Julie Clark
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Paleo Stuffed Peppers
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Paleo Stuffed Peppers are filled with seasoned ground sirloin and slow cooked to perfection. Served with cauliflower rice and smothered in spaghetti sauce.
Stuffed peppers have always been one of my favorite fall meals. Large, garden fresh green peppers call out to be stuffed with meat and smothered in spaghetti sauce. I remember this meal being one of my favorites from my childhood. That and stuffed shells.
I took the classic stuffed pepper recipe that my mom has used of years and made just a few slight changes to turn it into Paleo Stuffed Peppers, Whole30 approved.
Can you eat bell peppers on paleo?
Yes! Peppers are a great option for snacking and for meals when following the paleo diet.
Should I blanch peppers before stuffing?
Blanching peppers means you place the peppers in boiling water for about 3 minutes. Then you place them in ice water to stop the softening process.
Blanching peppers helps them keep their vibrant colors, but it is not necessary to blanch peppers before stuffing.
It’s a matter of preference, but we do not blanch or soften our peppers before stuffing them.
How to Make Paleo Stuffed Peppers
This is one of our favorite dinners to make in the summer when we have garden fresh bell peppers, but you can make it any time of the year. It’s takes only about 20 minutes to prepare for the slow cooker.
- Cut the tops off of the peppers and clean out the seeds. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the ground sirloin, garlic salt, egg, coconut flour, Italian seasoning, basil, pepper and 3 teaspoons of spaghetti sauce.
- Spoon the ground sirloin mixture into the cleaned green peppers. If there is any extra meat mixture, form it into a loaf. You can slow cook the extra loaf along with the green peppers or you can bake it in the oven, if desired.
- Place the stuffed peppers in the slow cooker and top each pepper with ¼ cup additional spaghetti sauce.
- Allow the peppers to cook for 3-4 hours on high, or 5-6 hours on low.
Recipe Variations
- We use beef in this recipe, but feel free to use ground chicken or turkey for ground turkey stuffed peppers.
- Add 3 tablespoons taco seasoning instead of the Italian spices for taco stuffed peppers.
- Don’t want to make your own sauce? I love Rao’s marinara sauce.
- Add finely diced onions or olives to the meat mixture for unique flavor.
Looking for a meatless stuffed peppers? Try our Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers.
What to Serve with Paleo Stuffed Peppers
Serve this Italian favorite over cauliflower rice with healthy, homemade spaghetti sauce on top. A Greek salad would be delicious with the peppers, too!
If you’re not looking for low carb, use rice or pasta. And if you’re not dairy free, try a sprinkling of parmesan cheese on top for extra flavor.
Can you freeze stuffed peppers?
Make up the Paleo stuffed peppers ahead of time and freeze them unbaked.
- Defrost them in the refrigerator the night before you want to cook them.
- Then place them in the slow cooker and add a scoop of spaghetti sauce on top.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours. If they are still quite frozen they may take a little longer.
Paleo Stuffed Peppers
Paleo Stuffed Peppers are filled with Italian seasoned ground sirloin and slow cooked to perfection. Serve with cauliflower rice and smother in spaghetti sauce.
Servings 6
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 6 large green bell peppers
- 2 1/3 pounds ground beef
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 teaspoons spaghetti sauce
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 3 cups spaghetti sauce
- Cauliflower rice
Instructions
- Cut the tops off of the peppers and clean out the seeds. Set aside. 6 large green bell peppers
- In a large bowl, mix together the ground sirloin, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, basil, pepper, spaghetti sauce, egg and almond flour. 2 ⅓ pounds ground beef, 1 teaspoon garlic salt, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon dried basil, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 3 teaspoons spaghetti sauce, 1 large egg, ¼ cup almond flour
- Stuff the ground sirloin mixture into the cleaned green peppers. If there is any extra meat mixture, form it into a loaf. You can slow cook the extra loaf along with the green peppers or you can bake it in the oven, if desired.
- Place the stuffed peppers in the slow cooker and top each pepper with ¼ cup additional spaghetti sauce. 3 cups spaghetti sauce
- Allow the peppers to cook for 4-5 hours on high, or 6-8 hours on low. The internal temperature of the stuffed peppers should be 165ºF.
- Serve over cauliflower rice and top with spaghetti sauce. Top with fresh parsley if desired.
Notes
- Our package of ground sirloin was 2 ⅓ pounds. If you use an even two pounds of meat, the recipe should still turn out. If your peppers are on the smaller side, you’ll end up with leftover meat mixture. Make this into a small meatloaf and cook it along with the peppers. You could also use the extra meat to make meatballs.
- Don’t want to use a slow cooker? Bake the paleo stuffed peppers in a baking dish in the oven. They’ll take 60-90 minutes to bake, depending on how big the peppers are.
Nutrition
Calories: 481kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 125mg | Sodium: 123mg | Potassium: 763mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 605IU | Vitamin C: 131.8mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 4.1mg
Looking forward to trying these because I love stuffed peppers but most recipes call for rice and my husband won’t eat rice!
Can you use almond flour instead of coconut flour?
I’ve been looking for an amazing stuff peppers recipe, and I know I just found it, because yours making my mouth water. Yummy!
Anyone mix the cauliflower into the meat? Make it a bit heartier?
After cooking these all day I came home to the peppers sitting in 2 inches of liquid in the slow cooker. The peppers did not hold up and became so thin. Where did I go wrong?
Can you use ground turkey instead?
These look great! I was wondering…when you say these freeze well, do you cook them before freezing or after? I love your Paleo recipes by the way 🙂 Your slow cooker paleo pork chops are a weekly staple in my house!
Do you cook the ground sirloin before putting in the crock pot – or does the crock pot do that part?
Hi – Can you make these in the oven? If you do not have a slow cooker?
Thanks!
stephanie
I made these yesterday and they came out great. They’re delicious with some of the extra sauce poured over them when they’re done, and they even reheat well.
This reminds me of my mom too! 🙂 This was one of those meals I looked forward to because we didn’t have it very often! Love the paleo changes in your recipe!
Hooray on getting him to eat the green pepper! My mom used to make stuffed green peppers like this when I was growing up….but she had to make them “to order” for all the picky eaters in the family! 🙂
This reminds me of my mom’s recipe too! I love stuffed peppers but my hubby does not…maybe I can convert him! 🙂 This looks so delicious!
Stuffed peppers remind me of my mom and her recipe…comfort food for me! I’m glad you converted your husband 🙂