Sausage & Cream Cheese Stuffed Peppers
Sausage, cream cheese and shredded cheese mixes together to create an excellent low-carb filling for green bell peppers!
This keto sausage and cream cheese stuffed pepper recipe is an easy dinner recipe that our whole family enjoys!
If you like this recipe you may also enjoy Bell Pepper Taco Dip with Meat and Sausage and Cream Cheese Dip.
Cream Cheese Stuffed Peppers Recipe
Every bite is meaty, cheesy, creamy and has a slight crunch from cooked green peppers that leaves you enjoying the savory and fresh flavors.
One half of a generously stuffed pepper will often fill me up, unless I’ve been working really hard, then a whole pepper makes a great meal.
Our kids enjoy rice pilaf or pasta on the side, but as adults, we find the stuffed peppers are really satisfying as a stand-alone one-dish meal.
We love recipes like this that combine meat and vegetables into a delicious meal like our Old Fashioned Sausage, Potatoes and Green Beans, and Ham, Egg & Cheese Casserole.
I like to make or buy Italian Sausage which is ground pork with the flavorings already included. I find that splitting the meat half plain ground pork and half flavored sausage works well for our family’s tastes.
We have made this recipe with all ground pork and sausage as well as with half ground pork and half ground beef. Using all pork has a juicer, richer flavor. Mixing the meats half and half gives a leaner flavor that is delicious, but a bit lighter.
Keto Stuffed Bell Peppers with Cream Cheese
Cream cheese is the key ingredient to a memorable stuffed pepper filling. Blending the meat together with a rich and creamy addition helps spread all of the spices evenly throughout the stuffing.
I typically use green peppers over colored peppers because they are cheaper. Using red, yellow or orange peppers is also fine and cream cheese perfectly compliments any of them. Colored peppers will likely be sweeter and may look a bit prettier, but we’re about utility and budget here.
My family has spent more time prioritizing our health and we’ve found it is easier to drop weight when we eat fewer carbs. So while we don’t follow a strict keto diet, we do have several keto recipes that we love adding to our meal rotation.
A couple of our favorites are Crock Pot Keto Cauliflower Casserole and Stuffed Pepper Soup.
Why This Recipe Works:
- You can really fill up the peppers to have more meaty and cheesy flavors or partially fill for a higher veggie ratio.
- This cheesy sausage filling would make a great sandwich, but I love trading the sandwich bun for more vegetables and a healthy meal.
- This keto and low-carb meal tastes great and is always popular when shared with friends or family.
- Easy to make ahead and then bake in the oven or cook in a crock pot.
Ingredients Needed:
- Green Bell Peppers – These are economical and add a great fresh flavor. Red, yellow or orange bell peppers work fine, but we prefer green bell peppers for this.
- Italian Sausage – Mild Italian is our preference, but you can add some heat to this meal by adjusting to zesty sausage or adding some red pepper flakes.
- Sausage – A basically seasoned sausage or ground pork works well. You can also mix in a pound of lean ground beef.
- Seasoned Salt – Lowry’s is the brand we have on hand, but a teaspoon of your favorite blended seasoning works well.
- Granulated Onion – Dried is easiest to use, however 1/2 cup of minced onion can be cooked into the ground meat.
- Cheddar Cheese – Using a variety of cheeses makes a more dynamic flavor.
- Grated Parmesan – Adds a depth of flavor in an easy way.
- Cream Cheese – The key creamy filling ingredients that helps blend everything else together.
- Mozzarella Cheese – The most mild cheese that mixes in and melts so beautifully on top.
Should Peppers Be Boiled Before Stuffing?
Fresh bell peppers do not need to be boiled, baked or softened in any way before filling and baking.
Wash, remove seeds and allow peppers to dry before stuffing. When cooked meat is stuffed in the peppers they will soften in 30 – 40 minutes in the oven.
Should Meat Be Cooked Before Stuffing a Pepper?
I find that cooking the ground meat, whether it’s sausage or hamburger before stuffing into a raw pepper is safest. I can see that all of the pink is gone before stuffing the pepper which makes the rest of the cooking process easier and more worry free.
Cooking the meat before stuffing is the fastest way to bake peppers too.
Always wash the peppers and remove the stems and seeds and rinse again before stuffing. Be sure that the peppers are well drained prior to stuffing.
The cream cheese and tomatoes help provide plenty of liquid that keep the meat moist as the peppers soften during the baking time.
This batch of stuffed peppers has all pork, which was cooked prior to stuffing, and a whole block of cream cheese which make it more of a chip dip consistency.
How to Cut Stuffed Peppers
As someone who cooks, but hasn’t made a lot of stuffed peppers I like to cut the peppers in half horizontally because it’s easier for me. I also find that it’s easier to see that all of the cheese is melted and determine how soft the baked peppers are.
Any shape of pepper can be cut in half and laid on its side to fill. Peppers with the top cut off must have more balance, uniformity and the right size pan to remain standing upright during the baking process.
Since I want to spend as little time in the kitchen as possible I cut the peppers in half and keep on moving.
How to Make Sausage and Cream Cheese Stuffed Peppers
Cook the ground meat in a skillet over medium high heat. We like to use meat masher to stir because it saves time and makes the cooking process a bit easier.
Once cooked, drain meat well.
While the meat is cooking I like to clean the peppers and prepare them for stuffing.
If using a large skillet, return meat to the pan with the heat on low or turned off.
Or put in a mixing bowl and use your mixer to blend all ingredients except the mozzarella cheese together.
Season meat with salt, pepper and granulated onion.
Add cream cheese and cheddar cheese.
Mix everything together well.
Divide stuffing evenly among pepper halves and fill those bell peppers up.
Cover with foil or a heat safe lid and bake at 400°F for 15 minutes.
Add grated parmesan cheese and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese to the top of the peppers and bake for an additional 10 minutes at 350°F.
There is enough stuffing for 6 whole peppers in this recipe, so a second pan is usually necessary.
Tips for Making the Best Stuffed Peppers
- Use your favorite combination to get 2 pounds of meat, substitutions are welcomed!
- We prefer Colby or cheddar cheese to mix in with the meat and mozzarella on top
- More cream cheese means the mixture is creamier, less cream cheese means the mixture is firmer
- Adding tomatoes to the filling is optional if you want to increase the amount of vegetables
- If using tomatoes tiny pieces mix much better and ensure that canned tomatoes are well-drained or you may have soup
- We learned that more cream cheese makes more of a chip dip texture like our Queso With Sausage, so sometimes we use the whole block of cream cheese and serve with tortilla chips
- I like to cover the peppers with foil for the first 20 minutes to help trap in heat and soften the peppers without drying out the meat
- Wait to add mozzarella cheese on top until the last 10 minutes of baking time or that cheese will burn
- Bake uncovered so the cheese can melt and lightly brown for the last 10 minutes without melting to the foil on top.
Crock Pot Version
I’ve also made this recipe in the crock pot on low for two – three hours and then turn up to high for about 15 minutes after adding the parmesan and mozzarella cheese at the end. The cheese will melt, but it will not brown.
The meal is still very delicious!
Other Easy Family Meal Ideas
- Smoked Sausage, Peppers, Onions & Potatoes Skillet
- Copycat Olive Garden Pasta E Fagioli
- Smoked Sausage & Cheesy Potato Casserole
- Turkey, Cheddar and Bacon Sliders
- Chicken Casserole with Red Lobster Biscuit Mix
- Cold Lunch Ideas
Click HERE to sign-up for our weekly newsletter to get more easy and delicious recipes!
Sausage & Cream Cheese Stuffed Bell Pepper (Keto)
Ingredients
- 6 green peppers
- 1 pound sausage ground beef can be substituted
- 1 pound Italian sausage
- 1 teaspoon Lowry's seasoned salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper freshly ground
- 1 teaspoon minced onion or 1/2 cup freshly chopped onion
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese Colby can be substituted
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F and grease a 9×13 baking pan and a smaller square pan – I use an 8×8 baking dish.
- Brown meat and drain.1 pound sausage, 1 pound Italian sausage
- Wash, clean and halve green peppers.6 green peppers
- Add seasonings, cream cheese and cheddar cheese to meat.1 teaspoon Lowry's seasoned salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon minced onion, 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, 4 ounces cream cheese
- Stuff peppers and bake covered for 15 minutes.
- Add parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese and bake uncovered for an additional 5 – 10 minutes until cheese is melted and peppers reach desired tenderness.1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Video
Notes
- More cream cheese means the mixture is creamier, less cream cheese means the mixture is firmer
- Adding tomatoes to the filling is optional if you want to increase the amount of vegetables
- If using tomatoes tiny pieces mix much better and ensure that canned tomatoes are well-drained or you may have soup
Did you make this recipe?
Follow PlowingThroughLife on Instagram and Pinterest for more! And don’t forget to leave your thoughts below.
Rate This Recipe Pin This RecipeOriginally published February 26, 2020 with pictures updated on July 3, 2023.
Question? How can you publish a Keto recipe and not provide total carb information? Keto dieters base their diet on the number of carbs consumed in a day. Are they supposed to guesstimate a number for this recipe? Without carb information you cannot even consider your recipes Low Carb! Please consider adding at least carb information, if not Nutritional Information to you recipes.
Hello! I’ve added a tool to the recipe cards that estimate nutrition values, but please know that it is just an estimate and actual nutrition values can vary greatly based on actual ingredients used. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Deborah
The nutritional information is listed if you scroll down farther you will see it.
Being rude is not necessary. If you can do it better feel free to upload your own recipes. Also, the ingredients used in this recipe are basic keto ingredients so anyone familiar with the keto diet should be able to quickly estimate the number of carbs. Losing weight on the keto may help your appearance but your manners could use some work.
Yum can’t wait to try !
My family really enjoyed
This recipe was amazing! My entire family loved it. Thank you for the easy and delicious keto recipe!
So glad to hear you love it! Thanks for letting us know!
This is a solid Keto recipe! Easy to make and hearty. My husband loved it….always a win. I appreciate your tip for cutting the bell peppers in half lengthwise – lots more stable that way, both for filling them and for eating them. Keep these Keto recipes coming.
Thanks for sharing! Always love hearing when a recipe works well!
I made this recipe yesterday with some variations. It was too hot to use the oven, so I modified this for the slow cooker.
After stuffing six whole large green peppers, I put the in the slow cooker that had been sprayed with PAM. I did not cook the peppers ahead of time. On top of each pepper with heaping meat mix, I put a tablespoon of diced tomatoes. I only used one can and put the rest in the bottom of the cooker.
I cooked on low for six hours. They were perfect. Our nephew who is a birdlike eater, ate one and then asked for a second. My husband and I could only eat one, they were so stuffed. This is a keeper recipe.
Calls for parmesan, but it’s never mentioned again in the directions? Guessing you add it with the mozzarella on top….
Thanks for asking! It can be mixed in with the meat and other cheeses or sprinkled on top. Really works well both ways!
It says 1 on sausage and then another lb Italian sausage. Is it 1lb or 2 lbs sausage ?
Hey there! Great question! The recipe calls for a total of 2 pounds of meat. Our favorite combination is 1 pound of regular sausage (or ground beef) and 1 pound of Italian sausage. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!
I’d a serving size HALF pepper or a whole pepper?
Hey There! We typically us 6 whole peppers to create 12 halves. Whether we eat a half or whole pepper really depends on how full we fill them and how big the peppers are. Hope you enjoy!
Oh my gosh these were good! I halved the recipe and used 3 peppers (1 green and 2 red). I omitted the season salt because the brand of pork sausage I used is pretty salty on its own. I added garlic and oregano. We are trying the Low Carb thing and it’s great when a recipe encourages you to stick with it! I might try this very same “stuffing” with mushrooms! Thanks for a great recipe:)
Hey There! So glad you had a great experience with this meal! Thanks so much for sharing!
Cooking for one is challenging so I freeze a lot of recipes in single serve portions.
I could really use instructions on when to freeze. . . before baking? . . after baking? Midway?
Hey There! We usually cook the entire recipe, then freeze and reheat as needed. I’m sure there are a lot of options, but this works well for us. Hope you enjoy!
Excellent! I don’t like peppers, but made this for supper for my husband, thinking I wouldn’t enjoy it. Boy was I wrong, it was extremely delicious!
Hey There! Thanks so much for trying the recipe and sharing your success story! We really enjoy this one too! And be sure to read the notes on the different options. It’s great made into a chip dip too!
Excellent easy to make! Everyone enjoyed.
I used red, yellow, and green peppers.
I also added a little parsley and green onion.
We love this recipe! We make it at least twice a month, if not every month. Thanks for sharing.
Hey There! Thanks so much for sharing! We’re so glad you enjoy it and of course it’s always nice to get compliments 🙂
Is this recipe Gluten free ?? Or how do I make it Gluten free //
Hey There! I think it would be if you use gluten free seasoning. I would still be sure to check the labels on all of the ingredients that you use. Hope you enjoy 🙂
I added some chopped mushrooms and used red bell peppers.
My husband said it was the BEST stuffed peppers he ever had!
Thank you so much. I’m going to check out more of your recipes.
Thanks so much for sharing! We love mushrooms, so this variation sounds delicious 🙂
Im going to make this tonight and Im a little confused. In your actual recipe you have to use 6 whole peppers but in the picture you show 6 half peppers. I have 6 whole peppers and was wondering if I need to double the recipe to have enough filling to make 6 whole peppers cut in half?
Hey There! Thanks for asking! When I make this whole recipe I take 6 whole peppers and cut them in half. Then I put the halves in a couple different baking dishes since I don’t have one super big dish. You can also adjust how much filling you put in each pepper to change your meat to veggie ratio. Hope this helps and hope you enjoy!
It’s cooking right now but it smells and taste yummy. Just one note the recipe calls for onions but nowhere in the cooking instructions that I see talks about putting the onions in..hence I forgot to put the onions in probably when cooking the meat. Just FYI.
Hey There! Thanks for sharing this. I usually add granulated onion with the other seasonings, but I added a note to help clarify for the future. If raw onion is used I would add that to the drained skillet of meat and cook a few more minutes until onions are tender. I hope you enjoyed the peppers!!
Loved this. I don’t think I’ve ever like stuffed peppers but now Ive found this recipe and it’s a keeper!
Bought riced cauliflower for another stuffed pepper recipe which followed the traditional way. I found this recipe and WoW!! Only used a lb of hot italian sausage and red peppers. Only thing different was I did add the cauliflower rice, 1/2 cup. Delish, thank you. This was so simple and definitely be in ketosis.