Next time the pizza craving hits, satisfy it with these low-carb stuffed peppers! They’re the perfect alternative for a keto-friendly pizza night. Plus, they’re low-carb and kid friendly!
Have you ever had a stuffed pepper? If you’re not from the Midwest, you may have no idea what a stuffed pepper is.
It wasn’t until I left Georgia as a young twenty-something that I learned about this delicious Midwestern meal.
A stuffed pepper is essentially a hollowed-out bell pepper that is stuffed with a meat mixture. They’re baked until tender and warm and often topped with cheese and then broiled. Traditional stuffed peppers use rice as a filler but we omit that ingredient in these low-carb pizza-stuffed peppers!
They are also a fun and easy way to get your kids to try a new vegetable and use up random ingredients you may have in your fridge. Waste not, want not!
In this recipe, we marry pizza and stuffed peppers for a meal your whole family can enjoy. Bonus: You won’t have to tip the delivery driver (maybe just the cook)!
Why You Will LOVE This Recipe
- Pizza, duh!
- Customize your stuffing mix to make your ideal pizza pepper
- Fun way to get your kids to try a new vegetable
- Grain-free
- Gluten-free
- Easy to access low-carb ingredients
- Simple to prepare and ready in less time than it takes to wait for delivery
Which Other Ingredients Do You Recommend?
The great thing about this recipe — well, one of the great things — is that it can be customized the same way you customize a pizza. I keep things simple and keto here with sausage, pepperoni, and mozzarella cheese but there’s no reason you can’t include your favorite pizza toppings. Mushrooms, tomato, garlic, onions… they all work!
Are Pizza-Stuffed Peppers Keto Friendly?
These stuffed peppers are definitely keto friendly. Bell peppers are a low-carb vegetable container, while the filling contains meats in the form of sausage and pepperoni. There is no sugar added to the pizza sauce and we use almond flour, which is high-calorie, low-carb, and packed with protein and fiber. If you are following a strict keto diet, don’t overdo it on the cheese.
Ingredients
- 3 large bell peppers, seeded and sliced in half
- 1 lb hot Italian sausage
- 1 cup no-sugar-added pizza sauce, divided
- 1 cup almond flour
- ½ cup mini pepperoni
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium sized bowl combine browned sausage, pepperoni, ½ cup pizza sauce, almond flour, egg, and Italian seasoning.
- In a 9×13 baking pan, spread ½ cup pizza sauce on the bottom.
- Evenly divide sausage mixture and fill pepper slices. Place peppers into the baking pan.
- Top with shredded mozzarella cheese and extra pepperoni if desired.
- Bake for 20 minutes covered in foil. Remove foil and broil for an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is golden brown.
Recipe Notes
- Pizza Sauce: shop for the lowest carb pizza sauce you can find, typically in the 4 net carb range. Look for a pizza sauce without added sugar. You want the carbs to come from the tomatoes, not other ingredients. Personally, I like the Rao’s brand.
- Almond Flour: almond flour is used as a binder for your pepper stuffing. You do not want to use coconut flour in this recipe because it would absorb all of the liquid (sauce) and make for a grainy and unappetizing filling. Alternatively, you could omit the almond flour altogether if needed but the filling will be slightly looser.
FAQs
Make sure to buy large bell peppers so that you have enough room for the filling. Bell peppers shrink slightly when they’re cooked so you want to make sure your pizza filling stays in its place.
You’ll want to make sure you remove all the seeds from inside the pepper. Feel free to leave the stem in tact for a photo worthy plate of your low carb pizza stuffed pepper.
Your stuffing mixture simply requires browning Italian sausage and then mixing it in a bowl with the remaining ingredients. About 10 minutes of prep are all you need to get these babies into the oven!
How To Store Pizza-Stuffed Peppers
Let the peppers cool to room temperature then store them in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also wrap them individually in plastic or foil and then put them in the fridge. To reheat, put them in the oven at 350 F for 10-15 minutes. Feel free to add a bit more cheese on top. If you do so, broil the peppers until the fresh cheese browns.
Here Are Some More Recipes You Will Love:
- Low Carb Coconut Fried Shrimp with Sugar Free Cocktail Sauce
- The Best Homemade Keto Meatballs
- Keto Instant Pot Spaghetti Casserole
- Low Carb Spaghetti Bake
- Easy Keto Egg Noodles
Keto Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 3 large bell peppers seeded and sliced in half
- 1 pound hot Italian sausage
- 1 cup no sugar added pizza sauce divided
- 1 cup almond flour
- ½ cup mini pepperoni
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium sized bowl combine browned sausage, pepperoni, ½ cup pizza sauce, almond flour, egg, and Italian seasoning.
- In a 9×13 baking pan, spread ½ cup pizza sauce on the bottom.
- Evenly divide sausage mixture and fill pepper slices. Place peppers into the baking pan.
- Top with shredded mozzarella cheese and extra pepperoni if desired.
- Bake for 20 minutes covered in foil. Remove foil and broil for an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is golden brown.
Geri
Tuesday 3rd of January 2023
Do you par boil the peppers before filling? Does the almond flour added for thickening?
Ketoinpearls
Monday 9th of January 2023
Hi Geri, no need to boil the peppers and yes the almond flour is used as a binder for the pepper stuffing. Hope you like the recipe!
Keto Lasagna with Egg Noodles | Keto In Pearls
Monday 20th of July 2020
[…] Low Carb Pizza Stuffed Peppers […]
Heather
Monday 13th of July 2020
Hi there! Do you cut the sausage before you brown it? Also do you add the pepperoni to the mixture?
Anna Hunley
Wednesday 15th of July 2020
I'm not sure what you mean by cut the sausage? You'll just cook the sausage like you would ground beef, breaking it up in the pan with a wooden spoon as you cook. Yes, you add the pepperoni to the meat mixture.
Elaine King
Wednesday 17th of June 2020
I just wanna say that every recipe I have tried have been absolutely amazing! You are, by far, my favourite keto recipe lady!
Thanks for doing what you do and sharing with all of us!
Elaine