I’ve never had an interest in stuffed peppers – they just never sounded all that delicious to me. But when experimenting with the glorious uses of pork rinds and pork rind crumbs as a breadcrumb alternative for keto dieters, I decided to make this tried-and-true Italian standby. These keto stuffed bell peppers have become a favorite in our house – my sons love them too. I sometimes mix it up and use ground lamb – the flavor combo of the lamb with sweet bell peppers is so delicious.
I stayed pretty true to the way traditional stuffed peppers are made with keto-friendly substitutions. I opt for red or yellow peppers as the vessel versus green peppers. Green peppers have a bitter taste that I don’t love while red and yellow peppers have a sweetness that is further enhanced when baked. If you want a more subtle base for the delicious filling, certainly go for a green pepper. The result will be cozy, comforting, and yummy regardless! Pro Tip: we usually stock up on Rao’s Marinara – it’s the most keto friendly tomato sauce without added sugar. Although it can be pricey, Whole Foods often has it on sale and Costco usually has it too at a great price.
Bell peppers also pack in some great nutrition – they are one of the richest sources of Vitamin C. One red bell pepper (my favorite variety!) provides 169% of the daily recommended amount of Vitamin C which is essential for most of our body to function especially as we age.
Keto Stuffed Bell Peppers
Ingredients
- 2 medium bell peppers any color you prefer, we like red and yellow
- 1 tbsp good quality olive oil
- 1/4 cup sweet onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/2 pound 85/15 ground beef
- 2 slices bacon no-sugar-added. cooked and diced
- 1 small tomato diced
- 1 tsp italian seasoning
- 2 tbsp marinara sauce we like Rao's
- 1/2 cup crumbled pork rinds
- 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1/4 cup pepper jack cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF degrees.
- Cut tops off bell peppers and deseed. Set aside.
- In a large skillet or cast iron over medium heat, heat olive oil and then saut? onion and garlic until transparent, about 3 - 5 minutes.
- Add beef to the skillet and cook until browned. Add bacon, tomato and Italian seasoning and combine. Stir in marinara sauce and crumbled pork rinds.
- Stuff each pepper with half of meat mixture and stand peppers upright in a baking dish with at least 1 - 2 inch sides. Bake for 45 minutes.
- Remove baking dish from and sprinkle cheeses evenly among peppers.
- Switch oven to broil and place dish back in. Broil 5 minutes until cheese is melted and deliciously bubbly.
