Sometimes the simplest recipes are the ones we love the most, and these Keto Stuffed Peppers are a perfect example. They provide all the heartiness and flavor of classic lasagna – without a single noodle in sight! And they’re packed with protein and veggies. It’s a mouthwatering low carb meal that looks as good as it tastes.
Bell peppers make the perfect low carb vessel for fillings like this. They become tender during baking but they still maintain their shape. And they add a pop of fresh flavor that offsets the richness of the meat and cheese. Plus pepper halves make appealing edible containers for an eye-catching presentation.
If you love sweet peppers, you will also enjoy Keto Stuffed Pepper Skillet and Mini Pepper Nachos.
This easy keto dinner recipe has been one of my favorites for a long time, but I recently decided to give it an upgrade. I increased the beefy filling to make it higher in protein. And I topped it with some homemade roasted tomato sauce. So good!
Whether you’re meal prepping for the week ahead or simply craving something cozy and satisfying, these low carb stuffed peppers deserve a spot on your table.
What readers are saying
“Made these today and just finished eating dinner. Delicious! My whole family LOVED them! I made these exactly as written, except I used a combination of ground meat and bulk Italian hot sausage. Heavenly!” — Gina
Why we love this recipe
- Lasagna flavor: These stuffed peppers have all the same meaty, cheesy filling as lasagna, without the carbs.
- One dish meal: No need to prep a separate side dish, you’ve got all your protein and veggies in one dish.
- Customizable: Feel free to replace some or all of the beef with other ground meats.
- Meal prep friendly: You can assemble the peppers a day or two in advance of cooking. And the leftovers heat up well too.
- High protein recipe: This easy dinner now has 33 grams of protein per serving!
Ingredient Notes
- Ground beef: You can also use ground pork, turkey or Italian sausage.
- Garlic: Use fresh garlic for the best flavor.
- Frozen spinach: I love the ease of using frozen spinach but you can use fresh spinach as well.
- Whole milk ricotta cheese: Cottage cheese also works.
- Bell peppers: Medium to large sweet bell peppers work best and any color will do. Green peppers have a slightly lower carbohydrate count but it’s really not enough to change the carbs per serving significantly.
- Tomato sauce: I love the flavor of homemade tomato sauce, but any lower carb marinara would work as well.
- Shredded cheese: I recommend shredded mozzarella for a classic lasagna flavor.
- Pantry staples: Red pepper flakes and salt.
How to Make Keto Stuffed Peppers
- Brown the beef: Cook the meat in a large skillet over medium heat with salt and pepper. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes once no longer pink.
- Mix up the filling: In a large bowl, combine the drained spinach, ricotta, parmesan, and cooked beef. Mix well.
- Prepare the peppers: Cut each bell pepper in half and remove the seeds and ribs. Set the in a 9×13 glass or ceramic baking dish. Stuff with the beef mixture.
- Top the peppers: Spoon tomato sauce over the filling and sprinkle the tops with the shredded cheese.
- Bake the peppers: Transfer to the oven and bake at 400ºF for 30 minutes. Broil lightly to brown up the tops.
Expert tips
I recommend baking these peppers in a glass or ceramic baking pan for this recipe. Metal heats up too quickly and can brown the bottoms of the peppers before they are cooked through.
You can easily cut this recipe in half to make only 4 servings. Just use three quarters of a pound of ground meat and freeze the rest for another time. There is a nifty feature on my recipe card where you can adjust the servings and it will change the amount of all the ingredients.
If you end up with leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They should keep well for up to 5 days. You can also freeze them. Place cooled peppers in an airtight container and freeze them for up to 6 months. To reheat, microwave or warm in a preheated oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
Because the ground meat is cooked first, you can prepare these peppers in advance and bake them later. Simply follow the instructions through step 5, then cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days before baking.
These stuffed peppers work well in crockpots and Instant Pots. The preparation of the peppers will be the same, up to the point of baking. They will take about 4 to 5 hours in a slow cooker, and 10 to 15 minutes in an Instant Pot.
This keto stuffed pepper recipe has 7.3g of carbs and 1.9g of fiber per serving. That comes to 5.4g net carbs for each stuffed pepper half.
More recipes you’ll love
Keto Stuffed Peppers Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb (680.39 g) ground beef
- 3/4 tsp salt, divided
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 3 cloves (2 cloves) garlic, minced
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 4 ounces (113.4 g) frozen spinach, thawed and drained
- 1 cup (248 g) ricotta cheese
- 1/3 cup (33.33 g) grated parmesan cheese
- 4 large bell peppers
- 1 cup (245 g) roasted tomato sauce, (or marina sauce)
- 1 cup (112 g) shredded mozzarella cheese
- (6 g) Basil or parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté the beef and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until no longer pink, about 10 minutes, breaking up any clumps with the back of a wooden spoon. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook another minute.
- Squeeze the spinach to remove the excess moisture. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, spinach, and parmesan. Add the cooked beef and mix well.
- Cut each bell pepper in half and remove the seeds and ribs. Set the pepper halves in a 9×13 glass or ceramic baking dish. Spoon the beef/ricotta mixture into each half, mounding the tops.
- Spoon about 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce over the tops of the peppers. Sprinkle with the mozzarella.
- Bake 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the peppers have softened. Turn the oven to broil and broil the peppers 6 inches from the heat, until the cheese is lightly browned, 1 to 3 minutes.
- Sprinkle the tops of the peppers with chopped basil or parsley before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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I can hardly wait to try the Keto Stuffed Pepper recipe, what a great improvement on Lasagna. And, Happy Birthday
This is one of our families’ dinner! I always make extra to take to my parents too. They adore these delicious stuffed peppers. These also make great lunch leftovers during the week.
Thanks!
This is a regular dish at my house. I use a jar of Marinara, it comes out perfect! Thank you, Carolyn!
correction Italian sausage and turkey; my spell check is wonky.🤣🤣🤣
OMG, these peppers are beyond DELISH!!!🫑🧀🥩🍅🌶️ I used 2.5 lbs of Italian land turkey for the meat, and used both cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes. Thank you so much for this recipe.❤️❤️❤️
So yummy! I made it w/ 2 lbs ground meat, & added to the cheeses. It is delicious! I will be making it regularly. Thank you!
I’m thinking of trying this this week, but I noticed that some of the quantities in parentheses don’t agree with the ones outside them. For example “1 cup (2 tbsp) roasted tomato sauce”, “1 1/2 lb (453.59 g) ground beef” and “3/4 tsp (1.25 tsp) salt”. Are the ones outside the parentheses correct?
Fixed it. The ones in parentheses were holdovers from the older recipe.
super flavourful! I add some chipotle peppers in adobo sauce if I want some extra kick. A great fall weather meal with bright colours.
Made this for dinner tonight. Only change I made was using half and half ground beef and chorizo. Yum!
Great flavor combo!
I love this recipe.. Makes enough to have for the whole week and there sooo good
I just made this again. It’s one of my favorite recipes and a regular part of my rotation. I usually eat one, store 1 or two in the refrigerator and freeze the rest for a quick meal throughout the month. When gone, I repeat the process. Love them!
This is a delicious meal, with just the right balance of flavours. I didn’t think that I could enjoy stuffed peppers that didn’t include rice, breadcrumbs and egg (all of which, in my pre-keto cooking, I would use to help bind the ingredients). But this recipe proves that neither of those ingredients are necessary. I followed the metric measurements exactly, and I baked the peppers in a glass dish. The recipe card features and tips from you, Carolyn, have ticked all the boxes for me. Thank you!
I have made this recipe before and love it. I also change things up a bit at times for diff flavors. Today I use a mix of ricotta, shredded mozzarella and Parm/Romano mix in with my browned ground beef(sometimes beef and Italian hot sausage). onion, carrot and fresh garlic mix. (depends on who is dining with us)
I also chop, small, crimini mushrooms and cook off any liquid they give off. I opt for dry basil and a light touch of oregano in winter, fresh in summer, and a quantity of Italian parsley.
Making my own sauce today. Went on vaca armed with Tuttorosso crushed and diced tomatoes. 3 big cans of each. Chianti, obligatory for me. This is such a favorite in winter. Everyone is disappearing for the day and our hallway will smell delish this evening!
Thank you for the work of preparing these recipes for us. Greatly appreciated.
Reading the blog I just now, I saw that the number of servings could be adjusted on the recipe card! That’s totally cool.
Thanks!