total cook time for the stuffed peppers is 1.5 hours, and during the last 30 minutes, sprinkle a healthy amount of shredded cheese over the top so it melts in the oven.

How Long Do I Cook Stuffed Peppers For

Cook stuffed peppers at 350 degrees F for 1.5 hours total. Remove the parchment and tin foil after 30 minutes and cook for another 30 minutes, and then top the peppers with cheese and bake another 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the peppers is 155 degrees F.

How Do I Reheat Stuffed Peppers

The best way to reheat stuffed peppers is in a 350 degree F oven for 8-10 minutes. You can also reheat them in a microwave, but make sure to cover them with a wet paper towel and don't overheat or the peppers will dry out. Cook stuffed peppers will last in the fridge for 5 days or can be frozen for 2-3 months.

Check out my other keto recipes:

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F. For the filling, pre-heat a large non-stick pan just over medium heat along with 2 teaspoons of oil. Add the onions, celery, zucchini, thyme or oregano, ½ teaspoon salt, and a few cracks of pepper, mix well. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring often. Meanwhile, cut the tops of the bell peppers off and use your hands to carefully rip out the seeds and membranes, you can watch the video to see how it’s done.
To the pan, add the walnuts, garlic, and tomato paste, smoked paprika, cumin, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often. Add the cauliflower rice and bone broth or water to the pan and cook for 5 minute, or until most of the liquid is absorbed and the mixture looks wet. Set aside.
Place the ground beef and pork in a large bowl, season with 1 teaspoon of salt, a few cracks of pepper, and add the egg. Use your hands to mix everything very well, making sure the beef is thoroughly incorporated with the pork. Add the veggie mixture to the beef and use your hands, or a large spoon if the veggies are still hot, to mix everything very well. It’s ok that the veggies are hot because you will be cooking the peppers immediately, but if that is not the case, make sure the veggies cool before adding to the beef.
Add the marinara or tomato sauce sauce to a baking dish and then add the bell peppers. Use a spoon to stuff the peppers to the top, making sure to pack the mixture down well. Cover the peppers with a layer of parchment paper and then a layer of tin foil. Bake for 30 minutes, remove parchment and foil, bake another 30 minutes.
Add the shredded cheese on top of the peppers and cake another 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the ground meat is 160F.
Allow the peppers to rest for 10-20 minutes before serving, plate them up with some reserved tomato sauce, enjoy!
The peppers will keep in the fridge for 5-6 days and get even better the second and third day. You can freeze the stuffed peppers for 3 months and either place frozen peppers in a 350 F oven until hot, or thaw them and warm in the oven.

Recipe Notes

Macros per pepper, recipe makes 6 peppers:
493 calories
6.4 grams of net carbs
37.1 grams of fat
30.2 grams of protein
2.8 grams of fiber

Macros for every ¼ cup of tomato puree eaten with the peppers:
18 calories
3 grams of net carbs
Less than 1 gram of fat
1.1 grams of fiber
0.93 grams of protein

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