You want an easy weeknight meal? Keto stuffed peppers have saved me again and again. I make stuffed bell peppers almost every week. My current favorite? Keto lasagna stuffed peppers! Tender cooked bell peppers stuffed with ground beef, marinara sauce and three cheeses: ricotta cheese mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese! What’s not to like?
Bake these keto peppers in the oven or cook them in the slow cooker. I include instructions for both. Peppers are great for meal prep and can be made ahead for cooking later. Cooked peppers freeze beautifully. Enjoy!
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A medium 6 oz bell pepper has 5.5 g net carbs so, to me, bell peppers are the perfect low carb vessels for holding yummy things. I’ve stuffed them with ground beef like these sloppy Joe stuffed peppers and delicious Philly cheesesteak stuffed peppers. A keto stuffed pepper with ground beef is always popular.
And bell peppers stuffed with shredded chicken are just as tasty. You gotta try these Buffalo chicken stuffed peppers or pulled chicken stuffed peppers – they’re so good.
Making Stuffed Peppers Keto and Low Carb!
Traditional stuffed pepper recipes call for carby rice or breadcrumbs, which are not keto friendly. A few easy low carb substitutions is all you need to make delicious keto friendly stuffed peppers!
Follow these tips to make your favorite stuffed pepper recipe keto:
- Substitute low carb cauliflower rice for regular rice
- Skip the breadcrumbs and use cheese instead – or- make a microwave flax muffin and crumble it into bread crumbs
- Dairy free? Bind the filling with a beaten egg instead of cheese
How to Make Lasagna Stuffed Peppers
Making keto lasagna stuffed peppers is easy and only requires four main steps:
- Make the meat sauce
- Prep the bell peppers
- Stuff the bell peppers
- Cook the stuffed peppers (oven or crockpot)
Prepare the peppers as per recipe. Then, bake in the oven or cook in the slow cooker. You can also prepare the stuffed peppers ahead for cooking later. Just cover and refrigerate the stuffed peppers up to 2 days before cooking.
Baked Keto Stuffed Peppers
Cover the lasagna stuffed peppers with a piece of parchment, then cover tightly with foil. The parchment prevents the acid from the tomatoes from reacting with the aluminum. (At this point refrigerate up to two days if making ahead but remove from the refrigerator for 30 minutes before baking.) Preheat the oven to 350 F and bake for 30 minutes covered and 10 minutes uncovered.
Remove the peppers from the oven and then top each pepper with 1 ½ tablespoons of ricotta cheese and the remaining mozzarella cheese. Finally, place the peppers under the broiler until the cheese is lightly browned. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.
Refrigerate leftover stuffed bell peppers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Keto Stuffed Peppers in the Crockpot (Slow Cooker)
Arrange the lasagna stuffed peppers in the bottom of your crockpot or slow cooker. This casserole slow cooker is my favorite for keto stuffed peppers recipes. There is no need to cover the stuffed peppers with parchment since slow cookers are a moist cooking method.
Cook the peppers on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. After cooking, top with ricotta and mozzarella cheese and cover until the cheese melts. Top with Parmesan cheese and serve. Alternately, remove the peppers to a 9×13 inch casserole or a sheet pan and place under the broiler to brown. Top with Parmesan cheese and serve.
Refrigerate any leftover lasagna stuffed peppers in an airtight container for up to 5 days
Can You Freeze Stuffed Peppers?
Yes, you can freeze stuffed peppers for up to 3 months. Let them cool completely before freezing them. Freeze the whole recipe together in a pan or freeze the peppers individually. Freeze individually for a quick, portable keto lunch for work or school. Freezing the whole recipe for an easy pre-made, low carb dinner for a busy weeknight.
TO FREEZE: It’s best to freeze cooked peppers. If wrapping the stuffed peppers in foil, first fold a piece of parchment paper around the peppers. The acidity in the sauce will dissolve the aluminum. Wrapping the peppers in parchment first prevents this from occurring. No one wants a side of aluminum with their peppers. If freezing in a recyclable aluminum pan, line the bottom of the pan with a piece of parchment before adding the peppers.
REHEAT: Place the frozen peppers in the refrigerator to thaw the night before you wish to serve.
- For an Individual Serving: Place the thawed pepper in a microwaveable bowl and cook at 50% power for 5 minutes. Check the middle to see if it’s warmed through. Alternately, cover the stuffed pepper and place in a 350 F preheated oven for about 20 minutes.
- To Reheat the Full Recipe: Let the thawed stuffed peppers come to temperature on the counter for 30 minutes. Place in a cold oven and set the temperature for 375 F. Cook for 20-30 minutes after the oven comes to temperature.
Keto Lasagna Stuffed Peppers
Equipment
- Medium frying pan
- 9×13 inch baking dish
- Parchment Paper
- aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 3 large bell peppers
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 cup keto tomato sauce (or your favorite sauce)
- 1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided use (6 oz)
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350 F and place rack to middle position. Halve the peppers lengthwise and remove the seeds and white pith with a spoon. Place in a 9×13 inch baking dish or in the bottom of a slow cooker.
- Add the olive oil to a medium pan set over medium heat. When hot, add fennel seeds and cook stirring quickly until fragrant. Then, cook the ground beef in the pan, breaking it up into small pieces until cooked through. Stir in the tomato sauce (marinara or your favorite) and cook until thickened. Cool and mix in 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese.
- Spoon the meat sauce into the peppers, filling half way. Spoon a scant 1 1/2 tbsp ricotta cheese into each pepper followed with the remaining meat sauce.
- Cover the peppers with a piece of parchment paper, tucking the access around them. Then, cover the dish tightly with foil. [At this point the stuffed peppers can be refrigerated up to 2 days. Let sit on the counter for 30 minutes before baking.]
Oven
- Bake covered for 30 minutes. Then, remove the foil and parchment and top with remaining ricotta and mozzarella cheeses. Bake uncovered for an additional 10-15 minutes. Place under broiler for additional browning. Top with Parmesan cheese and serve.
Slow Cooker
- Layer the ingredients in the peppers as per steps 2 and 3 above. Place the peppers into the slow cooker and cook on high 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. When done, divide the remaining ricotta and mozzarella cheeses among the peppers. Cover and heat until the cheese melts. Top with Parmesan cheese and serve.
- Serve with a green salad with oil and vinegar dressing.
These are super easy and delicious. I doubled the recipe for leftovers. I used half ground beef and half Italian sausage (since that’s what I had on hand) and omitted the olive oil and fennel. SO good and reheat well in the microwave. Made for a great dinner and lunches for the week.
Wow! Just finished making these for dinner. They were fantastic. I used Prego Farmers Market Tomato Basil sauce. While I don’t know that I would say it tasted just like lasagna it sure brought those flavors. This is definitely a keeper. So glad there are leftovers!
So amazingly delicious! I added mushrooms to it as well.
Oh! My!!!!! I’m new to low carb and I miss pasta the most!!!! This looks amazing!
Hi Kim,
I can’t wait to make these today! I have 1 question. I like to eat the entire pepper and I’m wondering if they get tender enough while baking? I guess I’m asking if I need to bake them 1st to get them tender. Thanks!
Hi Yolanda. I like them softer, too. I have a couple of ideas:
1. After cutting but before stuffing, put the peppers in a microwave safe baking dish, cover with cling film and microwave for a few minutes. Then blot out the extra moisture and fill them.
2. Place the cut but unstuffed peppers in your baking dish, cover with foil and pop them into the oven while it preheats. Then remove them from the oven, remove the foil, blot out the extra moisture and fill them.
3. Cook them in the slow cooker. I have a casserole type slow cooker that I prefer for stuffed peppers.
4. Turn up the heat on the oven by 25 degrees F and cook the peppers a little longer.
I hope these ideas work for you. -Kim
Kim these were Fantastic, thanks for the recipe!
These were absolutely amazing!! Definitely a hit in my house.
Hi,
Just put this together for dinner tonight, as my daughter is doing the keto diet, and I wanted to surprise her with something she can eat!
Didn’t have “a lot” of meat mixture left over, only a spoonful for the “chef” to taste, yummy! (Certainly not enough to make a lasagna)
I have o e question though. What is the purpose of the parchment under the foil?
Can’t wait for the finished dish tonight!
Kim
Hi Kim. I hope your daughter likes the recipe. I explain in the post, but many people don’t have time to read them. Acid reacts with aluminum and can eat away at it. No one wants to eat aluminum in their food, so the parchment paper serves as a protective barrier between the food and the aluminum foil. -Kim
For a better lo carb solution, small dice an egg plant and cook with meat mixture and add cheese on top. Healthy and great fo people who dont like cauliflower, like me.
Good idea, Tim. And, you are in luck! There is no cauliflower in this stuffed pepper recipe. Have a nice day. -Kim
These were such a bit hit at our house! The whole family loved them. We’ll be making these again real soon.
It was a delicious meal. The whole family loved these.
These. Are. So. Good! LOL. Really, what more can I say? They were easy to make and tasted great. Thank you for sharing!
So scrumptious. I stuffed my peppers to the brim and they were so hearty. Absolutely a winner in my book.
What is the reason for waiting 30 minutes to bake after you’ve prepared the peppers?
Hi Laura. That is if you make the recipe ahead and park it in the fridge for a day. Letting the peppers sit on the counter for 30 minutes (I let them sit for 15 and then turn on the oven to preheat) helps them come to temperature a little so the middle has a chance to get nice and hot. If you are making and cooking right after, there is no need to let the peppers sit on the counter to come to temperature. -Kim
There is way too much meat sauce left over. I think that there needs to be a lot more bell peppers. I had to make regular lasagna for the left overs due to only having 3 bell peppers.
Hi Shannon. I can honestly say that I have never had a comment saying that there was “way too much meat sauce left over”. The meat sauce was enough to fill 6 pepper-halves with rounded tops and I have never had any left over. You could try using larger peppers next time? -Kim
Do you need to put anything between each layer of peppers when cooking in the crockpot?
Hi Stephanie. Layer the ingredients into the peppers as explained in the recipe, then place the peppers directly into the crockpot. You don’t have to cover with parchment since the slow cooker employs a moist cooking method. -Kim
These look like a great low carb alternative to classic lasagna!
Back to print the recipe this time, my daughter has requested I make this again and again! Huge hit in my house!
This recipe was absolutely amazing.
I’m so happy you liked it Tee. Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and let me know – also for rating the recipe which helps so many people. Have a great week! -Kim
Is it tomato sauce or marinara sauce? The ingredients list tomato but the instructions reference marinara.
Hi Chandler. You can use your favorite tomato sauce. Choose something that is thicker and has a lot of flavor like a Marinara or an Arrabbiata sauce. Enjoy. -Kim
Delicious! The whole family loved these!
This was a great recipe and delicious specially since I am a cancer survivor and the carbs are so low
I wish you many happy and cancer-free years to come, Olga. I’m glad you liked the recipe. My daughter keeps asking me when I’m going to make this again! lol. Have a nice week. -Kim
This was outstanding. Will make again for sure!