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You are going to love these Spinach Artichoke Stuffed peppers! They are quick to make and full of flavor, creamy and delicious, plus the chicken adds significant protein to this low carb, keto-friendly meal.
Satisfying and filling, they’re a great option for a weeknight meal. You can even make them ahead of time for those days when you’re stretched for time.
I like to serve them with a salad or a side of green beans. If you’re not concerned about the carbs these are lovely over a bed of quinoa.
Why you’ll love this recipe!
- Low-carb and keto-friendly.
- Colorful and creative.
- Satisfying and Delicious!
Key Ingredients
- Bell Peppers – Any color will do. I prefer to keep it colorful with red, orange, yellow, or even purple peppers.
- Cheese – This creamy base of your pepper filling makes your meal rich and flavorful. I typically use the 1/3 less fat cream cheese to keep it from feeling too heavy. Fresh parmesan cheese is best and has the most flavor.
- Chicken – Chicken breast is healthiest for this recipe. You can cut cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces, or shred it for more even distribution in the filling. For a short cut, use a store-bought rotisserie chicken.
- Artichoke hearts – These come in a can or a jar, and are available just about anywhere. For this recipe, you don’t want a marinated version. If you need an alternative, heart of palm works as a perfect substitute.
- Spinach – Fresh is easiest. Frozen spinach can be used, but you’ll need t thaw it completely and squeeze out all the extra water, which can take a little longer.
How To Make Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Peppers
This is an overview of the instructions, be sure to see the recipe card for all the details.
- Add the cream cheese, yogurt, mayo, garlic, parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, swiss cheese, and pepper to a bowl, then stir well to combine.
- Add the chicken, artichoke, and spinach.
- Stir again until everything is well incorporated.
- Put the peppers in a 9 x 13 casserole dish, and fill the peppers generously with the filling. Add 1 cup of water to the bottom of the dish, cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
To finish them off, you can add a sprinkle of fresh parmesan cheese on top and place them under a broiler for 1-2 minutes to melt and brown the cheese just slightly. But this is completely optional!
When I have my people gathered around the table anxious for dinner, we just serve them up and add a little parmesan cheese to the top.
Expert Tips
- Slicing the peppers in half lengthwise makes them easier to fill and eat. Be sure to remove all the seeds and white internal parts of the pepper before filling.
- You may have some filling leftover depending on the size of your peppers and how you cut them. If you do, it makes a fabulous dip! This means it can be a great appetizer at your next party or potluck. You can add it to smaller peppers and bake just before the event for mild mini-poppers, or keep it as a dip to use with some crackers or other veggies.
- If all you have is frozen spinach instead of fresh, this will be perfectly fine. Frozen works just as well as fresh in this recipe. Just make sure you thaw it first before adding to the mix. You’ll need to squeeze out all the excess water if using the frozen variety. Using a paper towel works best for getting all the moisture out.
Frequently Asked Questions
There’s not a specific measurement of salt in this recipe because the salt content is dependent upon a few things:
-Cheese can be salty, so adding salt depends on how much salt is already present in your chosen cheeses and your other ingredients. Try the filling before scooping it into the peppers, then add salt from there to avoid oversalting it.
-If you cooked the chicken with salt, you may not need any more for your filling. If your chicken wasn’t salted, you may want to add some.
-If you used rotisserie chicken for the recipe, it was likely already well-salted. This means you may not need to add any salt to your recipe.
-Saltiness is largely a matter of personal preference. Again, you’ll want to taste your filling once all your ingredients are combined. Then you can decide to add small amounts of salt at a time and mix until it tastes right.
No, you do not need to cook the peppers first. They will be crisp-tender after the oven time. If you want a much softer pepper, you can pre-cook them by blanching them in boiling water for 2-3 minutes.
Here are a few side dishes that go well:
–Spaghetti Squash
–Arkansas Green Beans
–Asparagus
–Brussels Sprouts
Storing and Freezing
Surprisingly, spinach artichoke stuffed peppers freeze exceptionally well.
They can be made in advance and popped into the freezer for the week ahead, or they can be baked first and then frozen. Either way, place them in storage containers made for freezing, or in freezer bags.
To reheat or bake your peppers for the first time, remove them from the freezer and defrost them in the fridge for about 24 hours.
For initial baking, simply complete the cooking instructions in the recipe. If you’re reheating previously baked peppers, toss them in the oven at 350 for 8-10 minutes to heat through.
Personally, I prefer to bake them first, cool completely, and then package them up for freezing. In my opinion, they turn out better this way.
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Chicken, Spinach & Artichoke Stuffed Peppers
Equipment
- 9×13 casserole dish
- sharp knife
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt nonfat, plain
- ¼ cup mayonnaise light or regular
- 2 garlic cloves minced or pressed
- ⅔ cups parmesan cheese grated, plus more for garnish
- ¼ cup mozzarella cheese grated
- ¼ cup swiss cheese grated
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups cooked chicken breast cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 can artichoke hearts drained and roughly chopped
- 1 cup fresh spinach roughly chopped
- 3 bell peppers any color, sliced in half lengthwise, seeds removed
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- In a medium-size bowl, combine cream cheese, yogurt, mayo, garlic, parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, swiss cheese, and pepper.
- Stir well until all ingredients are incorporated.
- Add chicken, artichoke, and spinach, stir to combine.
- Add salt if needed.
- Put the peppers in a 9 x 13 casserole dish, and fill them generously with the filling.
- Add 1 cup of water to the bottom of the casserole dish.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the foil, add a little grated parmesan cheese to the top of each pepper. Optional: Place the peppers under a broiler for 1-2 minutes to melt and brown the cheese just slightly.
Notes
- Slicing the peppers in half lengthwise makes them easier to fill and eat.
- You may have some filling leftover depending on the size of your peppers and how you cut them. If you do, it makes a fabulous dip!
- You can use rotisserie chicken as a shortcut.
- There is not a specific measurement of salt in this recipe because it is dependent on a few things: 1) Cheese can be salty, so you don’t want to overdo it. 2) If you cooked your chicken with salt, the recipe may not need more, if you didn’t, it might. 3)If you use rotisserie chicken, it probably won’t need additional salt. Just taste and decide.
- You can use frozen spinach that has been thawed in place of fresh spinach. You’ll need to squeeze out all the excess water. Using a paper towel works best for getting all the moisture out.
Nutrition
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To adapt this recipe to the crockpot, here’s what I would do:
Prepare everything up until the cooking. Instead of using a 9×13 pan, use the crockpot. Add 1/2 cup of water to the bottom of the slow cooker, put the stuffed peppers in. Cover, and cook on low for 3-4 hours, or high for 2-3 hours. Since everything is already cooked in this recipe, it only needs to be warm enough to eat. My crockpot automatically turns to ‘warm’ after its cooking time, which is why I like it so much. That way I don’t have to worry about food getting overcooked if it doesn’t take a full day to cook. If your crockpot doesn’t have this feature, then just cook it on low and see how it goes. If you try this, please come back and let me know how it works out for you!
Do you have any recipe you can do in the crock pot