Gluten-Free Stuffed Peppers (Paleo, Whole30)

These Gluten-Free Stuffed Peppers are a fun and healthy dinner.

Bell peppers are stuffed with Italian sausage (or ground beef), cauliflower rice and other vegetables and seasonings, then baked until tender.

And don’t forget the crunchy cracker topping!

And these are also dairy-free, low carb, keto, Paleo and Whole30 friendly.

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Why this recipe works

Stuffed peppers are a fun dinner – you cut into a bell pepper and all sorts of tasty goodies fall out. It’s like a savory little gift!

But they often contain rice, cheese, breadcrumbs, and other ingredients that don’t work if you’re gluten-free, dairy-free or Paleo.

So I wanted to create a recipe that’s just as good as the regular version but without the unwanted ingredients.

So instead of rice, we’ll use cauliflower rice. It works well because cauliflower rice absorbs all the other flavors, so it adds texture without adding too much cauliflower flavor.

And instead of breadcrumbs, eggs help bind the filling together.

And some stuffed peppers have cheese in their filling or are topped with a cheese sauce. So instead, I created a crunchy topping with gluten-free cracker crumbs to add more flavor and texture.

But even with these changes, they’re still packed with flavor, color and texture.

So these gluten-free, Paleo and Whole30 stuffed peppers can be enjoyed by almost everyone!

What you need

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil, divided, plus more for greasing the pan
• one pound Italian sausage – using Italian sausage is a great way to add more flavor because it’s already full of savory seasonings
• 1/2 medium onion (yellow, white or red), diced
• 2 peeled, minced garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more as necessary
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste – this adds umami, giving the filling more depth of flavor
• 1.5 cups fresh or frozen riced cauliflower (no need to thaw if frozen)
• 1/2 cup Kalamata or green olives, roughly chopped – these adds a chewy texture and a bit of briny, salty flavor
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley – this adds color and freshness to the filling
• 6 bell peppers, any color – look for peppers that have flat bottoms so they can stand up easily
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup finely crushed gluten-free crackers – I use Simple Mills, which are also grain-free; almost any flavor of cracker works (regular, sea salt, rosemary, black pepper, sun-dried tomato, garlic, etc.)

Equipment:

• a 9×13″ baking dish
• a large skillet (12″)
• a heat-proof spatula (the kind for stirring, not flipping)
• a cutting board
• a chef’s knife
• measuring spoons
• measuring cups
• two small mixing bowls
• a fork or whisk
• a large spoon
• a pint- or gallon-sized plastic baggie for crushing the crackers
• a rolling pin or meat hammer for crushing the crackers

How to make Gluten-Free Stuffed Peppers

Step 1

Heat the oven to 375°.

Step 2

Lightly grease the 9×13″ baking dish.

Step 3

Heat 2 tablespoons olive or avocado oil to the large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage, onion, garlic, one teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cooking, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is browned and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes.

Step 4

Create a space in the middle of the pan and add the tomato paste. Let it cook, stirring frequently in the center of the pan, until darker in color, about 2-3 minutes. Then stir the paste into the sausage and onions.

Step 5

Add the riced cauliflower and cook, stirring occasionally, until warmed through, about 3-5 minutes.

Step 6

Stir in the chopped olives and parsley. Take the pan off the heat.

Step 7

Slice approx. 1/2″ off the top of each pepper. Discard the stems but if you can save the rest of the pepper “lid,” store it in the fridge for up to 5 days for another use. Arrange the peppers in the greased baking dish. If any peppers don’t stand up, cut off a very thin slice from the bottom of the pepper (not enough to create a hole).

Sprinkle the inside of each pepper with a bit of salt.

Step 8

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs. Stir the eggs into the sausage and vegetable mixture.

Step 9

Use a large spoon to fill the peppers with the meat mixture all the way to the top. Gently press down to create a flat layer.

Step 10

Add a large handful of crackers to a plastic baggie but don’t seal the bag. Use a rolling pin or meat hammer to crush the crackers into fairly fine crumbs. It doesn’t have to be a powder – you just don’t want too many large chunks.

Step 11

Measure out 1/3 cup of the cracker crumbs and add to a small bowl. Stir in 2 teaspoons olive or avocado oil until all the crumbs are evenly coated. Spoon about one tablespoon of the cracker mixture onto each pepper, gently pressing them down into a flat layer.

Step 12

Bake the peppers for 30 minutes, or until the peppers are tender. Let cool for 5 minutes, then dig in!

FAQ

Other recipes you may like:

1. Sheet Pan Sausage and Peppers (gluten-free, Paleo, Whole30)
2. Spanish Cauliflower Rice with Ground Beef (gluten-free, Paleo, Whole30)
3. Everything Bagel Guacamole-Stuffed Mini Peppers (gluten-free, Paleo, Whole30)
4. Cauliflower Broccoli Rice ((gluten-free, Paleo, Whole30)

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