Unstuffed Peppers

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If you like Stuffed Peppers, you’ll love this 30-minute version! We’ve got all the comforting and delicious flavors of stuffed peppers but prepared quickly in one skillet. Low-carb and nutritious Unstuffed Peppers skillet meal is sure to be a family favorite. 

We love serving this meal with a Cucumber SaladRoasted Broccoli or a Creamy Fruit Salad.

Unstuffed peppers, a pan full of delicious savory ingredients, including meat and peppers, topped with fresh herbs.

Unstuffed Peppers

I don’t personally adhere to a low-carb diet, as I regularly make and enjoy honey whole wheat bread (sometimes weekly or even bi-weekly). However, many of you have requested more low-carb meal options, and I’ve appreciated the positive feedback on those dishes.

Unstuffed Peppers make for a superb low-carb skillet dinner. Surprisingly, you won’t find yourself missing the carbs. This dish brims with flavor, is incredibly satisfying, protein-rich, and is loaded with nutritious ingredients. Additionally, it’s quite simple to prepare. Pairing it with frozen cauliflower rice makes it even easier, as you don’t need to prepare a separate base to absorb the delicious, saucy ground turkey.

Adding veggies, meat, seasoning, marinara, and cheese to the skillet and cooking until done.

Ingredients In Unstuffed Peppers

  • Olive Oil: Used for sautéing vegetables and browning the ground turkey, adding richness.
  • Yellow Onion & Sweet Bell Peppers: Provide sweetness and texture as the base of the dish.
  • Minced Garlic: Adds a strong, aromatic flavor.
  • Tomato Products: Offer acidity, depth, and a saucy consistency.
  • Seasonings: Enhance the dish with complexity and heat.
  • Ground Turkey: The main protein, adding texture and substance.
  • Beef Bouillon Cube: Boosts the meaty flavor in the unstuffed peppers.
  • Worcestershire Sauce: Provides tanginess and a bit of sweetness.
  • Cheddar Cheese: Adds a creamy, cheesy topping.
  • Italian Parsley: As a garnish, it introduces a fresh herbal note.

QUICK TIP

To avoid tomato sauce stains on reusable plastic containers, put any leftover Unstuffed Peppers in glass containers, disposable plastic, or dark-colored reusable plasticware that won’t show the red.

A plate of delicious and savory unstuffed bell peppers served with cauliflower rice alongside.

How To Make Unstuffed Peppers

  1. Sauté Vegetables: In an oven-safe skillet, heat olive oil. Sauté diced onions and bell peppers until softened. Add minced garlic, tomato paste, and various seasonings. Cook until fragrant.
  2. Cook Turkey: Push the veggies to the side of the skillet, add a bit more olive oil and the ground turkey. Brown the turkey without stirring initially, then break into chunks and mix with the veggies until fully cooked.
  3. Add Tomatoes and Sauce: Stir in fire-roasted diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, and a crumbled beef bouillon cube. Cook until most of the liquid evaporates, then add marinara sauce and heat through.
  4. Bake with Cheese: Top the mixture with cheddar cheese and bake in a preheated oven until the cheese melts.
  5. Garnish and Serve: Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve your unstuffed peppers over your choice of cooked rice or cauliflower rice.

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Unstuffed Peppers

4.91 from 20 votes
If you like stuffed peppers, you'll love this 30-minute skillet meal version. We've got all the comforting and delicious flavors of stuffed peppers, but prepared quickly and with fewer carbohydrates! Nutritious Unstuffed Peppers is sure to be a family favorite. 
Unstuffed peppers, a pan full of delicious savory ingredients, including meat and peppers, topped with fresh herbs.
Print Recipe

Unstuffed Peppers

Unstuffed peppers, a pan full of delicious savory ingredients, including meat and peppers, topped with fresh herbs.
4.91 from 20 votes
If you like stuffed peppers, you'll love this 30-minute skillet meal version. We've got all the comforting and delicious flavors of stuffed peppers, but prepared quickly and with fewer carbohydrates! Nutritious Unstuffed Peppers is sure to be a family favorite. 
Course Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword Unstuffed Peppers
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Chelsea Lords
Calories 173kcal
Cost $6.12

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, separated
  • 1 and 1/2 cups finely diced yellow onion (1 large onion)
  • 2 cups chopped sweet bell peppers (2 large peppers; I use 1 red and 1 orange)
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon EACH: ground cumin, Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon EACH: onion powder, roasted garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
  • Fine sea salt and freshly cracked pepper
  • 1 pound (16 oz.) lean (93/7) ground turkey (See Note 1)
  • 1 large beef bouillon cube
  • 1 can (14.5 ounces) fire-roasted diced tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 cup marinara sauce (we love Rao's)
  • 1 and 1/4 cup freshly grated sharp Cheddar cheese
  • 3-4 tablespoons freshly chopped Italian parsley for garnish
  • Serve over: cooked rice or cauliflower rice (See Note 2)

Instructions

  • PEPPERS AND ONIONS: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in an oven-safe 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add in the finely diced onions, and chopped bell peppers. Saute for 6-8 minutes or until softened. Add in garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato paste and the seasonings: the chili powder, cumin, Italian seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, and optional red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper to taste; I add 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  • GROUND TURKEY: Move veggies to the sides of the pan. Drizzle remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in the center of the pan and add ground turkey. Let cook without stirring, until golden brown on bottom, about 1-2 minutes and then break up into chunks. Continue to cook and crumble the ground turkey until browned, incorporating veggies as you cook through the ground turkey, about 5 more minutes.
  • TOMATOES: Add in the fire-roasted diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, and crumbled beef bouillon cube. Stir to incorporate and cook off most of the liquid from the tomatoes. Add in the marinara sauce and stir to heat through.
  • CHEESE: Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese and immediately transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake for 4-8 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with fresh parsley (If this dish wasn't cooked in an oven-safe skillet, cover the skillet, remove from heat, and allow the residual heat to cook the cheese while it stands.).
  • ENJOY: Serve over cooked cauliflower rice or regular rice.

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: I recommend ground turkey that is sold in a carton, rather than in a chub (the plastic tube). The chub ground turkey tends to be overly watery and less flavorful.
Note 2: Riced cauliflower is my favorite way to serve Unstuffed Peppers; I simply purchase two bags of frozen cauliflower rice and add both bags, straight from the freezer, to a very large nonstick skillet and cook, stirring every once in a while, until tender and slightly charred.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4servings | Calories: 173kcal | Carbohydrates: 17.2g | Protein: 2.6g | Fat: 11.4g | Cholesterol: 0.7mg | Sodium: 290.8mg | Fiber: 3.9g | Sugar: 9.6g

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

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Recipe Rating




27 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Made it for tonight and all the family approuved. It was delicious. They did not had ground turkey at the grocery store so I used pork. I will saved this recipe to the family’ favorites 😊

  2. This looks delicious and is on my meal plan for the week. I am wondering it the nutrition information includes the cheese? Thanks 😊

  3. 5 stars
    I made this recipe by substituting chicken for turkey. It was absolutely delicious. Definitely will make this again.

    1. 5 stars
      I always have leftovers that I freeze.
      When ready to use I thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bake 30 minutes at 350. Turns out perfect.

  4. 5 stars
    Hey! We made this for dinner and I just wanted to let you know that we calculated the calories out to be around 530 per serving at 4 servings, not 173. Is the serving number supposed to be higher?
    Also side note it’s DELICIOUS so I don’t really care how many calories it is, I will be making this again and again.

    1. Hmm! That’s strange! Are you calculating rice with your estimate? I’ll have the girl that calculates nutrition facts for the site look into it; thank you so much! So happy you enjoyed it!

    1. 5 stars
      I always freeze my leftovers.
      When ready to make I thaw overnight
      in the refrigerator and bake for
      30 minutes at 350.

  5. 5 stars
    another winner. I was looking for something tasty but relatively easy to make on a chilly evening. The flavours melded perfectly. I served the dish with lemon rice – lots to go around! (and yes, it was delicious the next day). I don’t follow a low-carb diet, but this would pair very well with spaghetti squash. Another keeper.

  6. 5 stars
    Thank you for this delicious recipe!
    I changed it up a bit because that’s how I roll. Ha!
    I used homemade sun dried tomatoes, added smoked paprika, used beef bouillon paste and covered the dish to melt the cheese. It was absolutely delicious! What a delightful way to use our home grown peppers, onions, tomatoes and fresh herbs!

  7. 5 stars
    I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! We substituted ground beef for turkey and used rice (of course a little less healthy!) and it tasted great and all who ate it loved it!

  8. 5 stars
    I think I have made this like 5 times now.
    I improvise if I am missing something (like the roasted tomatoes or the marinara). No Matter. Turns out lovely. – not quite the best. Still very, very good

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