Chicken Meatloaf Stuffed Peppers have a cheesy, healthy filling that your family will beg for! We'll show you all the tricks to make them fast so you can put them on repeat.

2 cooked chicken meatloaf stuffed peppers on a plate with a fork.

You may have seen ground chicken stuffed peppers in the fresh meat section at the grocery store. They're all the rage at Publix. They're also a popular make ahead and freeze recipe. Our family-friendly version is naturally lower in carbs and gluten-free.

While we never made them at our stores, I have been using our cheesy ground chicken meatloaf recipe to make all types of variations:

Using baby bell peppers - so cute and would be perfect for young kids or as an appetizer.
Using uncooked meat - freeze some for later.
Using leftover meatloaf- super fast and easy to make.
Jack-O-Lanterns - much easier than carving a pumpkin!

My mantra: keep healthy meatloaf in the freezer and you always have a dinner plan. It's so easy to transform it into something totally new!

2 cooked orange bell peppers with a jack-o-latern face cut into them.

Ingredients and Variations

If you have some meatloaf tucked in the freezer, then this recipe becomes a 3 ingredient dish! If you don't, here's what you'll need:

Bell peppers - Green, yellow, orange, red or any color in between! The color changes as they ripen and so does the taste. Green peppers are bitter and red ones are the sweetest. But, the yellow and orange ones are THE BEST in my opinion. Both standard-sized and baby bell peppers will work. But, you will need to adjust the cooking time.
Ground chicken - Ground chicken does not give off much fat while it cooks so you won't have to deal with excess liquid. I usually use ground chicken breast and turkey would work as well. I have not tried it with ground beef. If you try this variation, poke a little hole in the bottom so there is a place for the juices to run out.
Meatloaf mix-ins - the rest of the ingredients: oatmeal, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, ketchup, egg, and basil. Substitute breadcrumbs for oatmeal if desired.

Other meatloaf variations to try:

And, if you want to use beef instead, check out Meatloaf Stuffed Peppers by Mostly Homemade Mom!

How to Cut Bell Peppers for Stuffing

Traditionally, stuffed peppers have the top cut off. But, they can also be cut in half through the stem. It takes less time to cook them the second way!

Either way, use a paring knife to remove the white center and seeds. If the bottoms are uneven and you want them to stand upright, just slice off a little bit!

The tops can be used or discarded.

Picture of a red pepper cut down the middle and an orange pepper with the top cut off.

How to Soften Bell Peppers

Take this extra step to soften the peppers before you stuff them, particularly if the peppers have a short cook time. Otherwise, they may be a little too crisp. The cooking time will be cut in half if you use baby bell peppers, cut the pepper in half through the stem, or start with cooked meatloaf.

It's very easy to do. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the peppers (and tops if you're using them) so they are covered. Boil for about 3 minutes and then remove with tongs.

Tongs pulling an orange bell pepper out of a pot of boiling water.

Cooking Time Variations

The cooking time varies depending upon the type of pepper, how it's cut, and whether the meat is cooked. As always, we suggest using a meat thermometer to achieve the perfect result. The internal temperature should be 165 °F.

All of these times are approximations for cooking the stuffed peppers at 350 °F. The exact time will vary depending upon your stove.

Standard Bell Pepper, top cut off, uncooked meat: 50 minutes
Standard Bell Pepper, top cut off, cooked meat: 30 minutes
Standard Bell Pepper, cut in half through lengthwise, uncooked meat: 30 minutes.
Standard Bell Pepper, cut in half lengthwise, cooked meat, 20 minutes.
Baby Bell Peppers, top cut off, uncooked meat 30 minutes.
Baby Bell Peppers, top cut off, cooked meat 20 minutes.

It will also take a few extra minutes if you cook with the top on!

Low-Carb Tips

Make this recipe even lower in carbs with these adjustments:

Use sugar-free ketchup.
Replace oatmeal with low-carb breadcrumbs. One option is to make your own using one of the no-carb loaves of bread.

Plate of cooked baby bell peppers stuffed with leftover meatloaf.

Make-Ahead and Freezer Tips

Peppers are very freezer friendly and so is meatloaf. So, you better believe that these chicken meatloaf stuffed peppers are too!

Soften the peppers, fill them, and then place them in a casserole style dish or tin. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and then wrap it in plastic wrap. Be sure to label it!

For the best quality, enjoy them within 2 months of freezing. Remove them from the freezer to the refrigerator to defrost overnight and then cook as you normally would.

Are you ready to sit down and devour these Chicken Meatloaf Stuffed Peppers? It's easy! Just use a fork and knife. The tender sides of the pepper are easy to cut. So enjoy!

Red and Orange bell peppers stuffed with chicken meatloaf.

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