Cheesy Beef Stuffed Bell Peppers
Bell pepper halves filled with seasoned ground beef, riced cauliflower and tomato, then baked under melted cheddar. Holds well for a week of lunches.
- Prep20 min
- Cook40 min
- Total1 hr
- Servings4
- Net carbs*9.2 g
- LevelEasy
Classic stuffed peppers usually lean on rice to bulk up the filling. Here, finely chopped cauliflower takes that job, soaking up the tomato and beef juices so nobody misses the grain. The peppers bake until tender at the edges, and a thick layer of cheddar browns on top. Make a pan on Sunday and you have warm, filling lunches ready for most of the week.
Pre-baking the empty pepper halves for 10 minutes is the step most recipes skip. Raw peppers need longer in the oven than the filling does, so the meat dries out while you wait for the peppers to soften. A short head start fixes the timing and lets some of their water steam off, so the filling stays firm instead of sitting in a puddle.
Ingredients
Makes 8 stuffed pepper halves (2 per serving). Tap an item to check it off.
Equipment
- 9x13-inch baking dish
- Large skillet
- Box grater or food processor
- Wooden spoon
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375°F. Set the pepper halves cut side up in a 9x13-inch baking dish and bake for 10 minutes while you make the filling.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and onion and cook, breaking up the meat, until no pink remains, 6 to 7 minutes. Spoon off excess fat if there is more than 2 tablespoons.
- Stir in the garlic, oregano, paprika, salt and pepper and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the riced cauliflower and crushed tomatoes. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes until the cauliflower is tender and most of the liquid has cooked off.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in half the cheddar.
- Pack the filling into the pre-baked pepper halves and top with the remaining cheddar.
- Cover the dish loosely with foil and bake 15 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 to 12 minutes more, until the cheese is bubbly and browned at the edges. Sprinkle with parsley.
Estimated nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 444
- Total carbs
- 13.4 g
- Fiber
- 4.2 g
- Net carbs
- 9.2 g
- Protein
- 30.5 g
- Fat
- 30.4 g
*These are estimates, calculated from the ingredient weights above and USDA FoodData Central data, divided by 4 servings. Net carbs = total carbs minus fiber. Values vary with brands, quantities, ingredient swaps and how you portion the dish. How we estimate nutrition.
Kitchen tips
- Pulse cauliflower florets in a food processor until the pieces look like rice, or grate them on the large holes of a box grater.
- Pick wide, flat-bottomed peppers. They sit steady in the dish and hold more filling.
Substitutions
- Green bell peppers → red bell peppers Same weight. Sweeter. This adds about 1 g net carbs per serving.
- Cheddar → Monterey Jack Same amount. Melts smoother and tastes milder.
- Ground beef → ground pork Same weight. Richer and a little higher in fat.
Swaps change the nutrition estimate shown above.
Storage and reheating
- Fridge
- Airtight container, up to 5 days.
- Freezer
- Freeze baked halves on a tray, then bag them, for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Reheat
- Microwave one serving covered for 2 to 3 minutes, or bake at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes until hot in the center.
