Low Carb Mexican Stuffed Peppers
These cheesy spicy Mexican stuffed bell peppers come together in only 20 minutes for a low-carb, gluten-free and totally delicious weeknight meal.
I originally shared this recipe on January 15th, 2016. I have updated some of the text today. This post contains affiliate links.
Table of contents
Why We Love These Healthy Stuffed Mexican Peppers
We love how fast this 20-minute recipe is for busy weeknight dinners. It is such a breeze to make them! Simply sautee the vegetables and meat to make the filling.
If you are following a low carb or Keto diet, then you will be so psyched that one of these has only 5 grams net carbs!
The peppers are cooked in the microwave which makes this super fast! And what is not to love with melted cheese on top! Serve with our Simple Skillet Green Beans or Mashed Cauliflower for a low carb meal the whole family will love.
Ingredients For This Recipe
- 3 large bell peppers
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil or avocado oil
- 1 pound grass fed beef
- 1 cup chopped red onion
- 1 cup chopped white or crimini mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground chipotle chili
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup canned tomato puree
- 4 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish (optional)
How to make Healthy Low Carb Mexican Stuffed Peppers
Step One: Cut and Par Cook The Peppers
Cut the bell peppers in half right through the stem. This will give you two even sides that lay flat. They’re perfect for filling! Next using a kitchen spoon and paring knife, scoop out the core, seeds and ribs from the inside of the pepper. Leave the stem intact though so the filling won’t fall out the sides!
Indeed they can be cooked in only 20 minutes and it’s not magic, I just used the microwave! This gives them a head start. That way, they will already be par-cooked when you fill them and top them with cheese they only need another minute or so to melt the cheese. I used this same technique for my Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers and it worked like a charm!
I don’t know if you’ve ever had a stuffed pepper and wondered why the pepper was undercooked, but the reason is that they probably skipped this step of pre-cooking the pepper!
- Microwave: Take the peppers halves and set them in a microwave safe baking dish. Place them cut side down so they cook evenly. Add some water so they will steam. (PHOTO 1)
- Cover: To microwave veggies and trap the steam use plastic wrap, but make sure to put a layer of parchment (or wax paper works in a pinch) over the food so the plastic doesn’t touch the food.
- Precook The peppers: Microwave the peppers until they’re tender. Note the times in this recipe are based on a 1200 watt microwave, so you’ll need to adjust depending on the model you have.
Step 2: Brown The Beef:
The filling is made with ground beef, in a style that resembles taco meat. To cook it, just heat some oil in a large heavy skillet and add the beef. Break it up in the skillet as it browns the same way you would for chili or American Chop Suey.
Step 3: Onions and Mushrooms for Bulk:
Next, add in onions for flavor and finely chopped mushrooms to add more bulk to the servings but very little calories or carbs.
Step 4: Bloom the Spices:
Once the veggies are softened, add in the spices to bloom them in the hot pan. They’ll smell amazing!!
Step 5: Make it Saucy:
Then just add tomato puree to make them saucy!
Step 6: Stuff the Peppers
Once the peppers are soft, and the filling is cooked, you’re ready to assemble them.
- Drain Peppers: First, carefully remove the plastic from the dish of peppers. There will be steam trapped inside, and it’s easy to get burned by it. Then tilt the water out of the pepper dish, and flip them cut side up.
- Fill with Beef: Spoon the beef mixture into the peppers, dividing evenly.
Step 7: Top with Cheese and Cook The Peppers
- Top with cheddar cheese: I like to use sharp cheddar cheese because it has the strongest cheesy flavor, so you get the most cheesy flavor per serving!
- Without covering them again (which would stick to the cheese) pop the dish back into the microwave and microwave them until they are nice and soft and the cheese is completely melted. This takes about two or three minutes!
- Note, they’ll be really hot when they come out of the microwave, so let them sit for a moment so you don’t burn your mouth. (You can browse on Zappos while you wait. I won’t judge.)
What to serve with These Stuffed Peppers
- For a low carb meal, I like to serve these Mexican Stuffed Peppers with a classic healthy coleslaw or my Mexican coleslaw or giant spinach salad with warm bacon dressing and scallions.
- Probably the easiest thing would be to make a cauliflower rice or cucumber salad to serve with these stuffed peppers.
How To Reheat
Microwave: To reheat the leftover stuffed peppers place them on a microwave safe plate and reheat for about 2 minutes. They should be steaming hot and make sure they are hot all the way through by testing with a thermometer.
Oven: To reheat them in the oven place them in an ovenproof baking dish and bake loosely covered with foil for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees. They should be steaming hot.
More Low Carb Recipes To Try
- If you love peppers, then you should try my 20 Minute Low Carb Turkey and Peppers
- These easy Burger Bowls have all the great flavors of hamburgers without the bun and carbs!
- Here’s a cookbook review for a Keto Soup book with a recipe for Keto Chicken Soup.
- You may also like this Low Carb Baked Omelet from my friend Carolyn’s book.
- This fast and easy 20 Minute Low Carb Turkey and Peppers dish is simple to prepare and has so much saucy flavor!
- You can browse the rest of the Low Carb recipes here anytime!
Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!
Happy Cooking! ~Katie
PrintKeto Mexican Stuffed Peppers Recipe
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
These cheesy spicy Low Carb Mexican Stuffed Peppers come together in only 20 minutes for a totally delicious, keto-friendly and family friendly weeknight meal.
Ingredients
- 3 large bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise and cored
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil or avocado oil
- 1 pound grass fed beef
- 1 cup chopped red onion
- 1 cup chopped white or crimini mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chili
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup canned tomato puree
- 4 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Place the peppers, cut side down in a microwave-safe baking dish. Add 1 cup water to the baking dish. Cover with a layer of parchment or wax paper. Cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on high until the peppers are just starting to soften, 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully remove cover, drain off water and turn the peppers cut-side up in the baking dish.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon until the meat is browned, about 5 minutes. Add onion and mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until the mixture is browning along the edge of the pan and the vegetables are softened, 4 to 6 minutes.
- Stir in cumin, chili powder, chipotle, salt and cinnamon and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Remove from heat and stir in tomato puree.
- Fill the peppers with the meat mixture (about ½ cup per pepper half).
- Top with cheese, dividing evenly. Microwave the peppers in the baking dish, uncovered until the cheese is melted and the peppers are tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve warm with cilantro on top if desired.
Notes
Microwave Tip: This recipe was tested in a 1200 watt microwave. Adjust cooking times depending on your microwave oven.
Once the peppers have been steamed, carefully remove the plastic from the dish of peppers. There will be steam trapped inside, and it’s easy to get burned by it.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: entree
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 stuffed pepper half
- Calories: 247
- Sodium: 402
- Fat: 15
- Saturated Fat: 8
- Carbohydrates: 9
- Fiber: 4
- Protein: 22
How do you make these without the microwave? I’m a cancer patient who threw out mine. Don’t wish to take any chances but would still like to make these peppers. Thanks!
I’d recommend trying this: In step 1 soften them in a large skillet with a half inch of steaming water. Just cover to capture the steam, so they’ll cook evenly. In step 3 You can finish them in the oven at 350, uncovered to melt the cheese. Happy cooking Debra.
Thank you so much for quick reply! 🙂
Love what a family friendly twist this is 🙂
I love Zappos too – so easy! only wish they ran some sales once in a while. Mexican food is another love of mine and these stuffed peppers look like the perfect way to get in the mood for a trip there! Enjoy!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious. I used a chopped chipotle pepper from the freezer instead of powder. One-half cup of meat filling was exactly right for 6 pepper halves, which leads me to the conclusion that the recipe ingredients should be edited to say “3 large bell peppers” instead OD “6”.
Oh my goodness! You are exactly right. Thank you so much for catching my mistake and for coming back to report. I really appreciate it. To clarify, I made it with 3 peppers and cut them in half. I will edit the above to reflect that. If you have extra peppers on hand now I recommend the Mexican sautéed peppers. A similar flavor profile, but just a nice side dish for chicken or beef.
I don’t see the nutritional values (# carbs, protein, fat, calories etc..) listed anywhere? These are delicious but I need that information as my husband and I are on different diets and both require that type of info. Did I miss it somewhere?
I just analyzed them and popped the info into the recipe for you. It should be there now for you to take a look. In the future, if you’re ever looking for the nutritional info on a recipe, the My Fitness Pal ap is super fast and easy to use. You just insert the URL for the recipe and it will break everything down for you. And the best part is that its free! Gotta love that. Anyway, I hope this recipe works out for both of you and you enjoy it. Please stop back and let us know how it tastes! Thanks Chyrl. Have a great day.
Hola CHICA !
Goin to MEXICO ?
Oaxaca ?
We had such a blast !
If you need further suggestions, give me a hollar !
Did you see the photos from the RADISH FESTIVAL ?
Or pics of your big sis dancing on her tiny rug ?
Happy Nuevo Anno !
Abrazos Mil
Louisa
Oooh…have a blast in Mexico! Such a great time to go…when we’re so longing for summer and breezy white coverups! You had me chuckling…love your kitchen story with the kids!
This recipe sounds amazing! And I’m so intrigued by the avocado oil. I’ve never used it…need to try it. Gorgy photos too…making me so hungry! xoxo
These stuffed peppers look amazing! it’s not an easy thing to make these things look delicious . . and you did! Have fun in Mexico and I love Zappos for shoes, for me and my kids!
That melty cheese is just drool-worthy….I love a colorful dinner!
These all look great!! And those are some great recommendations, too. Have a great vacation!
I am loving these peppers… low carb perfection! Gorgeous photos too. 🙂
I love stuffed peppers, these look delicious!
That’s great Maye. Thank you for visiting. Have a great weekend.
Totally YUM is right! I love that you Zapped these in the microwave instead of baking them – their color looks lovely! Which also gave you more time to zap through Zappos! 🙂
Hope y’all have a wonderfully amazingly fun and safe trip!
I was going to make them in the oven, but then I was like… nah, takes too long. Haha. 🙂
What a colorful recipe! A great twist on stuffed peppers. 🙂
Thank you Janice! So nice of you to stop by today!
These look delicious! I also have been laying off the carbs (just a tiny bit) and I do love Zappos, although not as much as my Amazon Prime obsession. 😉
Thank you Melanie. I love prime as well. And now we’re into prime video too. Have a great day.
We ate lots of sweet peppers last months..these stuffed peppers look mouthwatering, Katie.
That’s so great to hear Angie. Have a great day.