These cheesy gluten-free stuffed peppers are a simple and satisfying dinner with big flavor in every bite. The peppers roast and become soft and tender while the savory filling cooks with a melty layer of gooey cheese. Best of all, this cozy meal is ready in just 30 minutes. It’s perfect for busy nights when you want something hearty and homemade.
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❤️ Sandi’s Recipe Summary
The Quick Bite: This gluten-free stuffed pepper recipe is a great budget recipe that is quick and easy to make. They are easy to prepare in advance and bake later. Use ground turkey, beef, or chicken.
This recipe is like my turkey meatloaf, but baked in bell peppers for extra juiciness and flavor! If you want a juicy, easy-to-prepare family meal, this is a great recipe to make. It can be made ahead of time easily, frozen for later meals, and you can vary the flavors easily.
My family takes dinner seriously here, so if you need more dinner inspiration, check out some of these gluten free dinner recipes.
I am thrilled that you used turkey instead of beef or other meat because it gives such
hannah, blog comment
flavor and I love it! Sundried tomatoes are a bonus and it sold the recipe! 😀
Great one! I would eat it every day, a great mix of veggies and meat.
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Ground Meat – I used ground turkey, but you can also use ground beef, pork, or chicken!
- Bell Peppers – These are the vessels that hold your meat! Use any color you can find. Red, yellow, and orange bell peppers are a little sweeter than green peppers. Mr. Fearless Dining loves stuffed green peppers better, but the kids like sweeter yellow and red peppers :-).
- Gluten Free Bread Crumbs or Panko – Either works well or get creative and try smooshed gluten free pretzels! You can also make homemade Gluten Free Bread Crumbs.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes – I love Trader Joe’s in the olive oil. Make sure the ones you use are not too tough.
- Shredded Cheese – I used a Mexican blend, but you can use cheddar or mozzarella.
If you love bell pepper flavor, try this Unstuffed Pepper Soup recipe.
How to Make Gluten-Free Stuffed Peppers (Step-By-Step)
Step 1: Wash your bell peppers. Using a sharp knife, cut around the stem about 1 inch from the stem. Lift the top off and pull out the seeds to hollow the inside. The other option is to cut the pepper in half lengthwise, then remove the seeds and stem from each half.
Step 2: Make the meat filling. Add ground turkey, egg, gluten free panko, scallions, cheese, and sun-dried tomatoes to a large
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Step 3: This is a photo of the mixed meat filling.
Step 4: Add a large spoonful of the gluten-free meat mixture to the bell peppers. Fill each pepper up.
Step 5: Sprinkle more shredded cheese on top of each pepper. Place in an 8×8 dish if you are making four whole stuffed peppers, as I did, or use a 9×13 baking dish if you cut your peppers in half.
Step 6: Place the gluten-free stuffed peppers in a baking pan and bake at 375°F for 30-35 minutes. The peppers’ size determines how long your recipe will need to bake. If your bell peppers are tall, you will need to bake them for longer.
A good way to test to see if the peppers are done baking is to insert a digital meat thermometer into each pepper. The internal temperature should be 165º F if you are making turkey or 160º F if you use ground beef.
What kind of gluten free panko is best?
There are several great gluten free panko brands out there. Ian’s, 4C, and Kikkoman both make gluten free ones.
👀 Sandi Says: If you can’t find gluten free panko, you can use regular gluten free breadcrumbs or make these gluten free bread crumbs from scratch.
Frequently Asked Questions
In this stuffed pepper recipe, you can use any ground meat you like, such as ground beef, bison, pork, or chicken.
For this recipe, you do not have to brown the meat before stuffing the peppers. In fact, the flavors all blend while cooking together, and it is much better if you cook the meat inside the bell peppers.
You can easily make these stuffed peppers gluten free by using dairy-free cheese. I prefer VioLife or Daiya dairy-free cheese.
If you want a little spicier twist, why not try this stuffed poblano peppers recipe?
More Kid-Friendly Dinner Recipes:
Here are some of our family’s favorite gluten free dinner recipes.
- This homemade Guten-Free Fried Chicken recipe is one of the most popular on the blog, and for a good reason: it is crisp and delicious.
- This mild Gluten-Free Curried Chicken Pot Pie is a big hit for dinner.
- Kids love this delicious, cheesy Gluten-Free Ziti Casserole. It is just like lasagna, but with pasta.
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Gluten Free Stuffed Peppers
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey breast meat is leanest
- 4 bell peppers top and seeds removed
- 2 tablespoons sun dried tomatoes in olive oil
- ¼ cup Mexican blend or cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup gluten free panko * see note
- ⅓ cup chopped scallions
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black ground pepper
- ⅓ cup fresh cilantro chopped
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375º F.
- In a large bowl, combine 1 pound ground turkey, 2 tablespoons sun dried tomatoes in olive oil, 1/4 cup Mexican blend or cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup gluten free panko, 1/3 cup chopped scallions, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 1/4 teaspoon black ground pepper, and 1/3 cup fresh cilantro. (Everything except the peppers.)
- Wash 4 bell peppers. Use a knife to carefully remove the tops and remove the seeds. You can also cut the peppers in half and remove the seeds if you prefer.
- Scoop stuffing into each pepper then top with more cheese.
- Put in a baking dish and bake for 30-40 minutes until done. Baking time will vary by the size and depth of the peppers.
- Use a meat thermometer to test the internal temperature. For ground turkey or chicken fillings, you want the internal temperature to be 165º F. For ground beef the internal temperature should read 160º F.
Notes
- You can use any ground meat for this stuffed peppers recipe. We have used ground beef, pork, and chicken.
- You can use any color bell pepper. Red, orange, and yellow peppers tend to be sweeter than green peppers.
- To make this recipe dairy-free, use dairy-free cheese like Daiya.
- You can use gluten free panko, bread crumbs, or something fun like crushed pretzels or corn tortilla chips. You can also make your own gluten free bread crumbs.
- You do not have to blanch the peppers before stuffing them.
- Test the peppers to see if they are done baking by inserting a meat thermometer into a pepper. If the pepper is 165º F, your peppers are finished baking.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
(*This recipe was updated from an older March 2015 post.)
I truly hope you enjoy this recipe. I have been testing and creating gluten-free recipes for over 15 years. Creating gluten-free recipes that do not taste gluten-free is my goal for every recipe. Sometimes I only have to test a new recipe a couple of times, and others it takes multiple times. I do this so you get reliable, delicious results every time!
Trying not to heat up my kitchen this summer. Do you think you could microwave these?
Hi Nancy, That is a great question, but I really don’t know the answer. Do you have an air fryer? You can cook these in that to prevent heating the house. Or a toaster oven.