Low Carb Stuffed Bell Peppers

I have a few recipes for stuffed peppers. I stumbled on this variation of Low Carb Stuffed Bell Peppers when I was watching my carbs. This recipe is different than my favorite version because there is rice in my old recipe. This recipe happily satisfies my low carb seeking self, in that it has a tasty sauce and creaminess from the cream cheese, nestled in my beloved bell pepper.

These Low Carb Stuffed Bell Peppers are hearty, flavorful and super quick to make!!

I grew up on a version of stuffed peppers that uses rice mixed into ground beef. This is then stuffed into the peppers and a red sauce is spooned over the top of the peppers and cooked into the meat. While I still LOVE that old version, I don’t make it quite as often as I used to. This low carb friendly version seems to satisfy my stuffed pepper craving just fine!!

The thing I love about this recipe is that it is so quick and budget friendly, but tasty and impressive enough to serve company. Since there is no rice used, there is no waiting for the rice to cook before assembly, which makes it even quicker. These Low Carb Stuffed Bell Peppers can be made earlier in the week or in the morning, then covered and put into the fridge until later, where you would just pop them into the oven. They are also amazingly delicious for leftovers and in fact we fight over these leftovers in my house.

Low Carb Stuffed Peppers are full of creamy, spicy meat, then covered in cheese and baked until fork tender. So delicious!

I typically use green peppers. Though I tend to pick whatever is cheapest that week. Typically, that is green bell peppers. When I am lucky and able to get a variety of colors, I use those. Red peppers are sweeter than green peppers and orange and yellow are sweeter than red. Pick whatever you prefer or mix and match for an impressively, color dish.

I buy my ground beef when it is on sale and freeze it into 2-pound packages. Not only does this save me money, I know exactly how much meat I have in each package and can then pull just the amount I need for a specific recipe without waste.

This recipe for Low Carb Stuffed Bell Peppers is very simple to make. For a quick clean up, I typically start by greasing or spraying nonstick spray in a 9 x 13 baking dish. I wash my peppers and carefully cut around the stem and pull out the seeds and membranes then discard this part. You can chop up the tops of the peppers and add it to the meat as it cooks if you like. When you have cleaned your pepper, what you are left with is a nice, individual, empty vessel just waiting to be filled up.

In a large skillet, brown your ground beef. This is where you can add the chopped pepper tops (saves waste and adds flavor to the meat)if you like. You can use chicken or turkey meat if you prefer. Salt and pepper the meat as it cooks. When the meat is fully cooked, drain excess fat and return meat to pan. Add in the cubed cream cheese, and turn the meat to low and melt the cream cheese into the meat, stirring often. Once this is done, add in your favorite salsa OR equal amount of hot sauce (my preference). Once everything is melted and is well mixed, with a large spoon, fill up the bell peppers with the meat mixture. Cover the tops of the peppers with grated cheese and cover with foil before placing into the oven to cook.

Some people like to add chopped tomato, or onion to their pepper filling, but keep in mind that does add carbs, so this recipe omits the extras. Others like to precook their peppers so they aren’t baking as long, and that is just fine too. For the sake of convenience, I don’t precook my peppers, I just keep them in the oven until they are soft and tender. I keep foil on the Low Carb Stuffed Bell Peppers for about 90 minutes and they come out fork tender every time. I hope you give this quick and easy recipe a try. It always hits the spot! Enjoy friends!

Low Carb Stuffed Bell Peppers is modified from a classic recipe to suit low carb diets. Do you have a recipe you altered to fit a changing dietary need?