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These low carb keto stuffed peppers are the perfect way to satisfy lasagna cravings without any pasta whatsoever! With classic flavor from gooey cheese and rich, meaty sauce, these have all the easy prep of spaghetti squash lasagna boats, but in a single-serving pepper. I’ll show you how to make keto stuffed bell peppers with super simple ingredients and just minutes of hands-on time.
There are so many ways to enjoy lasagna on keto (like classic keto lasagna, no noodle lasagna, cauliflower lasagna, and eggplant lasagna)! Lasagna stuffed peppers are just one more classic way to use this veggie to make Italian night so quick and easy.
Are Stuffed Peppers Keto?
While some stuffed peppers may be keto friendly, it depends on what the stuffing contains. Some recipes call for rice or other grains that would increase the carb count, so always check ingredients to be certain. Luckily, it’s easy to make stuffed bell peppers keto with the right fillings!
Why You’ll Love This Low Carb Keto Peppers Recipe
- Classic Italian flavors
- Meaty sauce with melty cheese and tender peppers
- Basic ingredients
- 10 minutes prep
- 8g net carbs per serving
- Easy Italian keto dinner, no noodles required!
Ingredients & Substitutions
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for keto stuffed peppers, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
- Olive Oil – I use extra virgin olive oil for classic Italian flavor in these stuffed keto peppers, but you can substitute any neutral cooking oil.
- Garlic – It tastes best freshly minced (especially with the 4 cloves garlic needed here!), but you can use jarred minced garlic to save time.
- Ground Beef – It’s the classic meat choice for this keto stuffed peppers recipe, but you could easily substitute ground chicken, ground turkey, or even ground Italian sausage with casings removed.
- Bell Peppers – Use your favorite color! Just make sure they’re full size peppers and not mini sized.
- Marinara Sauce – Find a keto friendly marinara tomato sauce at the store, or make your own sugar free marinara sauce in minutes.
- Italian Seasoning – Use a store-bought mix or make Italian seasoning mix fresh!
- Cheese – A combination of ricotta cheese and mozzarella cheese — the classic choices for any lasagna. Although not as traditional, you could easily substitute other keto cheese options such as cheddar cheese or parmesan cheese.
- Sea Salt & Black Pepper
How To Make Lasagna Stuffed Peppers
This section shows how to make keto stuffed peppers, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Make meat sauce. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, followed immediately by ground beef. Cook beef, breaking apart with a spoon, until browned. Add marinara, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer.
- Prep peppers. Remove tops of the bell peppers with a sharp paring knife and scoop out seeds and ribs. Place in a rectangular baking dish.
TIP: Got wobbly peppers?
If peppers fall when you stand them upright, slice a tiny portion off the bottom to make a flat space to stand on. Be careful not to cut a hole in the bottom.
- Assemble. Stuff peppers with 1/4 cup meat mixture, 2 tablespoons ricotta, and 2 tablespoons mozzarella. Repeat until peppers are filled, finishing with mozzarella as the top layer.
- Tent. Tent foil over the baking dish, making sure it does not touch the cheese on the keto stuffed peppers.
- Bake. Bake the stuffed pepper recipe for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the peppers are tender and cheese is browned. If desired, place under the broiler for a couple of minutes to brown the cheese more. You can garnish with fresh parsley, basil leaves, or both.
Storage Instructions
- Store: Cover keto lasagna stuffed peppers and store 3-4 days.
- Meal prep: Cook meat sauce ahead of time and store until ready to assemble. Alternatively, make the full stuffed peppers low carb recipe and store until ready to reheat and eat.
- Reheat: Warm in the microwave at low power, or in the oven at 350 degrees F, until heated through.
- Freeze: Wrap the baked low carb stuffed bell peppers individually to freeze, or wrap the full casserole container and store in the freezer for 2-3 months. Reheat in a 350 degree F oven, until hot. It’s best to freeze after baking rather than before; I don’t recommend freezing raw peppers.
What To Serve With Keto Stuffed Bell Peppers
Lasagna stuffed peppers are one of those healthy Italian recipes that pairs with almost anything. Try these ideas!
- Salad – Any keto salad recipes can work with this dish, but I love serving it with chopped Mediterranean salad, Italian marinated artichoke salad, zucchini noodle salad, or spinach bacon salad.
- Keto breads – Try it with keto garlic bread, keto dinner rolls, or keto cheese bread.
- Easy veggies – Make this meal with cauliflower rice, roasted zucchini, or air fryer broccoli.
- Low carb Italian desserts – Serve your keto stuffed pepper with a berry ricotta dessert, keto tiramisu, or homemade mascarpone cheese with strawberries for an impressive finish.
More Low Carb Stuffed Peppers Recipes
Stuffed peppers are so quick, easy to make. Plus they are super versatile (like Halloween stuffed peppers)! Try these satisfying stuffed pepper ideas next.
Recommended Tools
- Nonstick Skillet – Easy for making meat sauces and pan frying.
- Baking Dish – My favorite one for making this recipe!
- Paring Knife – For easy pepper slicing.
Low Carb Keto Stuffed Peppers
Low Carb Keto Stuffed Peppers (Lasagna Style)
Low carb keto stuffed peppers need just 7 ingredients! With layers of meat sauce and cheese, lasagna stuffed peppers are pure comfort food.
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Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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To prepare the meat sauce, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
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Add the ground beef and stir right away so the garlic doesn't burn. Cook for about 10 minutes, breaking apart the meat with a spoon or spatula, until browned.
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Stir in marinara sauce and Italian seasoning. Add sea salt and black pepper to taste. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Simmer for 5-8 minutes.
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Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (191 degrees C).
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To prepare the peppers, chop off the tops and scoop out the seeds and ribs inside. Slice a tiny layer off the bottoms (without making a hole if possible) so that the peppers are stable standing upright. Place into a medium to large baking dish (this one I use is the perfect size).
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To assemble, stuff the peppers with 1/4 cup of meat sauce, 2 tablespoons of ricotta cheese, and 2 tablespoons shredded mozzarella cheese. Repeat with the same amounts again, until the peppers are filled to the top, with mozzarella being the top layer.
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Tent aluminum foil over the baking dish, making sure the foil is not touching the cheese. Bake stuffed peppers for 30 minutes.
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Remove the foil and bake 10 more minutes, until cheese is melted and browned. (If you want extra browning, you can place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes at the end.)
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Readers Who Liked This Easy Recipe Also Made:
Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 stuffed bell pepper
Nutrition facts are based on whole milk ricotta and 85/15 ground beef.
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
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76 Comments
Karla Sheeley
0My husband and I both really enjoyed these and it will be a recipe we put in the rotation. I did used turkey Italian Sausage in the meat sauce and substituted cottage cheese for ricotta. I like the creamy texture of cottage cheese better. I also mixed 1 beaten egg into cottage cheese, mozzarella, and parmesan mix much like traditional lasagna. They came out perfectly. Thanks for the “dinspiration”.
Cait Morse
0Love this recipe! It worked great and was really tasty.
Mary
0Absolutely amazing. Used lamb mince, it was very very tasty. Its on my rotation. Thanks Maya, another winner.
jess
0How simple and delicious is this dish! the layers and the flavors, I love everything about it! Thank you for sharing this amazing dish!
Jamie
0Loved how simple these were to make! So delicious! Even my kids loved them!
Julia
0These stuffed peppers were such a hit in our house! Surprisingly easy to make and super tasty! Thank you for the recipe!
Debbie Allshouse
0Delicious! So Simple. I microwaved the peppers to soften them and took the foil off to brown the cheese for 5-7 minutes.
Susan Quick
0This was amazing. My whole family loved it, and we didn’t miss the pasta. I made my homemade “ragu” extra veggie. It was a HIT!
LEIGHANN
0BEST WAY TO EAT A HEALTHY LASAGNA. I USED CUT UP STEAK INSTEAD OF HAMBURGER MEAT AND IT WAS DELICIOUS.
Amy P.
0I made this lunch today and loved it! My peppers needed some additional time cooking or pre cooking because they were crunchy. They were still awesome this way but may try getting them a little softer next time. I used full fat cottage cheese instead of ricotta because I prefer this and cottage cheese was cheaper. Definitely a keeper for me!
Katelyn Ucero
0I love it! I did make little changes. I used not only Mozzarella shredded but also Italian shredded cheese. And I prepped the peppers and Stuck them in the oven while my meat and sauce (I also put in a little onion powder with the italian seasoning) was cooking. Then I put the peppers with the meat cheese in the oven for about 20 min. Peppers were nice and soft but not mush.
10 out of 10 hands down!
Lynda
0I loved this recipe my only complaint is that the bell peppers were not cooked. So I suggest you par boil the peppers before adding the delicious filling. So easy to make this recipe!’
Susan
0I have home canned tomatoes with no sugar or salt if I use a immersion blender to make the tomato sauce instead of buying it? Please let me know if you have tried it
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Susan, You may need to cook your tomatoes down to thicken them before using, but yes it should work fine in the recipe.
Jamie barbeau
0I absolutely love this recipe I just made this tonight for me and my hubby but I don’t have a stove or an oven but I made it in a pan thats like an oven put the top on it turned out really good that way no need for an oven it was easy to assemble and make it is going to be delish I already know totally love the ingredients and will satisfy my hunger for lasagna haven’t had it in awhile thanks for that recipe yummm
Stephanie Watson
0Hi….my husband is the only one who can eat a whole stuffed pepper. I was wondering, if I mix the ricotta in with the meat, can I cut the bell peppers in half and cook that way. It would make it much easier to serve to the family. If so, would I need to cut down on the cook time and maybe even the amount of meat??? Thanks!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Stephanie, Sure. Change the servings to fit your family size (accounting for a half pepper for each family member) and it will give you new measurements of each ingredient.
Audrey
0I’m making these right now, but with a couple twists. Because I keep kosher, I don’t mix meat and milk in the same meal, so I’m using Yves Ground “Beef” (tofu based) and I used a pre made Primos’s tomato sauce with garlic and herbs. It smells yummy – hope it tastes just as good.
T-Ray
0Hard to eat these although I like this recipe very much! The first time I made it I followed the recipe. The 2nd time I adjusted it. I cut the peppers lengthwise & charred them a little on the grill before stuffing and cooking in the oven. To me, your recipe made the peppers too al dente for me. Also, when you eat yours it ends up in a big pile of mush on the plate. I love having the peppers a little bit more softer & slicing them lengthwise makes the bites stay full instead of all of the filling mush out all over and ending up in a big pile on the dish.
PATRICIA
0CAN I USE COTTAGE CHEESE INSTEAD OF RICOTTA?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Patricia, Yes, but it will change the carb count slightly.
DK Reppucci
0Directions say cooking time is 1 hour – but recipe says 30 minutes covered and 20 minutes uncovered. Does not add up to one hour! Which is it?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi DK, This recipe shows total cook time, which includes the cook and simmer times on the stovetop. Add up the stovetop cook time with the oven cook time and you’ll get 1 hour. I hope this helps.
Cheryl
0I loved this!!!! I am new too Keto and I even prefer it over the pasta lasagna. I didn’t have to add a thing and I am a pretty picky eater. This was spot on perfect! With recipes like this I’m going to have no problems sticking to Keto. Keep the recipes coming!
MariaT
0My thoughts exactly with everything I’ve cooked so far from this site. Ans I’ve made many dishes already.. YUM!
Katie
0Yummmm
Khadra
0Delish and simple to make….a win win!!!
Paula
0Delicious!! I have made both ways and prefer to cut the peppers in half lengthwise and make them as “boats”
Michael D.
0I have made this 2 weeks in a row. It’s amazing, easy and the left overs are as great as the original meal! Thank you so much!
Michael D.
0We made this last night. We made the marinara sauce using tomatoes we canned last year. So quick and easy! The flavors were amazing. This is without a doubt going into our meal plans and I believe a new craving has been created! Thank you SO MUCH for sharing. With very little planning I will be making this when we are in the RV even. Imagine coming in from a trail ride on the horses to sitting with friends by a nice campfire and eating this! Oh we can’t wait!
LInda
0Tried them last night. Delicious especially since we miss lasagna not eating pasta. We’ll definitely make them again.
JD
0Looking forward to more recipes.
Debbie B
0I just made these tonight. My husband said they were the best stuffed peppers he’s ever had!
I did cut my red peppers horizontally and baked them in the oven for 10 minutes prior to filling them. They turned out perfect!
30 min bake covered, then 10 min uncovered . I will definitely be making these again!
Neely Beddoe
0This is so yummy! Super easy to make Made xtra sauce for my dinner to make next recipe tomato mushroom spaghetti squash!
Sadbeka
0Can I make these in a instant crockpot?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Sadbeka, You can try cooking this recipe in a slow cooker, but it will result in a ‘wetter’ texture. When baking in an oven, the peppers and filling will steam and lose some of its water content. This will result in browned peppers and thicker filling inside them. When you cook the peppers in a crock pot, it will trap the moisture in the vessel, creating softer peppers and looser texture. It’s also not recommended to cook dairy in a slow cooker for extended periods, as the texture can be “off”.
Dawn R
0I made it in the slow cooker today. The only mistake I feel I made was putting it on high for 5 hours, I should’ve put it on low or keep warm. The cheese texture was still perfect. Even with the peppers being a touch mushier than I would have liked, the flavor was great.
I also used Italian sausage instead of ground beef. I liked the beginning Italian-ey flavor. This could’ve easily been served to someone not following low carb with some garlic bread, or with some sort of makeshift low carb garlic bread.
My entire family enjoyed it, two loves and two likes. Thank you for the inspiration.
Janet
0Tried this recipe last night. I always like changing up stuffed peppers, however this was the ultimate favourite!! Thank you!
Kaye
0A keeper! Everyone liked it. A couple of tweaks:
1. I baked it in my 2 1/2 qt. deep dish casserole with the lid on for about 45 minutes before removing the lid and baking an additional 10 minutes. The peppers were just right.
2. I added a third layer of sauce and topped it with grated Parmesan.
Kimberly
0Made these for dinner and they turned out great. I did cook them for 30 minutes in the oven, but wanted the bell pepper softer, so I put them in the Instant Pot for 5 minutes.
Cindy
0Best Ever! The entire family LOVED them- we are talking picky veggie eater teens, too. But stuffing the veggie with lasagna won them over. Also,I drained the fat from the meat-and it was delicious! Thank you!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Cindy! I am so happy your family loved them! Thank you!
Lisa K
0These stuffed peppers were amazing. The best I’ve ever made! My pickiest eater still won’t eat the pepper, but really enjoyed the filling. These were a big win in my house!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Lisa! So glad to hear it was a hit at your house.
Jacqui
0Lasagna stuffed peppers is an awesome idea!! Thank you for sharing my casserole! 🙂
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Jacqui! That casserole looks awesome.
Nancy Melone
0I just made these for our evening meal using ground beef, but having had some leftover rotisserie chicken I made myself a small bowl for lunch using the chicken and it was great! For those wondering about beef or chicken I would trade off using whatever I have available.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Nancy!
Marcia
0Oh, so good! I haven’t had lasagna in years. I will certainly be making this again. And again.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Marcia! I’m so happy to hear that. 🙂
Machelle McKissick
0Are you supposed to drain the meat at some point?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Machelle, I didn’t find that necessary. If you cook it at medium-high heat in step one, any extra moisture should evaporate by the time it browns. If it doesn’t, you could drain it before adding the marinara sauce.
Hannah
0Freeze before cooking or after? Want to make this for someone to cook later.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Hannah, To freeze, complete everything in the recipe through step 5, then place on parchment paper in the freezer. Once they are solid, you can wrap them in plastic to prevent freezer burn. You can thaw them in the fridge prior to final baking (step 6). IF you want to put them in the oven frozen, you’ll need a lower oven temperature, at least at first, to avoid burning the cheese before the rest of the peppers are heated through. Hope this helps!
Janelle Paramore
0Can these be assembled before hand and left in the refrigerator overnight? Then placed in the oven the next day?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Janelle, I haven’t tried that, but I think you could! Let me know how it goes if you try it.
David McGinley
0The bell pepper lasagna looks delish. I will let you know.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, David! Would love to hear what you thought of them.
Suzy jaco
0The peppers are looking great; however I am letting them cook awhile longer (20min) because we like the peppers softer, then brown for the ten minutes. I can’t wait for my lasagna loving 16 year old grandson to give these a try.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Suzy! In the original recipe you would bake for 30 minutes covered in foil first, before the 10 minutes uncovered for browning. Mine came out pretty soft that way, but you could cook them covered for longer if you want them even softer.
Emily Howard
0These are too yummy!! For the last 10 minutes I found that I needed to turn the oven up. I took the foil off and cooked for 10 minutes and they still weren’t quite done, I turned the oven up to 450 and then they cooked to just right!
Laura strnad
0Can I use cottage cheese in place of ricotta here? To cut back on some calories or wouldn’t that work?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Yes, cottage cheese would work just fine. You could also use a 2% ricotta instead of whole milk ricotta if calories are a priority over carbs.
Kim | Low Carb Maven
0I love this recipe. My husband is always complaining that I don’t cook with ground beef. I think I’ll make this recipe and make him happy because it sounds great. ps. I love Italian comfort food, too.
Kim | Low Carb Maven
0Stacey, me too! The green bell peppers are actually immature peppers and I’m sure that’s why they taste more bitter and sharp or “green”.
Katrin
0Peppers are always amazing when they are stuffed. Your recipe sounds amazing
Taryn
0These look like a great low carb alternative to classic lasagna!
STACEY
0This sounds lovely! I like the orange and red peppers, but not the green ones, lol. Loving the melted cheesy deliciousness.
Georgina
0LOVE stuffed peppers – as long as they’re not green ones LOL! And these look great!
Moonbeam
0Yes I do know what you’re saying re: green bells! My hubby can’t eat those so I have started using orange or yellow for stuffed peppers and they work great! I also don’t eat beef anymore so I use ground turkey for an alternative source and it works great! Can’t wait to try this recipe, doing it tonight!