A healthier option for your next Taco Tuesday: Paleo friendly Taco Stuffed Peppers | Gluten Free + Low Carb + Whole30 Option
These taco filled paleo stuffed peppers are:
✔️High in protein
✔️Low in carbs
✔️Full of flavour
✔️Calling your name
It’s been awhile since I last made stuffed peppers to share here on the blog, but now that we’re reaching peak pepper season it’s just got to be done. This time we’re taking inspiration from my one pot Taco Skillet and stuffing them in a few brightly coloured peppers for the ultimate healthy dinner!
Let’s get into it!
Making of: Taco Stuffed Peppers
When making stuffed peppers of any kind it’s important to make sure you par cook/precook the peppers before stuffing. Pre cooking the peppers works on two levels by:
- not overcooking/drying out the filling &
- leeches extra water out of the pepper so as not to make for soggy peppers
Prepping your peppers is an easy task – just slice them in half, scoop out the seeds and then place them on a baking sheet to bake for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes you’ll remove the peppers from the oven and blot out the insides of the pepper.
As your peppers are prepping in the oven you can take the time to make your taco meat filling. By the time the peppers are done to be stuffed, your filling will be ready to go.
The cheese here is completely optional. I personally couldn’t pass an opportunity to sprinkle a little grated cheese over the top, but make sure to leave it out if you’re looking for a Whole30 compliant or paleo friendly dinner.
Serve with a healthy spoonful of guacamole and maybe even a few tortilla chips alongside – I won’t tell anyone!
Enjoy!
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![taco stuffed peppers - some topped with cheese and some topped with avocado](https://www.asaucykitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Taco-Stuffed-Peppers-1.jpg)
Taco Stuffed Peppers
A healthier option for your next Taco Tuesday: Paleo friendly Taco Stuffed Peppers | Gluten Free + Low Carb + Whole30 Option
Ingredients
- 4-5 large bell peppers
Quick Salsa
- 1 cup diced or crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 medium white onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1/2 jalapeno deseeded and chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, stems removed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Taco Meat
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground turkey or chicken aim for around 7% fat
- 1/2 medium white onion chopped, about 1 cup
- 2 cloves garlic crushed or minced
- 1 tablespoon chilli powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 14 oz can crushed or chopped tomatoes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°/200°C.
- Slice the peppers in half lengthwise and remove ribs and seeds. Place pepper halves on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes on the middle rack.
- Remove peppers from oven. Peppers have a high water content so if you find that there is a little water on sitting inside the peppers after you remove them from the oven, just drain the water and blot the insides with a paper towel.
Quick Salsa
- Mix the ingredients for the salsa in a small bowl. Taste and season with more salt as needed.
- Spread the salsa on the bottom of a 13x9inch casserole dish. Place the pre cooked peppers over the salsa and set aside until needed.
Taco Meat
- Warm the olive oil in a large skillet on a medium high heat. Once the oil is warm add the ground meat and begin breaking up the meat into smaller pieces to cook faster.
- Once the meat is no longer pink add the onions chilli, and garlic. Mix into the turkey mince.
- Add the remaining taco seasonings: oregano, paprika, cumin and salt. Stir well to mix the spices and vegetables together. Stir in the crushed tomatoes.
- Turn off the heat and fill each pepper half with ¼ cup taco meat. Top each pepper with cheese (optional). Bake in the middle of your oven for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cool 5-10 minutes before serving. Top with avocado, guacamole and additional cilantro as needed.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size:
half Calories: 207Saturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 55mgSodium: 809mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 4gSugar: 8gProtein: 17gIf you like these taco stuffed peppers you might also like trying my Zucchini Pizza Boats, Moroccan Stuffed Zucchini, Lasagna Stuffed Peppers, breakfast stuffed peppers, or Sausage & Apple Stuffed Squash
Katie says
Very good! Just started whole 30 and this hit the spot on a taco option. Didn’t really miss the cheese or sour cream! I topped it with shredded lettuce, hot sauce, avocado, and salsa (skipped making my own). Cutting them in half and baking before filling was a clever option. Will be making this again!
Sarah Nevins says
Yay! Thanks Katie – so glad you enjoyed these!
mama bear says
I tried this tonight and was a hit with all the family youngest 4 , i did use only half the amount of chilli though. will be cooking again thanks 😉
Sarah Nevins says
Yay! Glad to hear you all enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know what you thought!
Lindsay says
These were absolutely delicious! Cooking the peppers first really made a difference!
Sarah says
So glad you liked it! Thanks for coming back to leave a review!
Jaden says
How many calories per serving?
Sarah says
Hi Jaden! If you use 4 peppers you’ll end up with 8 halves – each half if 179 calories. I just updated the nutrition info for this recipe so you’ll be able to find more of a breakdown in the recipe notes. Thanks for reminding me!
All That I'm Eating says
This has all my favourite ingredients in – definitely giving this a try next time I make a chilli mix!
Sarah says
Hope you like it!