Low Carb Pizza Stuffed Peppers with Ground Beef
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Easy pizza stuffed peppers to jazz up any weeknight meal! In this healthy, low-carb stuffed pepper recipe, green or red pepper halves are stuffed with cheesy, seasoned ground beef and topped with classic pizza sauce, shredded cheese, pepperoni slices, and other favorite toppings. Quick, simple, and delicious!
What Makes This Recipe Great
Pizza pizza pizza! Who doesn’t love pizza? I’ve made a Pizza Pasta Bake, Pizza Meatballs, and these Stuffed Pizza Rolls, but today, I’m introducing a new fun pizza recipe. These stuffed peppers have all the pizza flavors you love without the crust! Protein-packed, veggie-packed, and kid-approved, my new Pizza Stuffed Peppers are absolute perfection.
The peppers are stuffed with ground beef, cheese, and seasoning, then topped like a pizza with sauce, cheese, and toppings. Finally, they’re baked in the oven until soft, tender, and perfectly melted. The BEST!
If you have minimal time and want to put together a delicious, healthy meal, this is it. Made with simple ingredients and a little over 30 minutes, this recipe is low carb, keto-friendly, and a fun way to enjoy pizza night with a twist!
Table of Contents
Ingredient Notes
- red or green bell peppers: You can also use a mix of both red and green peppers if desired. The color of bell pepper really doesn’t matter! I recommend large peppers so that they can hold more of the filling.
- ground beef or Italian sausage
- garlic cloves
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- Italian seasoning
- pizza sauce: Use your favorite jar of tomato sauce, pizza sauce, or marinara sauce.
- shredded mozzarella cheese: or swap dairy-free cheese of choice
- grated parmesan cheese
- mini pepperonis: You can use regular pepperoni or turkey pepperoni or omit it altogether.
- diced onions
- salt and black pepper to taste
- fresh basil for garnish
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Prepare Peppers. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Cut the tops off the bell peppers and remove the seeds and membranes. Place peppers upright in a baking dish and bake the peppers unstuffed for 10 minutes.
OPTIONAL STEP: If you want to cook the peppers quicker, do this step instead of baking the unstuffed peppers in the oven first. Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Place the peppers in the boiling water and let them cook for 3-4 minutes or until slightly softening. Use tongs to remove the peppers from the boiling water and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to drain any excess water. Add to a baking dish upright.
Step 2: Brown Ground Beef. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, along with a tbsp of olive oil. Add in the onions and garlic, and cook for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add the ground beef to the skillet and brown for about 8 minutes or until the meat is cooked through. Drain any excess fat.
Step 3: Make The Mixture. Once the ground beef is cooked, add 1 3/4 cup pizza sauce, 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Mix until well combined.
Step 4: Stuff The Peppers. Spoon the mixture evenly into each bell pepper, pressing down gently to pack it in. Add additional pizza sauce on top of the beef mixture in each pepper. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese and add mini pepperonis on top of the cheese. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until the peppers are tender.
Step 5: Garnish & Serve. Once cooked, remove the foil and optionally broil the peppers for 1-2 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown. Garnish with fresh basil on top of each bell pepper if desired.
Mac’s Pro TipS
Expert Tips
- Toppings: As with any regular pizza, let your favorite pizza toppings be your guide! Feel free to add mushrooms, black olives, pineapple, anchovies, red pepper flakes, and more!
- Filling: I used lean ground beef, but feel free to use any ground meat: ground turkey, mild or hot Italian sausage, ground chicken, and more!
Storage Tips
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Use as an easy meal prep recipe for a quick lunch on the go or dinner for a busy weeknight.
I recommend reheating in the air fryer or the oven, but the microwave also works.
Recipe FAQs
There are 12 net carbs per serving!
Some popular toppings for pizza stuffed peppers include pepperoni slices, cooked sausage crumbles, diced onions, sliced mushrooms, diced bell peppers, olives, and fresh herbs like basil or oregano.
Yes, you can easily make pizza stuffed peppers vegetarian or vegan by using plant-based ingredients. For example, you can use vegan cheese, cooked lentils or beans instead of meat, and load them up with plenty of vegetables.
Pizza stuffed peppers can be made gluten-free by using gluten and dairy free pizza sauce and ensuring that any other ingredients you use, such as toppings and fillings, are also gluten-free. Simply swap out the mozzarella cheese for dairy-free cheese of choice.
More Stuffed Pepper Recipes
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Low Carb Pizza Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 4 large red or green bell peppers halved and deseeded
- 1.5 lbs. ground beef or Italian sausage
- 1-2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 cups pizza sauce divided
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided or df cheese
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese or df cheese
- 1/2 cup mini pepperonis
- 1/2 cup diced onions
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh Basil for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare Peppers: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Cut the tops off the bell peppers and remove the seeds and membranes. Place the peppers upright in a baking dish and bake the peppers unstuffed for 10 minutes.
- OPTIONAL STEP: If you want to cook the peppers quicker, do this step instead of baking the unstuffed peppers in the oven first. Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Place the peppers in the boiling water and let them cook for 3-4 minutes, or until slightly softening. Use tongs to remove the peppers from the boiling water and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to drain any excess water. Add to a baking dish upright.
- Brown Ground Beef: Heat a skillet over medium heat, along with a tbsp of olive oil. Add in the onions and garlic, and cook 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add the ground beef to the skillet and brown for about 8 minutes or until the meat is cooked through. Drain any excess fat.
- Make The Mixture: Once the ground beef is cooked, add 1 3/4 cup pizza sauce, 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Mix until well combined.
- Stuff The Peppers: Spoon the mixture evenly into each bell pepper, pressing down gently to pack it in. Add additional pizza sauce on top of the beef mixture in each pepper. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese and add mini pepperonis on top of the cheese. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 25 minutes, or until the peppers are tender.
- Garnish & Serve: Once cooked, remove the foil and optionally broil the peppers for 1-2 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown. Garnish with fresh basil if desired.
Notes
Expert Tips
- Toppings: As with any regular pizza, let your favorite pizza toppings be your guide! Feel free to add mushrooms, black olives, pineapple, anchovies, red pepper flakes, and more!
- Filling: I used lean ground beef, but feel free to use any ground meat: ground turkey, mild or hot Italian sausage, ground chicken, and more!
Storage Tips
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Use as an easy meal prep recipe for a quick lunch on the go or dinner for a busy weeknight. I recommend reheating in the air fryer or the oven, but the microwave also works.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
