With marinara sauce, gooey mozzarella cheese, and turkey pepperoni, Pizza Stuffed Peppers have all the flavor of your favorite pizza but with a ton more veggies and a lot fewer carbs!
Preheat oven to 375F. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil in the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch casserole dish. Put the red bell pepper halves (cut side up) into the casserole dish and roast for 20 minutes. Use a pair of tongs to pick up each piece and drain off any water inside. Return the pepper halves to the dish (cut side up) and set aside for now.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large, deep skillet over medium-high to high heat. Once hot, add the pepperoni and cook until starting to crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pepperoni to a paper towel-lined plate.
Add the chicken, mushrooms, zucchini, onion, green bell pepper, and garlic to same skillet. Cook until the chicken is fully cooked and the veggies are softened, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the marinara sauce, Italian herb seasoning, salt, black pepper, anise seeds, fennel seeds, and nutmeg. Bring up to a boil and cook until thickened, about 5 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the crisped pepperoni.
Spoon the filling into the red bell pepper halves.
Top each red bell pepper half with 1 slice of mozzarella cheese and bake at 375F until the cheese is melted and they’re warm throughout, about 10 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle the parsley on top and serve.
Notes
Net Carbs: 13g per serving (2 stuffed pepper halves)
Anise, Fennel, and Nutmeg: I added these three spices to give this a sausage-type flavor because I love sausage on my pizza! You can omit these spices if you want, or use bulk Italian sausage instead of ground chicken.
Fresh Mozzarella Cheese Substitute: If you don’t have fresh mozzarella, you can instead use any type of mozzarella (use shredded for a time-saver). Use up to 1 pound, or to cut the calories, use 8 ounces of shredded cheese divided evenly on top of each stuffed pepper half.
Storage: Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat Pizza Stuffed Peppers in the microwave, or in a casserole dish covered with foil in a 350F oven until warm.
Freezer-Friendly: Make this dish up through Step 5 above and freeze for up to 3 months. The night before you want to make it, thaw it at room temperature overnight and then continue with the recipe.
Pre-Cooking the Peppers: Pre-cooking the peppers before stuffing them is personal preference. If you don't pre-cook them, the peppers will be a lot less tender with more crunch.