These Sheet Pan Loaded Bell Pepper Nachos are packed with all your favorite flavors and fun toppings making them the perfect low carb appetizer to enjoy on game day!
The Super Bowl is just a few days away and I wanted to share one of my favorite go-to appetizers that are a much healthier option than your classic nachos! These loaded bell pepper nachos have all the things you love about this delicious finger food, except with less carbs. Colorful mini rainbow peppers take the place of “tortilla chips” all topped with seasoned beef, melty cheese, and loads of fun toppings all on one sheet pan. The peppers are perfectly tender, but still have a nice crunch when you bite into them so I promise you won’t miss those tortilla chips and you can enjoy these without the guilt!
These nachos are not only a great game day snack, but you could also make these as an appetizer for Taco Tuesday night or even enjoy this as a main course. Your kids will even enjoy eating these, you may just want to adjust the toppings to their liking.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- mini rainbow peppers – I love using these little sweet peppers and they are perfect for taking the place of tortilla chips. If you can’t find mini peppers, simply slice up some larger bell peppers and those will work great
- ground beef – I used 93% lean ground beef in this recipe, but you could also use ground turkey, ground chicken or even shredded chicken!
- garlic -I LOVE using fresh garlic in my recipes, but feel free to use a teaspoon of garlic powder if that’s all you have on hand
- seasonings – I used a delicious combination of chili powder, cumin, oregano, onion powder and salt, but if you already have a favorite taco seasoning, feel free to just add two tablespoons of that!
- salsa – any salsa will work so just use your favorite or whatever salsa you have sitting in your fridge or pantry. This is an easy way to add tons of flavor to the ground beef!
- shredded cheese – I used a combination of Colby and Monterey Jack shredded cheese, but you could use shredded Mexican, Cheddar or any other type of melty cheese!
- toppings – this is where you can have fun! I topped these nachos with fresh chopped tomatoes, sliced black olives, jalapeños and cilantro with a drizzle of sour cream, but you could also add shredded lettuce, onions, guacamole, or avocado slices. If you’re not trying to keep these low carb you could also add black beans and corn to the beef mixture which would taste delicious!
How to Make Bell Pepper Nachos
- Do all of your chopping. Slice the mini peppers in half (removing all the seeds from the inside) and arrange them in a single layer on a sheet pan sprayed with a little non-stick spray (or you could use foil). I also like to go ahead and chop up all of my toppings at this time too like the tomatoes, jalapeños, and cilantro so they’re ready to go when these come out of the oven! You can also easily chop everything the night before and whip this up in just minutes right before serving.
- Make the taco filling. In a large skillet over medium heat, start browning the ground beef (or you could use turkey or chicken) and drain any excess liquid. Add the garlic and all of your seasonings, mixing well, then stir in that delicious salsa. Continue cooking the meat for about 5 more minutes so that all those flavors can really come through!
- Top your nachos and bake! Spoon the beef filling evenly on top of all the bell peppers, really making sure you fill up the insides of the peppers. Top with shredded cheese and bake in the oven at 400 degrees F for about 10 to 12 minutes, until cheese is all melted and peppers are nice and tender.
- Have fun with toppings. Once out of the oven, top your nachos with ALL the fixings! Fresh tomatoes, olive slices, spicy jalapeños, cilantro and sour cream are just a few ideas, but make this to your liking! Enjoy while these bell pepper nachos while they’re fresh out of the oven!
Keto-Friendly Nachos
I love making these bell pepper nachos because they are the perfect keto-friendly snack! Make sure to have fun with your toppings, but remember that the carbs do start adding up so keep that in mind if you’re trying to keep these nachos low in carbs. Other low carb toppings include shredded lettuce, sliced avocados, guacamole, extra salsa, green or red onions, mushrooms and fresh cilantro. Also, if you want these REALLY low in carbs, feel free to cut back on some of the toppings that I added. I want you to make this to your liking!
More Game Day Recipes
- Sticky Honey Garlic Cauliflower Wings
- Hot Italian Sliders
- Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan Brussels Sprouts
- Baked Crab Cake Balls with Sriracha Dipping Sauce
- Skinny Buffalo Chicken Bites
- 7 Layer Taco Dip
Hope you all enjoy these Sheet Pan Loaded Bell Pepper Nachos and if you love this as much as we do, please leave me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using the hashtag #eatyourselfskinny! I love seeing all your delicious recreations!
Sheet Pan Loaded Bell Pepper Nachos
Ingredients
For the Nachos:
- 1 lb bag mini rainbow peppers, sliced in half with seeds removed
- 1 lb 90% ground beef, you could also use ground turkey or chicken
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup chunky salsa
- 1 cup Colby jack or Mexican cheese, shredded
Toppings:
- 1/2 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 cup sliced black olives
- 1 or 2 jalapeños, sliced
- 1 to 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
- Other additional toppings: sour cream, avocado, guacamole
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and arrange mini bell pepper halves in a single layer on a sheet pan sprayed with nonstick spray or lined with foil. Set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, cook ground ground beef until it begins to crumble and brown, draining any excess liquid. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, onion powder and salt and continue cooking until meat is browned and completely cooked. Stir in the salsa and continue cooking 5 more minutes until heated through.
- Spoon the ground beef mixture evenly onto the peppers, making sure to cover each one, then sprinkle with shredded cheese.
- Bake peppers in the oven for about 10 to 12 minutes, until peppers are tender and cheese is melted. Remove from oven and top with tomatoes, black olives, jalapeños, cilantro and sour cream, if desired. Enjoy while warm!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
amazing !! this is something new for me, good creativity.
These were incredibly delicious!! I used sweet mini peppers, prepped them in the morning, and popped them in the oven this afternoon. We loved them!
very creative ingredient swap! Would never have thought of bell peppers, great idea! I can live without the nacho chips but miss all the rest when I’m avoiding carbs so, much appreciated!
been making it this way for years..yummy