Sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms and cheese, smothered in pizza sauce and baked inside a red bell pepper. Fresh pizza taste without the crust!
Low Carb Pizza Stuffed Peppers aren’t anything new, but they’re so tasty having another stuffed pepper recipe must be a good thing, right? This one uses red bell peppers, so the pizza toppings are packed into a sweet and juicy pepper half. It has a few more carbs than green peppers, but the hungry eaters at our house like the taste of red over green pepper…so red it is.
When I started writing about keto recipes, one of the first ones I shared was my Keto Deep Dish Pepperoni Pizza. I got hooked on the pizza flavor, so of course I wanted to branch out for something different and a little healthier. Okay… the sausage and cheese aren’t really what anyone would call healthy…but the red pepper kinda makes up for it.
INGREDIENTS FOR LOW CARB PIZZA STUFFED PEPPERS
- Red Bell Peppers
- Pork Sausage
- Sugar Free Pizza Sauce
- Pepperoni
- Mozzarella
- Mushrooms
I like to cut the peppers in half to fill them. It makes the cleaning of the peppers easier, there’s no wasted pepper from cutting off the tops and you still get the pretty green stems.
HOW TO STORE STUFFED PEPPERS
- To make ahead: The peppers can be prepped, stuffed and then refrigerated up to 1 day ahead of time. You will need to add 10 minutes of baking time when ready to cook.
- Leftover cooked stuffed peppers can be stored in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
HOW TO FREEZE STUFFED PEPPERS
Stuffed peppers can be frozen either cooked or uncooked. Cooked means that the peppers containing the stuffing have been baked and the stuffed peppers are ready to eat. Uncooked means that the stuffing is cooked, but not the pepper.
The most important thing is to cook the meat all the way thru before any stuffing begins.
TO FREEZE COOKED STUFFED PEPPERS
- Cook the stuffed peppers in the oven according to the recipe. Make sure the meat is thoroughly cooked. Let the peppers cool completely before freezing.
- Place the cooked stuffed peppers into a freezer-safe dish or container. Cover the top with foil, then wrap the entire pan with plastic wrap to seal out any air. Each pepper may be wrapped individually in plastic wrap, then placed in a sealed plastic freezer bag. Freeze up to 3 months.
- When you are ready to serve the stuffed peppers, re-heat in 350 degree oven for 25 -30 minutes until the peppers are thawed and heated thru. Save cooking time by thawing the stuffed peppers in the refrigerator before cooking.
TO FREEZE UNCOOKED STUFFED PEPPER
- Cook the stuffing ingredients according to the recipe. Stuff the prepared peppers.
- Let the stuffed peppers cool completely, then place in freezer-safe dish or container. Cover with foil, then wrap the entire dish in plastic wrap to seal out air. Each pepper may be wrapped individually in plastic wrap, then placed in a sealed plastic freezer bag. Freeze up to 3 months.
- When you are ready to cook and serve the stuffed peppers, cook the stuffed peppers in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35 – 40 minutes until cooked thru. Save time by thawing in the refrigerator before cooking.
Low Carb Pizza Stuffed Peppers
INGREDIENTS
- 3 large red bell peppers
- 1 pound pork sausage
- 14 ounce jar pizza sauce, sugar-free
- 2.5 ounces pepperoni, divided, sliced
- 3 cups mozzarella cheese, divided, shredded
- 4 ounces canned mushroom slices, divided
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Cut the peppers in half lengthwise. Scoop out and discard the seeds and membranes. Place the peppers skin side down in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Add enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven, leaving oven turned on.
- Cut the pepperoni slices into quarters, reserving 12 whole slices for later.
- Chop mushrooms, reserving 6 whole mushroom slices for later.
- While peppers are baking, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, breaking up the lumps until the meat is cooked thru and just beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb the fat.
- Wipe out the skillet and add the pizza sauce, quartered pepperoni slices, chopped mushrooms and 1-1/2 cups mozzarella. Stir to combine. Add the sausage to the mixture and stir again until well combined.
- Divide pizza mixture evenly among the pepper halves. Sprinkle over remaining cheese. Place 2 pepperoni slices and mushroom slice on top of the cheese.
- Bake in preheated oven 20 to 25 minutes, until cheese is melted and starting to brown on top.
EQUIPMENT WE USED!
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NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING
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