Cheesy Stuffed Bell Peppers (Keto-Friendly Recipe!)
These Stuffed Bell Peppers are filled with a delicious mixture of ground beef, mushrooms, tomato sauce, topped with cheese, and then baked for the perfect meal!
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword cheesy stuffed bell peppers, make ahead bell peppers, stuffed bell peppers
Measure out all the seasoning and mix them together on a plate. Set aside until ready for use.
Peel, rinse and slice mushrooms. (It’s totally optional, but I like my meals prepared in the cleanest way possible, so I peel them in addition to rinsing. If you'd like to see this process, see my Lasagna post.) Add olive oil in a large skillet and brown ground beef on high temp.
As soon as the water evaporates, add sliced mushrooms and continue sautéing the meat with mushrooms (the mushrooms will release water and that is fine) until the water evaporates again. As soon as the water has evaporated, reduce the heat to low/med and add the mixed seasonings.
Combine seasoning with meat and mushrooms and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. While the meat is sautéing, shred mozzarella and cheddar cheese into a large bowl, combine both kinds of cheese and refrigerate it until ready to use.
Mix the pizza sauce and tomato paste into the meat/mushroom mixture and let it simmer for 5 minutes, stirring every minute or so. Set aside and let it cool completely before combining with cheese and greens.
How to Prep Bell Peppers
Rinse and clean the bell peppers well. Cut each pepper in half, including the stems. (Optional, but looks prettier. To split the stem in half, cut from the top of the stem down.) Remove all the seeds and membranes (which are bitter).
Place halved bell pepper into a large bowl and cover the papers with hot boiling water. Let the peppers steam in the water for 10 minutes. Drain the water and set it aside to cool until ready for use.
Rinse and chop parsley and green onion. Reserve ¼ of mixed shredded cheese to top peppers after baking. Transfer cooled meat/mushroom mixture into a large bowl along with the remaining shredded cheese and add the greens. Mix everything together. Add more seasoning (salt/pepper) to taste, if necessary.
Baking Stuffed Bell Peppers
Turn the oven on to 350 F. Stuff each pepper with filling and place into an oven safe 9 X 13 baking dish. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. (55 minutes if the peppers were refrigerated)
Remove pan from the oven. Top each pepper with reserved shredded cheese, and bake for another 15 minutes - uncovered.