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Stuffed peppers without rice will become one of your new favorite low-carb dinners. With only 7 basic ingredients, it can be ready in under an hour for the whole family to enjoy!
Table of Contents
- Why you should make this recipe
- Ingredients
- Step-by-step instructions
- Expert tips
- Variations
- Serving suggestions
- Storage instructions
- Nutrition tips
- Frequently asked questions
- Other healthy low-carb dinner recipes
- Stuffed Peppers without Rice
Why you should make this recipe
These stuffed peppers are a treat to make! Bright, colorful peppers stuffed with a low-carb mince and cauliflower filling topped with melted cheese and herbs. All ready in under an hour!
It’s the ultimate comfort food that is both hearty and delicious.
These peppers can easily be prepared ahead of time and then popped in the oven to alleviate some of that dinner stress.
Ingredients
These delicious stuffed peppers call for very basic ingredients that are available in every grocery store:
- bell peppers: We used a combination of yellow, red, and green peppers. Use your favorite full-size bell peppers.
- cooking oil: Extra-virgin olive oil is a good choice but you can substitute any healthy cooking oil.
- ground meat: Ground beef is always good but ground chicken, turkey, or pork will work.
- white or yellow onion
- fresh garlic
- riced cauliflower (buy or make your own cauliflower rice)
- chunky marinara sauce: Make sure to use a good quality sugar-free marinara sauce.
- fresh thyme
- shredded mozzarella
- salt and pepper
Step-by-step instructions
Making stuffed peppers low-carb while still keeping them full of flavor is relatively easy.
Step 1: Wash and dry the bell peppers. Cut in half lengthwise and remove the membrane and seeds with a spoon. Place the bell peppers in a casserole dish cut side up. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 2: Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and allow to heat. Sauté onions for 3 – 4 minutes until translucent. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add ground beef and cook for 6 – 8 minutes, breaking up the meat. Cook until beef has browned and there is no pink visible. Set aside in a bowl.
Step 3: In the same pan, add riced cauliflower and sauté over medium heat for 5-7 minutes until softened and some moisture has evaporated.
Step 4: Add marinara sauce, fresh thyme, salt, and pepper to the pan and mix together. Turn the heat down to medium-low for 2 minutes until completely heated through.
Step 5: Transfer the ground meat mixture back to the pan and stir to combine. Take off the heat and stir in the shredded cheese (but leave a little to sprinkle on top).
Step 5: Spoon the meat and sauce mixture into the peppers. Top each pepper half with the remaining cheese.
Step 6: Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes at a pre-heated oven at 350°F (180°C).Remove foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Remove from oven and serve warm.
I like to garnish these peppers with some fresh herbs (basil works great) but you don’t have to. The dish already has plenty of flavors.
Expert tips
Although these low-carb stuffed peppers are fairly easy and come together quickly, there are things you can do to cut your hands on time further.
- Out of fresh thyme? No worries – just use 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme.
- Fresh garlic is always best but you can use jarred minced garlic instead. Three medium-sized cloves are equivalent to 3 teaspoons or 1 tablespoon. But when it comes to garlic, measure with your heart, not your spoon.
- When covering the baking dish with foil, take extra care for the foil not to touch the cheese by tenting it.
Variations
This recipe can easily be modified to suit your dietary needs and preferences. Check out these ideas:
- Skip the cheese for dairy-free stuffed peppers.
- Sub Italian sausage for ground beef (but be sure to check the ingredient list for added sugar and salt). It adds great flavor!
- You can use lean ground beef or ground turkey to cut calories.
- Marinara sauce may be replaced with spaghetti sauce or plain tomato sauce.
- Add other veggies like diced zucchini and cook with the cauliflower rice for added nutrition.
Serving suggestions
Stuffed peppers are packed with flavor and nutrition and are great on their own. But if you are serving this for guests or just want something a little more, a low-carb salad or roasted vegetables would pair incredibly well and make a very well-rounded meal.
If serving the peppers with a roasted vegetable, you can even bake both in the same at the same time.
Storage instructions
This recipe is so good that having leftovers probably won’t be a problem! If you do have some leftover peppers, you can store them in the refrigerator. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
To reheat, use a microwave or heat in the oven for 15 minutes at 350°F (180°C) until the cheese is melted and the filling has completely warmed through. Put on the broil for your oven at the end to make the cheese nice and bubbly.
Nutrition tips
These delicious stuffed peppers are naturally gluten-free and can easily be modified to be dairy free. They pack in a nice serving of protein while keeping the carbs low.
The most important thing to remember when making these stuffed bell peppers is to check the labels for added salt and sugar in packaged foods.
For that reason, I recommend sugar-free marinara sauce to keep these truly low-carb.
Additionally, you can use leaner ground meat like chicken or turkey if you’re watching your calories.
Frequently asked questions
Do you have to cook peppers before stuffing them?
As long as the stuffed bell peppers are covered with aluminum foil for the initial 30 minutes of cooking time, they are perfectly softened. Therefore, no separate pre-cooking of the bell peppers is necessary.
Do I have to cover the stuffed peppers before baking?
Yes! This is an important step because it steams the bell peppers, softening them to tenderness. This also ensures that the meat stuffing doesn’t dry out. You only have to cook the peppers covered for 30 minutes of cook time. Then remove the foil to melt and gently brown the cheese.
Which bell pepper has the least amount of carbs?
Not surprisingly, the sweeter the bell pepper, the higher the carb count. Green bell peppers have the least amount of carbs, clocking in at only 4.5 grams of net carbs per medium-sized pepper, followed by red bell peppers at approximately 6.2 grams of net carbs. Lastly, yellow bell peppers have the most carbs at 10 grams of net carbs.
Other healthy low-carb dinner recipes
If you liked this recipe, here are some other easy low-carb recipes you might enjoy:
- Low-carb Eggplant Parmesan
- Zucchini Lasagna
- Cauliflower Risotto
You can also read this roundup I created of10 healthy dinner recipes for diabeticsfor even more great low-carb dinner recipe ideas.
When you’ve made these stuffed peppers without rice, please don’t forget to let me know how you liked them and rate the recipe in the comments below!
Stuffed Peppers without Rice
4.67 from 57 votes
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Stuffed peppers without rice will become one of your new favorite low-carb dinners. It's ready in a few minutes for the whole family to enjoy!
Author: Christel Oerum
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
Baking Time: 35 minutes minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 3 bell peppers
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow or white onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 pounds ground beef, (you can use any meat you have available)
- 2 cups riced cauliflower
- 1 cup chunky marinara sauce, (sugar-free)
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup mozzarella, shredded, divided
- fresh herbs, (to garnish)
Instructions
Wash and dry the bell peppers. Cut in half lengthwise and remove the membrane and seeds with a spoon. Place the bell peppers in a casserole dish cut side up. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
3 bell peppers
Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add oil and allow to heat. Sauté onions for 3 – 4 minutes or until translucent. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add ground beef and cook for 6 – 8 minutes, breaking up the meat. Cook until beef has browned and there is no pink visible. Set aside in a bowl.
2 tablespoon olive oil, 1 medium yellow or white onion, diced, 3 garlic cloves, minced, 1 pounds ground beef
In the same pan, add riced cauliflower on medium heat and sauté for 5-7 minutes or until softened and some moisture has evaporated.
2 cups riced cauliflower
Add marinara sauce, fresh thyme, salt, and pepper and mix together. Turn the heat down to medium-low for 2 minutes until completely heated through.
1 cup chunky marinara sauce, 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, ½ teaspoon sea salt, ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Transfer the ground meat mixture back to the pan and stir to combine. Cook for an additional minute or until heated through. Take off the heat and stir in 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.
1 cup mozzarella, shredded
Spoon the meat and sauce mixture into the halved peppers. Top each pepper half with the remaining cheese.
1 cup mozzarella, shredded
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Garnish with fresh herbs if desired, serve and enjoy.
fresh herbs
Notes
This recipe makes 6 servings.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To reheat, use a microwave or heat in the oven for 15 minutes at 350°F (180°C) until the cheese is melted and the filling has completely warmed through.
Nutrition Info Per Serving
Nutrition Facts
Stuffed Peppers without Rice
Amount per Serving
Calories
335
% Daily Value*
Fat
38
%
Saturated Fat
8.3
g
42
%
Trans Fat
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
0.5
g
Monounsaturated Fat
3.3
g
Cholesterol
65.4
mg
22
%
Sodium
330.4
mg
14
%
Potassium
297
mg
8
%
Carbohydrates
11.2
g
4
%
Fiber
2.8
g
11
%
Sugar
5.5
g
6
%
Protein
18.9
g
38
%
Net carbs
8.4
g
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free
