Keto Philly cheesesteak stuffed peppers take the delicious filling of a traditional cheesesteak sandwich and load it into crisp peppers instead of a processed carb bun. What could be better than cheesy pan-fried steak added to roasted peppers?
Steak Stuffed Peppers
We are blessed to have a fantastic deli a few blocks from our home that serves an incredible Philly cheesesteak sandwich. After I cut out gluten to get food sensitivities under control and my husband started the keto diet to lose weight, I knew we had to re-create the Philly cheesesteak somehow, so we came up with keto Philly cheesesteak peppers!
One day I’d love to go to Philadelphia and try an original Philly cheesesteak, but until that time, these low carb stuffed cheesesteak peppers hit the spot!
These easy keto Philly cheesesteak peppers are the ideal dinner choice for anyone (including kids!). They're also gluten-free, no sugar, and low carb Philly cheesesteak stuffed peppers.
This delicious dinner is family-friendly, easy to freeze, and makes for a great meal prep item for lunches since the recipe yields 6 servings.
Why You'll Melt for These!
- You can make it as light or as heavy as a meal as you like! We enjoy our peppers stuffed to the rim, but if you're looking for a lighter fare then stuff them halfway or cut the pepper in half after fully cooked.
- The Philly cheesesteak being gluten-free means you take the carb load of traditional breading out and replace it with a fresh, healthier option.
- The rewarding taste after the work you put in will be well worth it. Plus it's hard to go wrong with the combo of tender steak, melted cheese, and sautéed veggies. A fit for many taste buds!
If you're a stuffed pepper fan, then you'll also love our traditional stuffed peppers recipe that swaps cauliflower rice for regular rice. It's the best! And for all you soup lovers out there, try our easy stuffed pepper soup recipe.
And if you're looking for even more cheesesteak recipes, be sure to try our best Philly cheesesteak recipe and just skip the bun or our Philly cheesesteak casserole.
Ingredients
You might be happy to know there are not many ingredients in keto Philly cheesesteak peppers. Half of the ingredients are most likely already in your cupboard.
Ingredients List:
- green peppers- feel free to swap colored peppers if you prefer!
- button mushrooms
- sliced yellow onions- sweet or red onion work too.
- provolone cheese
- thinly sliced beef (shaved beef, stir fry beef, or thinly sliced tender steak like ribeye)- because the beef cooks quickly, this needs to be a high-quality cut so you'll bite into tender beef. Lower quality cuts work best in dishes using the crockpot, being roasted, or getting marinated to tenderize them.
- olive oil
- sea salt
- ground black pepper
- minced garlic or garlic cloves (minced)
Fortunately, no specialty supplies are needed for keto Philly cheesesteak peppers, you'll just need the basics that most people have at home.
Supplies:
- A 9x13 baking pan
- Spatula
- Skillet -we use cast iron but a nonstick pan would work well too.
- Knife- This is the chef knife we use at home.
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How to Make Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers
This particular recipe bakes the Philly cheesesteak stuffed peppers, however, I'm sure they'd be fantastic in a slow cooker or instant pot if that works best for you. The meat and vegetables are sautéed on the stovetop before getting stuffed into the peppers and baked in the oven.
Our recipe does have a lot of cheese, 2 slices per serving, but that's one of the best parts about Philly cheesesteak in our opinion: the gooey goodness. Feel free to cut the amount in half if you prefer.
Prep
To begin, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and make sure your oven rack is in the center position. While the oven is preheating, start prepping the stuffed pepper ingredients.
Saute
Slice the yellow onion and mushrooms and cook in a skillet with the olive oil until cooked through, which took me 8 minutes. Be sure to periodically stir the vegetable mixture.
Assemble
While the onion and peppers are cooking, cut the green peppers lengthwise and remove the seeds and membrane.
Place the green peppers in a greased baking dish and put one slice of provolone on the bottom of each pepper half.
You'll want to press the cheese down into the bottom of the peppers as much as possible, you'll need every spare inch for your cheesesteak mixture! You can either use one whole slice of provolone cheese (which might break apart- and that's okay, it's going to melt anyway) or you can cut the cheese into half or quarters for a better fit.
Turn the heat up to medium-high and add a little more olive oil to the pan if needed, plus sprinkle the meat with more salt and pepper. Sauté the shaved beef until browned on the outside for 6+ minutes. The meat doesn't have to be cooked all the way through on the inside since it's still getting baked in the oven and will finish cooking.
Add the minced garlic and sauté the onion beef mixture for 1 more minute and then add the vegetable mixture back into the pan.
We purchased the shaved beef at Trader Joes and it is FABULOUS for Philly cheesesteak stuffed peppers. Hopefully, your grocery store carries something similar, or hopefully, you live near Trader Joes? (I swear I've gained 10 pounds since our Trader Joes opened, but that's a different story for another day...)
BY CHANCE you're substituting a type of meat with a lot of liquid-like ground beef, be sure to drain it before adding the vegetable mixture back into the pan.
Add the cooked meat mixture to each pepper halves, and go ahead and pile up those toppings. Make sure you fill the peppers and press it down into the bottom corners, we sure don't want any parts of the pepper without the savory meat mix!
Sprinkle more salt and pepper over the top of each pepper and add another slice of provolone cheese over the top.
Bake
Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. You'll want to "tent" the foil so it doesn't stick to the cheese while making sure the foil is firmly sealed around the edges to help steam the peppers.
Remove the foil and bake 15 more minutes, or until the green pepper is cooked through and can easily be pierced with a fork.
Garnish with parsley if desired.
Yum! Dig in and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Prep the ingredients before you get started since the veggie meat mix cooks fast
- Cut back to one slice of cheese per pepper instead of two, if desired
- Swap the steak for sliced chicken breast for variety
- Use ground beef instead of steak
- Double the recipe for lunches later in the week
- Use a sharp knife to cut into baked cheesesteak peppers, otherwise, it'll fall apart easier if you are slicing back and forth with a dull knife.
- You can choose any of your favorite cheeses, however, we found provolone (the traditional choice!), swiss, pepper jack, and American cheese work the best with these keto Philly cheesesteak peppers!
Common Questions
Are Philly stuffed peppers keto?
You might be thinking, duh, these must be ketogenic or she wouldn't have called the recipe keto cheesesteak stuffed peppers 😉
If you've been wondering how many carbs are in a Philly cheesesteak stuffed bell peppers, you'll be happy to hear that each of the peppers only has 4.68 net carbs!
- Calories: 409
- Fat: 30 grams
- Net carbs (4.68)- Carbs 5.9, fiber 1.22
- Protein 30 grams
Can I freeze Philly cheese stuffed peppers?
Yes! These make the perfect meal to double and save for later, whether it be for another night's dinner or to take to lunch. I like to prep the keto cheesesteak stuffed peppers but do NOT bake them. You'll pull them out from the freezer and then bake when it's time. You'll also want to add about 15 minutes to the cooking time.
When freezing peppers, the ice will increase the moisture content in the peppers, which means they'll be a little runnier compared to baking them fresh. The taste will be just as delicious!
Can I swap the steak for another type of meat?
While our favorite type of meat is pre-sliced shaved beef, you can substitute other types of meat too. Pre-sliced stir fry meat or thinly sliced steak works great.
If you want to substitute ground beef, you'll need to drain the liquid from the pan before adding the vegetable mixture back in. Otherwise, you might end up with way too much liquid for your cheesesteak peppers.
Shredded or sliced chicken, ground chicken, or ground turkey are options also. In my opinion, poultry doesn't have as much natural flavor as beef so I recommend you increase the salt, pepper, and maybe even add a splash of Worcestershire.
How do I make these Philly cheesesteak peppers low-fat?
You might be balking at using 2 slices of provolone cheese for each pepper half. I hear ya! The traditional cheesesteak is very cheesy and gooey! Feel free to put half of a slice of provolone in the bottom of each pepper instead of a full slice.
What to Serve with Philly cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers??
Since you get your carbs, protein, and fat all in one sitting, you don't want a heavy side dish. Usually, the "extras" go on the Philly cheesesteak. Nevertheless, here are some recommendations for stuffed pepper sides:
- Cucumber salad
- Kale Ceasar salad
- Refreshing coleslaw
- easy green salad
- cauliflower rice
- low carb fruit
More Keto Bell Pepper Recipes You'll Love
- Keto stuffed peppers
- Baked salsa chicken
- Instant pot Italian sausage and peppers
- best stuffed pepper recipes
- Italian sausage stuffed peppers (swap the rice for cauliflower rice)
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Keto Philly Cheesesteak Peppers
Delicious Philly cheesesteak stuffed peppers filled with all of your favorite Philly ingredients and baked in a green bell pepper. The stuffed peppers are also low carb, keto, and gluten free.
Ingredients
- 3 green bell peppers
- 8 oz button mushrooms
- 1 cup yellow onion, sliced
- 12 slices provolone cheese
- 1 lb shaved beef, stir fry meat, or thinly sliced steak
- ยฝ teaspoon sea salt
- ยผ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoon garlic cloves, minnced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 and position the oven rack to the center position.
- Prep the ingredients by slicing the onions and mushrooms. Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds white membrane.
- Turn a burner to medium heat and heat the olive oil. Add the onion, mushrooms, salt and pepper to the pan and cook through, about 8 minutes. Remove the vegetables to the side.
- Add more olive oil to the pan, if needed, along with a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and saute the shaved beef for 6 minutes until browned on the outside. It's ok if the inside isn't cooked through since the meat will finish cooking during baking.
- Stir in the minced garlic and cook 1 more minute. Add the onion/mushroom mixture back to the pan.
- Put the pepper halves in the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan.
- Put a slice of provolone cheese in the bottom of each pepper half.
- Fill the pepper with the cooked vegetable/meat mixture and sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper.
- Place a slice of cheese on the top of each pepper.
- Cover the pan with foil, making sure to tent it slightly in the center so the cheese doesn't stick. Be sure the sides of the pan are still sealed.
- Bake the philly cheesesteak peppers for 30 minutes and then remove the foil.
- Continue baking for 20 more minutes, or until the peppers are cooked through and can be easily pieced with a fork.
- Garnish with parsley (optional)
- Serve immediately and enjoy the keto philly cheese steak peppers!
Notes
- Prep the ingredients before you get started since the veggie meat mix cooks fast
- Cut back to one slice of cheese per pepper instead of two, if desired
- Swap the steak for sliced chicken breast for variety
- Double the recipe for lunches later in the week
- While Provolone is the traditional choice, feel free to try swiss, Monterey Jack, or any other white cheese you love
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Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1 pepper halfAmount Per Serving Calories 409Total Fat 30gCarbohydrates 5.9gFiber 1.2gSugar 4gProtein 30g
The nutritional information is an estimate and can vary based on the type of brands you purchase. We recommend calculating this yourself manually.
Florence says
Hi! I'm planning to bake only 1 bell pepper (2 servings) at a time, and freeze the other 2 peppers. How long would that take in the oven (1 pepper at a time)? Thanks!
WholeLottaYum says
I would think the cooking time would be the same but why not double-check 5-8 mins early just in case?
erin says
My mom does this But she bakes them all at the same Time. then freezes them, then just reheats them when she wants to eat them.