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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Excellent flavor and great warmed up as a leftover!
These are SO delicious! I have a 5 year old who has been obsessed with bell peppers and sweet peppers since his first ever solid food experience. We grow our own in the garden and he is SO excited everytime I tell him we’re making this dish because he grabs his “puppy knife” that’s safe for little hands, and he cuts all the peppers in half for me and scrapes out all the seeds, which we save for next year’s garden! I sometimes make a little batch of yellow rice on the side for the kids, but they really couldn’t care less because this dish is SO flavorful!
It’s really one of the best “leftover” dishes according to my kids (17, 13, and 5).
THAT is ridiculously adorable!
This is an amazing recipe, thank you!
For the extra kick I decided to lightly oil the skin on the peppers, before placing them in the dish, to avoid any excess juice flow and keep them crispy. It was yum!
Sounds delicious!
Which brand of whole milk ricotta cheese do you recommend? I use cottage cheese, but would like a good ricotta cheese. You always pick flavorful products. I trust your opinion, as they are always great.
I just got the Whole Foods brand.
This was delicious and really a bit like eating lasagna. Got a thumbs up from the hubby.
I didn’t have enough tomato paste for the sauce, so used half tomato paste and half sundried tomatoes pesto.
It was excellent and I will make it again.
Just made these for dinner….so very good. Lovely leftovers as well! Thanks for the great recipe!
Love stuffed peppers, especially when it tastes like lasagna!! Great & delicious idea!!
Oh, wow! These are so good! Love this filling! Such a wonderful, welcome change from the traditional rice and meat mixture! My new favorite filling!
Oh wow! This looks incredibly delicious!! The perfect weeknight meal!
We’ve enjoyed this recipe a couple of times now and we both agree it’s terrific!
This week’s version, however, I used cottage cheese since we didn’t have ricotta on hand. I also used fresh spinach and just mixed it into the hamburger mixture to wilt before adding the cheese. Both substitutions worked very well.
It’s a great way to use up those peppers from the garden–and we’ve not had a problem freezing them in vacuum bags.
Thanks for the great recipe!
Great to know about the freezing!
Absolutely love it!
6 eggs total, 6 slices turkey, and 1 bag popcorn everyday is this acceptable for keto?
I am sorry… why are you asking this?
I have made my stuffed bell peppers like this without the cheese. So good. I will have to try it with cheese.
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! I received thumbs up etc., from my family, and didn’t divulge to my non keto crew that these were in fact keto until everyone was done eating. Only then did I get the eye rolls, haha!
I am delighted to hear that!
Super delicious and easy. I subbed butcherbox Italian sausage and added a chopped onion. I used fresh chopped up baby spinach instead of frozen. I also used no sugar added spaghetti sauce (instead of making my own). Loved it and will make again!
Happy to hear it!
can these be frozen? I have as question….I have several bags of frozen fruit…can I use them in desserts if I just use Swerve to sweeten them? Thank you for any help you can give me.
I don’t really recommend freezing these because it softens the peppers too much and makes them mushy. As to your fruit question, that all depends on the fruit and the way you plan to use it.