Quick Summary: Quick Summary: Bell peppers stuffed with seasoned pork, cauliflower rice, chutney, and harissa, cooked low and slow until the flavors fully meld. The crockpot method infuses the stuffing more thoroughly than oven or microwave. Prep: 20 min | Cook: 4 hrs | Serves: 4
Jump To: RECIPE | Boosting Flavor | Cooking Tips | Ingredient Substitutions | How to Make It | FAQ
Stuffed peppers are endlessly adaptable, which is why they’ve stayed popular for generations. This version layers ground pork with cauliflower rice, mushrooms, a fruit chutney, and spicy harissa, then slow cooks until everything melds together. I tested this recipe three times before landing on the crockpot method. It takes longer than the oven, but the low and slow cooking infuses the stuffing with the harissa and chutney flavors in a way faster methods can’t match.
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Using Chutneys to Boost Flavor
Chutneys are often found either in Indian dishes or as a spread on cheese trays. Chutney can often add a savory note to a variety of dishes, giving each dish a more complex flavor profile, and enhancing those comfort foods we gravitate toward in the cold weather.
A few cold-weather examples where chutneys could boost flavor would include meat pies, chili, or savory squash dishes. Chutneys could be used to enhance the flavor of quinoa or grains.
Any time of the year, chutneys make a wonderful low-carb spread to include on cheese trays, and this post can help with ideas specific to cheese plates or grazing tables.
Tips for Cooking Stuffed Peppers in the Crockpot
While there are recipes for low-carb stuffed peppers made in the microwave, the oven, or the Instapot, I found that the chutney and harissa flavors of this recipe infused more thoroughly into the stuffing under low and slow cooking (i.e., the crockpot).
I made this dish three times before I could achieve the result I was looking for, and I’ve included a video in the recipe that gives you tips on what I learned through these tests.
Here are a few of those tips specific to cooking in the crockpot:
- Most importantly, use a sharp knife or a toothpick to poke some holes in the bottom of the peppers so that some of the water from the fleshy parts of the peppers will drain into the crockpot rather than onto your plate when served;
- Fill the peppers fully and to the edges. The stuffing will shrink a bit from the sides as it cooks;
- Decide how you want to cut the peppers. I tried cutting the peppers length-wise (basically halved) rather than standing up with just their tops cut off. While it makes a more visually appealing dish with the peppers cut lengthwise, you can’t fit as many in the crockpot and you end up with too much stuffing left over.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Stuffed peppers are very easy to modify to a specific diet or palate, and still end up with a successful, tasty dish. Modifications can take this dish from low-carb to carb-rich, from protein-centrist to vegetarian, from Mexican to Indian, etc. Here are my favorite substitutions:
- For the protein: Good substitutions for ground pork might include ground beef, ground turkey, or beans if you are plant-based.
- For the vegetables: I used squash, mushrooms, and onions but you could easily use cauliflower rice, zucchini noodles, or grains like quinoa or rice if you don’t want to be low-carb compliant.
- For the chutney: I used a red pepper and apple chutney but any of the chutneys with late summer or Fall fruit would work. A plum chutney or a cranberry chutney would be wonderful.
- For the spice: If you purchase harissa paste, know that they vary quite a bit in the degree of heat. Some are extremely hot. Several Mexican spice blends (smoked chipotle, enchilada blends, etc.) would work well. Curry paste would also be a good option.
- For the picante sauce: It would be easy to substitute salsa or tomato puree for the picante sauce.
How to Make Low-Carb Stuffed Peppers
The ingredient and recipe details are listed in the recipe card below. In short, mix raw ground pork with cauliflower rice, mushrooms, garlic, and a harissa-picante-onion blend. Cut the tops off bell peppers, poke drainage holes in the bottoms, and fill each pepper with the stuffing. Top with chutney and cheese, then slow cook on low for about 4 hours.
FAQ
Peppers release water as they cook. Without drainage holes, that liquid pools inside the pepper and makes the stuffing soggy. A few small holes let it drain into the crockpot instead.
Yes, but it won’t be low-carb. Cooked rice or quinoa works well if you’re not watching carbs. Use about the same volume as the cauliflower rice called for.
It varies widely by brand. Some are mild, others are extremely hot. Taste your harissa before adding the full amount. Start with half if you’re unsure and add more to taste.
Yes. Bake at 375°F for about 45 minutes to an hour. The flavors won’t meld quite as thoroughly, but it’s a good option if you’re short on time.
Any fruit-based chutney with some sweetness and acidity. Red pepper and apple chutney is what I used, but plum, cranberry, or mango chutney would all work.
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Low-Carb Crockpot Stuffed Peppers Layered with Chutney & Harissa
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup Picante Sauce or salsa of your choice
- ¼ cup Harissa paste
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 pound ground pork sausage or ground beef or ground turkey
- 1 cup cauliflower rice alternatively use cooked butternut squash
- ¾ cup chopped mushrooms
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper to taste
- 4-5 bell peppers
- 4 tablespoons Chutney
- 1 ¼ cups shredded Gouda cheese or your favorite melting cheese
- sour cream and green onion optional, for toppings
Instructions
- In a medium sized bowl, stir together the Picante sauce, the harissa and the chopped onions. Microwave for 3-5 minutes to soften onions (don't saute onions, as that is too much grease or oil to add to peppers).1/2 cup Picante Sauce, 1/4 cup Harissa paste, 1 onion
- In large bowl, mix together uncooked ground pork, cauliflower rice, mushrooms, minced garlic, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Stir in the onion/picante/harissa mix.1 pound ground pork sausage, 1 cup cauliflower rice, 3/4 cup chopped mushrooms, 3 garlic cloves, 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- Cut the tops off of the peppers and remove seeds, stem and membranes. With a sharp paring knife or smaller knife, pierce the bottom of each pepper with about 4-5 small holes so that the water from the pepper membranes will drain into the crockpot rather than onto your plate upon serving.4-5 bell peppers
- Place pepper shells in slow cooker/crockpot and fill peppers almost to the top with stuffing mixture. Make sure and fill fully to the sides of the peppers, as the stuffing will shrink a bit upon cooking. Then place 1 Tbsp chutney on top of mixture and sprinkle some of the shredded cheese on top.4 tablespoons Chutney, 1 1/4 cups shredded Gouda cheese
- Turn crockpot on low and cook for about 4 hours. Garnish with sour cream and minced green onions.sour cream and green onion
Video
My husband isn’t a fan of bell peppers, but I’m thinking this stuffing might be really good in squash. Since squash are happily also plentiful at this time of year, I think I’ll try that. I’m thinking acorn squash would work well, and I might even use ground pork instead of ground beef just because I already have some in the freezer and since cranberry is always good with pork. Now, that makes me think about using ground turkey; hmm… Thanks for stimulating some new ideas!
Ah-h, that sounds good with acorn squash Cyndy! The first trial of these I put squash inside of the peppers along with everything else, but the squash flavor got lost with all the other strong flavors. I like your idea of using squash as both the stuffer and the stuffing. Let me know how it turns out!
[…] foray into using chutneys in main dishes for enhanced flavor. Earlier I posted a recipe for crock pot stuffed peppers with quinoa and chutney that was really successful on our family table. Do you have any favorite […]