Keto stuffed bell peppers
June 15, 2026 · 3 min read
The traditional stuffed pepper uses rice to bulk the filling. Without it, the filling is actually better — more beef, more cheese, more flavor in less volume. The par-roasting step matters: ten minutes in the oven before filling softens the pepper enough that it finishes at the same time as the filling, so nothing is overcooked or underdone.
Ingredients
- 2 large bell peppers (any colour), halved lengthwise and seeded
- 300g ground beef (80/20)
- 1/2 cup diced tomatoes (canned, drained)
- 1/2 small onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- Salt and black pepper
- 60g cheddar or Monterey Jack, grated
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Steps
- Preheat oven to 400°F / 200°C.
- Place pepper halves cut-side up in a baking dish. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt. Roast 10 minutes while you make the filling.
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onion 3 minutes until soft. Add garlic, cook 1 minute.
- Add ground beef and break it up. Cook until browned through, about 5 minutes. Drain excess fat.
- Add drained tomatoes, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper. Stir and cook 2 minutes.
- Fill the par-roasted pepper halves with the beef mixture. Top generously with cheese.
- Return to the oven for 18–20 minutes until the peppers are tender and the cheese is bubbling and starting to brown.
Which pepper colour
Red, orange, and yellow peppers are sweeter and run slightly higher in carbs — about 1–2g net carbs more per pepper than green. Green peppers are the lowest carb option and have a sharper flavor. Any colour works; the visual difference matters more than the carb difference at these quantities.
Filling variations
The beef-tomato base is the simplest version. A few directions from there:
- Italian: swap cumin and paprika for Italian seasoning, add a spoonful of tomato paste, top with mozzarella
- Mexican: add a pinch of chili powder and cayenne, top with pepper jack, serve with sour cream
- Lighter: use ground turkey or chicken in place of beef — cook a little longer and check it's cooked through
- Extra cheese: mix some cheese directly into the filling before loading the peppers
Meal prep
These reheat well, which most keto recipes don't. Make a full batch of four halves, refrigerate, and reheat in a 350°F oven for 15 minutes or in a pan with a lid. The filling absorbs into the pepper slightly overnight, which makes the second day actually better than the first.
Meal-prepping a few of these? Copper Keto Companion tracks the week's net-carb total alongside your weight trend, so you can see how a few nights of the same dinner fits the bigger picture — not just a single day.
Common questions
Are stuffed bell peppers keto? With rice they are not. Without rice — seasoned ground beef, tomato, and cheese in a roasted pepper — they come in around 8g net carbs per two halves, which fits a standard keto ceiling as a main meal.
Can I use any colour pepper? Yes. Red, orange, and yellow are slightly sweeter and 1–2g higher in net carbs than green. The difference is small enough that colour is mostly a personal preference.
How do I know when the peppers are done? The pepper should be fully tender when pierced with a fork and the cheese should be bubbling and beginning to brown at the edges. If the cheese is done but the pepper still has resistance, add five more minutes covered with foil.
Can I freeze them? Yes, though the texture of the pepper softens significantly on thawing. Freeze after cooking, thaw in the fridge overnight, and reheat in the oven. Better for batch cooking than for long-term storage.
Pairs naturally with cauliflower rice if you want more volume on the plate. More keto dinner ideas in the recipe library.