No bread? No problem! These low-carb, no-bread meal ideas are perfect for healthy dinners and easy weeknight meals. This recipe roundup includes chicken lettuce wraps, stuffed bell peppers, mini pepper pizzas, a hearty burger bowl, and a fresh sandwich bowl—all packed with flavor and simple ingredients. Great for keto-friendly meals, gluten-free dinners, and anyone looking for healthy comfort food without bread. Save this pin for easy low-carb recipes the whole family will love!
1.Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- Ground pepper, to taste
- ⅓ cup yellow onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- ½ to 1 teaspoon sriracha
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons mirin or rice wine vinegar
- 5 ounces water chestnuts, drained and diced
- 3 green onions
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
- 1 head butter lettuce, leaves separated, rinsed, and patted dry
Instructions
- Sauté ground chicken and onion in the oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Sprinkle with a bit of black pepper while cooking, but do not add any salt until all of the sauce ingredients have been added and you can taste the finished seasoning.
- When all the moisture has evaporated from the skillet, the chicken is no longer pink, and the onions are soft and translucent, add the garlic and sauté a bit longer until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add ginger, sesame oil, sriracha, hoisin, soy sauce, and mirin to the skillet. Cook and stir until the ingredients are well blended and simmering.
- Add in water chestnuts and sliced green onions and heat through. Garnish with sesame seeds.
- Spoon chicken mixture into lettuce leaves and serve.
Notes
- Mirin is similar to sake but with lower alcohol content and higher sugar content. You can substitute rice vinegar plus sugar if you can’t find mirin at the grocery store.
- The ground chicken is very mild, and this dish can easily become oversalted. Only add additional soy sauce and/or salt after tasting.
- Adjust the sriracha for more/less spice.
Nutrition
Calories: 358kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 98mg | Sodium: 935mg | Potassium: 830mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1442IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 3mg
2.Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 1 cup long grain white rice cooked
- 6 bell peppers
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 14.5 -ounce can petite diced tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a 9×9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Start cooking your rice according to package directions and set aside once done while prepping the rest of the dish. Wash and dry the outside of the bell peppers.
- Carefully cut the tops off each of the bell peppers. Discard the green stem but keep the top pepper flesh around the green stem.
- Dice the pepper tops and remove the seeds and the membranes from the peppers.
- Place the empty bell peppers in the baking dish. If the bottoms of the peppers do not sit flat, carefully slice a thin amount off the bottoms.
- In a large skillet over medium to medium high heat add the olive oil, diced yellow onion, and diced pepper tops. Using a wooden spoon stir often and cook uncovered for five to seven minutes, until softened and opaque.
- Add the one pound of lean ground beef and the tablespoon of minced garlic. Continue using the wooden spoon to stir often and break up the ground beef as it cooks.Cook uncovered until ground beef is cooked completely.
- Remove the ground beef mixture from the heat and drain. Return the ground beef mixture to the skillet and the stovetop.
- Reduce the heat to medium, add the can of petite diced tomatoes and the cup of cooked rice. Stir.
- Add the kosher salt, black pepper, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low.
- Allow the ground beef mixture to cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Evenly fill the peppers with the ground beef mixture.
- Sprinkle two teaspoons of the grated Parmesan cheese over the top of the ground beef mixture.
- Sprinkle one and a half tablespoons of the mozzarella cheese on top of the peppers. We want enough cheese to lightly cover the filling but we still want the filling to slightly pop through the gooey cheese.
- Pour a half cup of water into the bottom of the pan to help steam the stuffed peppers.
- Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
- Serve while hot.
Notes
- If the bottoms of the peppers do not sit flat, carefully slice a thin amount off the bottoms.
- Ground beef can be cooked ahead of time and stored in the fridge or freezer. This would make prep even quicker.Just add the ground beef to your skillet with the garlic to heat it up and continue with the recipe.
- Spray the foil with cooking spray prior to covering the peppers to keep the cheese from sticking to it as it bakes.
Nutrition
Calories: 400kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 525mg | Potassium: 807mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 4098IU | Vitamin C: 160mg | Calcium: 205mg | Iron: 4mg
3.Mini Pepper Pizzas
Ingredients
- 12 mini sweet peppers, washed and dried
- 1 cup pizza sauce, 1 tablespoon per mini pepper halves
- 1¼ cups shredded mozzarella, freshly shredded melts best
- 74 mini pepperoni slices
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set it aside.
- Slice the mini peppers in ½ long ways. Remove seeds, but keep the stem intact.
- Depending on the size of the halved peppers, spoon 1½ teaspoons or up to ½ tablespoon of pizza sauce into the pepper half.
- Sprinkle 1½ to 2 tablespoons of the shredded mozzarella cheese on top of the pizza sauce.
- Again, depending on the size of the halved peppers, top the shredded mozzarella with 3 to 4 slices of mini pepperoni on each of the halved peppers.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until the cheese is bubbly. Serve while warm.
Notes
- For best results, use mini sweet peppers that are on the larger size or “fatter” for better stuffing.
- Leaving the stems on makes for a pretty presentation and makes it easier to pick up the peppers to enjoy them.
- Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to check your peppers at the lower end of the recommended baking time.
Nutrition
Calories: 109kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 366mg | Potassium: 162mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1044IU | Vitamin C: 37mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 1mg
4.Burger Bowl Recipe
Ingredients
Burger Base
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
Salad Dressing
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons diced dill pickles
- ½ tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
Salad
- 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes, or grape tomatoes
- 1 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1 cup pre-sliced dill pickle chips
- 1 cup freshly shredded sharp cheddar
- 3 cups cooked frozen french fries
Instructions
- Cook the frozen french fries according to the package instructions and set them aside. (This can be done while preparing the other components of the recipe.)
- In a 10 inch skillet over medium high heat, add the ground beef, onion powder, garlic powder, kosher salt, pepper and paprika and cook while stirring often until the ground beef is cooked through and no longer pink. This should take about 5 minutes. Drain any excess oil.
- Add the mayonnaise, ketchup, diced dill pickle, mustard, garlic and onion powder to a small bowl. Stir until completely combined and uniform in color.
- Add the lettuce to a large serving bowl. Arrange the tomatoes, red onion, pickle slices, cooked ground beef and cooked french fries around the edges of the lettuce.
- Drizzle the salad dressing over the entire salad. Serve immediately.
Notes
- 1000 island dressing can be substituted if you are pressed for time.
- Iceberg lettuce, spring baby greens mixture, baby spinach and even kale can be a good substitute for romaine lettuce.
- You can substitute pre-shredded cheese for freshly shredded cheese.
Nutrition
Calories: 608kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 1518mg | Potassium: 1028mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 3211IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 192mg | Iron: 4mg
5.Sandwich Bowl
Ingredients
- 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce, from 1 large head of romaine lettuce
- ¼ cup sliced Deli Tavern ham, approximately 2 slices cut into ½ wide strips
- ¼ cup sliced Deli Genoa salami, approximately 4 slices cut into ½ inch wide strips
- ¼ cup sliced provolone cheese, approximately 2 slices cut into ½-inch wide strips
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- ⅓ cup thinly sliced red onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ⅓ cup thinly sliced cucumber, cut into quarters
- ¼ cup jarred banana pepper rings, juices drained
- 2 tablespoons sliced black olives
- ⅓ cup bottled Italian salad dressing
- 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, divided
- ½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the chopped romaine lettuce, sliced Deli Tavern ham, sliced Deli Genoa salami, sliced provolone cheese, halved cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, thinly sliced cucumber, banana pepper rings, and sliced black olives.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the bottled Italian salad dressing and 2 tablespoons of the grated parmesan cheese.
- Pour the dressing into the bowl of salad ingredients. Gently toss to coat all the meat and vegetables in the dressing until all the salad ingredients are evenly coated and distributed in the bowl.
- Garnish the salad with a sprinkle of the remaining 1 tablespoon of grated parmesan cheese and the freshly cracked black pepper before serving into individual bowls.
Notes
- Opt for a larger bowl than you think you might need for preparing your salad. This extra space makes it easier to toss the salad without spilling ingredients.
- Try to cut all the ingredients into similar sizes to ensure each forkful includes a bit of everything.
Nutrition
Calories: 332kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 1323mg | Potassium: 565mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 8644IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 250mg | Iron: 2mg
