Gluten-Free Stuffed Peppers (Paleo, Whole30)

Paleo Stuffed Peppers in a white rectangular baking dish.

5 from 2 votes

Gluten-Free Stuffed Peppers (Paleo, Whole30)

These Gluten-Free Stuffed Peppers are a fun and healthy dinner. The peppers are stuffed with Italian sausage, cauliflower rice and other vegetables and seasonings, then baked until tender. Don't forget the crunchy cracker topping! And they're dairy-free, low carb, keto, Paleo and Whole30 friendly.

Prep Time20

Cook Time50

Total Time1 10

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings: peppers

Calories: 466kcal

Author: Don Baiocchi

Ingredients

2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil, divided plus more for greasing the pan
1 pound Italian sausage
½ medium onion (yellow, white or red) diced
2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
1 teaspoon fine sea salt plus more as necessary
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon tomatoe paste
1½ cups fresh or frozen riced cauliflower (no need to thaw if frozen)
½ cup pitted olives, chopped such as Kalamata or green
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
6 bell peppers with flat bottoms any color
2 large eggs
⅓ cup finely crushed gluten-free crackers such as Simple Mills (any flavor)

Instructions

Heat the oven to 375°.
Lightly grease a 9x13" baking dish.
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. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is browned and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes.
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.
Add the riced cauliflower and cook, stirring occasionally, until warmed through, about 3-5 minutes.
Stir in the chopped olives and parsley. Take the pan off the heat.
Slice approx. ½" 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.
In a small bowl, whisk the eggs. Stir the eggs into the sausage and vegetable mixture.
Use a large spoon to fill the peppers with the meat mixture all the way to the top. Gently pat to create a flat layer.
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.
Measure out ⅓ cup of the cracker crumbs and add to a small bowl. Stir in the 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.
Bake the peppers for 30 minutes, or until the peppers are tender. Let cool for 5 minutes, then dig in!

Notes

For Whole30: omit the cracker topping.

For Paleo: use Simple Mills or other Paleo-friendly crackers.

for keto: use grain-free crackers (such as Simple Mills) or omit the cracker topping completely.

Substitutions

You can use ground pork, beef or turkey in place of the Italian sausage. Add one teaspoon Italian seasoning when cooking the meat.

You can also use turkey or chicken Italian sausage.

No fresh garlic? Add 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder with the riced cauliflower.

You can use black olives instead of Kalamata or green.

To make it spicy, use spicy Italian sausage or add red pepper flakes to the filling.

Make ahead

You can stuff the peppers but don't add the cracker topping or bake them. Store the peppers in the fridge for up to 24 hours (any longer and the peppers will start to get too soft).

Bring them to room temperature before proceeding with the steps to add the topping and bake them.

Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a low oven until warm, about 15-20 minutes. The cracker topping, however, will not get crisp again.

Freezer instructions

Stuff the peppers but don't add the cracker topping or bake them. Wrap each pepper individually in plastic wrap, then store the peppers in an airtight container.

For leftover peppers, let them cool to room temperature and wrap each one in plastic wrap. Then store in an airtight container.

Thaw frozen peppers overnight in the fridge.

If they're not cooked yet, bring them to room temperature before proceeding with the steps to add the topping and bake them.

If they were already cooked, reheat in a low oven until warm, about 15-20 minutes. The cracker topping, however, will not get crisp again.

Nutrition