Low Carb Stuffed Peppers
A streamlined, restaurant-quality entrée featuring seasoned ground beef, diced tomatoes, and gooey cheese baked inside tender bell peppers—delivering maximum flavor with minimal carbohydrates.
Ingredients
- 6 medium green bell peppers washed and seeded
- 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves fresh garlic minced
- 1 lb ground beef 80/20
- 14.5 oz diced tomatoes drained
- 2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp sea salt or to taste
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¾ cup marinara sauce divided use
- 3 slices Colby Jack cheese chopped
- 3 slices mozzarella cheese chopped
Instructions
- Prepare Peppers – Pre-heat oven to 375 °F (190 °C). Slice off pepper tops; remove seeds and membranes. Trim bases slightly so peppers stand upright without puncturing.
- Brown Beef – Warm olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds until fragrant. Add beef; cook 6-8 minutes, crumbling, until browned. Drain excess fat.
- Season Filling – Stir in diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, sea salt, onion powder, and ½ cup of marinara. Simmer 3-4 minutes; mixture should be moist, not soupy.
- Stuff & Bake – Spoon beef mixture evenly into peppers. Set peppers in a baking dish; spoon remaining ¼ cup marinara over the tops. Cover with foil; bake 35-40 minutes, until peppers are fork-tender with slight firmness.
- Melt Cheese & Serve – Uncover; top each pepper with Colby Jack and mozzarella. Bake 5-7 minutes, uncovered, until cheese is melted and lightly golden. Rest 5 minutes before plating.
Notes
Texture control: Remove foil while peppers still retain a slight bite; final cheese melt finishes the cook without turning peppers mushy. Make-ahead: Stuff peppers up to 24 hours early; refrigerate and add 5-10 minutes to bake time. Variations: Substitute ground turkey, chicken, or Italian sausage; or use red/yellow peppers for added sweetness. Storage: Refrigerate up to 4 days; reheat at 350 °F (175 °C) for 15 minutes. Freeze unbaked peppers up to 3 months; bake from frozen, adding 15-20 minutes.
