Saucy and flavorful Sloppy Joe stuffed peppers is an easy meal your family will love. This keto recipe uses whole food ingredients to control the amount of sugars and carbs.
If you’re a busy person then having a few easy recipes up your sleeve for jam packed weeks is a must. Yummy favorites like sloppy Joe’s, taco meat, or chili lend themselves to being doubled or tripled easily to use some for today and save some for later.
Using pre-made sloppy joe filling makes this recipe go like a breeze, but making it up on the fly doesn’t take too much time. After the sloppy Joe filling is cooked, the stuffed peppers bake in the oven, leaving plenty of time for clean-up or salad making.
These sloppy Joe stuffed peppers are particularly great for low carb or keto meal prep.
How to prepare stuffed peppers
Before I start preparing my homemade sloppy Joe recipe, I like to spend a few minutes preparing the peppers. Cut the peppers in half from stem to bottom to make more shallow peppers or cut off the tops to make a deeper pepper. I do it both ways and save the top of the peppers for other dishes.
After scraping out the pepper seeds and membranes with a spoon, place the peppers in a microwaveable glass dish. Cover with cling film and cook for about 3 minutes on high power to soften them. Pour out any water that accumulates in the peppers.
Alternately, cover the peppers with foil and bake them in the oven while making the sloppy joe filling. You just want them to soften a little to cut down on baking time once stuffed. Half cooked is great, you still want them a little firm. Pour out any water that accumulates in the peppers.
How to Make Homemade Sloppy Joe filling
Many people grew up eating sloppy Joe’s from a can or the ubiquitous sloppy Joe’s recipe that calls for ketchup. But you can make a tasty and healthy sloppy Joe recipe that has mostly whole food ingredients.
Preparing sloppy Joe’s from scratch not as fast as opening a can, but it can be made in less than 30 minutes. Plus, you will feel good about feeding your family a meal made from less processed ingredients. You control what goes into your meal.
Start with lean ground beef in a cold pan set to medium heat. Starting in a cold pan ensures that the ground beef will break up into tiny pieces. Lean ground beef gives you a higher filling yield without excess oil. You can always add a little more fat later if you want.
After cooking the ground beef, add the rest of the ingredients, stirring to combine. Let simmer until the vegetables have softened and most of the liquid is absorbed. Taste to adjust seasonings per you.
How To Bake Sloppy Joe Stuffed Peppers
Stir the cheese into the filling and stuff the peppers. Bake uncovered at 375 until hot. Top with cheese and return to oven until the cheese has melted.
To Freeze:
Let the peppers cool completely, place into a freezer safe container. Will keep for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
To Reheat:
Cook at 75% power for 2 minutes. Let sit for 1 minute, then cook at full power for 1 minute. Timing will differ depending on how many peppers you reheat at once, type of container, and strength of microwave.
Super Sloppy Joe Stuffed Peppers (keto, low carb)
Ingredients
Sloppy Joe Filling (or 3 cups of your favorite recipe)
- 1 pound Lean ground beef
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1/4 cup Onion, small dice
- 1 clove Garlic, minced or pressed
- 1/4 cup Tomato paste
- 1 tbsp Yellow mustard
- 2 tsp Red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup Beef broth (or 1 tsp. beef base and 1 cup of water)
- 2 large Bell peppers, halved lengthwise (1 pound total)
- 1 1/2 cups Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (6 oz)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F and place rack in the middle position.
- Heat a medium frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add the olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it up into small pieces until almost cooked through - about 5 minutes.
- Add the onions, garlic, cooking for 1 minute. Then, add the tomato paste, mustard, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and beef broth. Simmer gently until most of the liquid has been absorbed - about 15 minutes.
- While the sloppy Joe filling simmers, place the cut peppers in a microwave safe baking dish and steam for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Pour out any water. (Alternately, cover the peppers in foil and begin baking just before preparing the filling (bake for 15-20 minutes to soften. Remove from the oven when the filling has finished simmering, and pour out any accumulated water.)
- Stir 1 cup of the cheese into the sloppy Joe mixture and divide evenly among the peppers. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the peppers are hot and bubbly. Top the peppers with remaining cheese and return to the oven until the cheese has melted. Serve with a green salad.
- Refrigerate any leftovers. To reheat cover and place in the microwave for 60 - 120 seconds on high power or until the middle is hot. Alternately, place in an oven safe bowl and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until the middle is hot.
- Makes 4 servings at 7.6 net carbs each.
Notes
Nutrition
Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers
I rarely come back to comment on blogs, but I wanted to tell you that this was a real good recipe. I’ve tried several on your site. Thank you! Came out great. Loved it!
Delicious! I made them today for my office lunch this week!
Great! I’m so happy you liked them. -Kim
Had these tonight… very good. My grandkids ate the meat on buns, traditional sloppy joes, and I had the stuffed peppers. Very versatile.
Thank you.
Started back on my low carb journey tonight and had this for dinner. Delicious. Thanks!
My wife loves stuffed peppers! I know she’ll really love this recipe too, thank you!
The introductory blog comments say to start meat in a cold pan, but the recipe says to get the pan hot before adding the oil and then the meat. Does it really matter to the final taste or texture?
Sorry about the discrepancy. To get tiny pieces of cooked meat opposed to larger clumps, start in a cold pan and break it up constantly. You can do it either way. Starting in a cold pan takes a few minutes longer. I’ll fix the discrepancy. Thank you for bringing it to my attention! -Kim
It says six servings but it’s only 2 peppers cut in half which men’s four half peppers. How does that make six servings?
You are right, Lisa. I double checked the recipe notes. It serves 4, not 6. Everything was correct except for that last sentence about the serving. I fixed it. Thank you for letting me know there was a discrepancy. Enjoy your weekend and the recipe. -Kim
Ohhh these look so good! I am going to have to try them out this week!
Thanks, Jeremy!
Hi Kim. I love this sloppy Joe recipe – so much better than the can. I never thought to put it in peppers. It was great! Thanks for another winner.
Great, Cheryl. This is one of our favorites. I’m so happy you enjoyed it, too! -Kim