Remember these epic spicy tuna melts I made a couple years ago? Idk about you, but I’m still dreaming about them. Spicy, cheesy, easy to make — what’s not to love?
I decided to take that classic sandwich, lighten it up and of course, add a flavor kick. These tuna stuffed peppers are equally as delicious but with a low carb, gluten free twist! When I first made them they were amazing, but then I added some hot buffalo sauce and OMG they were perfection.
The sweetness of the slightly roasted bell pepper with the savory bites of tuna, cheese, and buffalo sauce truly makes an irresistible combo. Abra and I devoured these for lunch with a side of chips and knew we had to share them with you. Get these on your lunch or dinner menu ASAP with a side of your fav chips.
What you’ll need to make buffalo tuna stuffed peppers
Not only are these low carb tuna stuffed bell peppers easy to make but they’re also filled with super simple ingredients you may even have on hand. They’re the perfect clean-out-the-fridge and pantry recipe! Here’s what you’ll need to make them:
- Bell pepper: I like using red bell pepper because it’s the sweetest and pairs well with the savory tuna, but any bell pepper will work.
- Tuna: you’ll need one can of your favorite tuna. Note that tuna packed in olive oil tends to be more flavorful and moist (yes, I said it) than tuna packed in water.
- Veggies: we’re also mixing in some diced celery, shredded carrots and diced green onion for a little extra crunch.
- Greek yogurt: adding a little yogurt helps give the tuna mixture extra moisture and another boost of protein.
- Secret ingredients: what makes these tuna stuffed peppers extra special? A little dijon mustard and hot buffalo sauce!
- Salt & pepper: to bring out all the flavors.
- Cheese: top these babies with shredded cheddar cheese and watch the magic happen.
Can I swap the tuna?
While these are tuna stuffed peppers, this recipe is also great with shredded or minced chicken! Check out our best ways to cook chicken here, and how to shred chicken here.
Easy vegetarian option
Feel free to also swap the can of tuna for a can of chickpeas to keep these stuffed peppers vegetarian! I recommend mashing the chickpeas slightly so that they mix well with the veggies and sauces.
Customize your tuna stuffed bell peppers
Out of a few ingredients? Here are some great ways to customize:
- Make it heartier. Feel free to use regular bread instead of peppers if you’d like!
- Swap the yogurt. The tuna mixture is also great with mayo, or you can use a mix of both.
- Choose your sauce. I love mixing in hot buffalo sauce, but you can also use a mild buffalo sauce or skip it if you’re not a fan of the flavor.
- Pick your fav cheese. Topping the peppers with blue cheese would be the perfect combo with the buffalo flavor!
Low carb tuna stuffed peppers in 4 simple steps
Stuffed peppers may look a little fancy but they couldn’t be easier to make. Here’s how to make them:
- Prep your pan. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
- Roast the peppers. Start by cooking the pepper halves in the oven with a little olive oil so they get slightly fork tender.
- Make the tuna mixture. Mix together your tuna, veggies, yogurt and sauces. Be sure to add salt and pepper to taste!
- Stuff & bake. Divide the tuna mixture into each bell pepper half, top with cheese and bake! Garnish with some cilantro and scallions (maybe more buffalo sauce, too) and enjoy.
Delicious pairings to try
Complete your lunch or dinner by pairing these low carb tuna stuffed peppers with one of these sides!
- Sesame Garlic Grilled Sweet Potato Fries with Yogurt Curry Dip
- Summer Strawberry Spinach Salad with Avocado
- Best Healthy Coleslaw Ever (no mayo!)
- Cauliflower Tots
- Tony’s Melt-In-Your-Mouth Grilled Brussels Sprouts
Looking for more? Get all of our delicious side dishes here!
Storing tips
I recommend eating these tuna stuffed peppers the same day you make them so that the textures and flavors are at peak deliciousness. If you have any leftovers, store them in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. Simply reheat in the microwave or in the oven.
More healthy lunch ideas
- 15-Minute Healthy Moroccan Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad
- Spicy Jalapeño Cheddar Tuna Melt
- Crunchy Rainbow Thai Peanut Chicken Wraps
- Vegan Curry Chickpea Salad Collard Wraps
- Honey Mustard Apple Tuna Salad
Get all of our amazing lunch recipes here!
I hope you love these fun tuna stuffed bell peppers! If you make them be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked them. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Buffalo Tuna Melt Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 1 medium red bell pepper, cut in half and seeds removed
- Olive oil
- 1 (5 ounce) can tuna*, drained
- 1 celery stalk, finely diced
- ¼ cup shredded carrots
- 2 tablespoons diced green onion
- 2 tablespoons plain greek yogurt (or mayo)
- 1 tablespoon hot buffalo sauce
- 1 teaspoon grainy dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- To garnish:
- Cilantro
- Scallions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add bell peppers to the baking sheet and drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil. Rub the outsides and insides of peppers with oil (you don’t need much!) and bake for 10-15 minutes until just slightly fork tender.
- While the peppers are baking, make the tuna mixture: In a medium bowl, mix together the drained tuna, diced celery, shredded carrots, diced green onion, greek yogurt, buffalo sauce and dijon mustard. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
- Evenly divide and scoop tuna mixture into cooked bell pepper halves. Sprinkle cheese on top; bake for 5 more minutes, until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with cilantro and scallions. Serves 2.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on June 3rd, 2021, republished on March 22nd, 2022, and republished on March 10th, 2024.
46 comments
I saw this recipe posted at 10am and was already making it for lunch by 11am because I couldn’t wait. It was so good – happy I found it because I’ve been in a lunch rut (although I have been making the Moroccan chicken salad too).
Doubled the recipe and made this for dinner and it was so good! Added a side of roasted zucchini.
Yay!! Glad that you loved it!
My husband hates tuna..but I think these look so good! Do you think replacing the tuna with chicken would work ok?
Absolutely! Just be sure that it’s shredded or chopped finely enough so that the filling isn’t too chunky 🙂
I will try this recipe for tomorrow’s dinner, I’m sure my family will love this tuna recipe!
Can’t wait to hear what you think!!
Love your recipes, do easy and delicious
Thank you! 🙂
I loved these!! We used our Chosen Foods mayonnaise and heartbest cheese to keep it dairy free 🙂
Great swaps, glad you loved them, Mary!
This sounds excellent and great for meal prep! Can’t wait to give it a try!
Can’t wait to hear what you think, Jessica!
Would never have thought to put buffalo hot sauce in tuna, but omg it is so good! And loved how light these felt being in the bell pepper rather than on bread. Delicious!
Haha I know, an unexpected combo!! So happy you enjoyed them, Kaitlin 🙂
These were absolutely amazing!
So happy you loved them, Kirsten! 🙂
Super quick and easy to make! As a law student on a small budget, I was really excited to find a healthy lunch recipe that’s pretty low cost as well. One serving with a small side salad made for a super filling lunch!
Oh yay, I’m so happy that you loved it and that it was affordable! I love using cheaper protein sources like tuna, too 🙂
This was so easy to make and had great flavors! Definitely a good recipe to add into the regular menu rotation or for lunch prep.
So happy you loved them, Catie! One of my favs for meal prepping, too 🙂
I made this for a friend and myself, and we both loved it! It’s so flavorful and easy to put together! Thank you for the recipe!
Amazing! So happy you both loved it. You’re welcome 🙂 ❤️
Perfect recipe to meal prep for lunches. The flavour is spot on!!!
I had this for lunch yesterday and it was incredible! I really enjoyed the combination of flavors. I paired this with your coconut jasmine rice and some air-fried seasoned broccoli. Will definitely make this dish again
So delicious, flavorful and filling. Worked well for meal prep as well. Adding this to my weekly rotation!
Looks great! What can I substitute the buffalo sauce with?? I don’t have any. Thanks. Love your recipes!
Hi! I’d recommend googling a recipe for homemade buffalo sauce which usually uses hot sauce, butter, and a few other spices 🙂
I used the tuna in a pouch that is already seasoned with Buffalo sauce. It worked well.
So so good. I used chicken instead of tuna. I was sceptical but I had shredded chicken and peppers to use and this recipe fell into my lap. It was delicious. Definitely will be making it again.
Chicken’s a great sub, and I’m so happy you loved this one! Can’t wait for you to enjoy it again 🙂
This was absolutely delicious. I’m a diabetic and get sick of lettuce wraps. What a nice change to have in a roasted red pepper. Love the kick of the Buffalo sauce. It will be a regular on my lunch menu. Can easily be made ahead and eaten at work. Thanks for the delicious recipe.
Aw yay, I’m SO glad you loved them, Susan! Can’t wait for you to enjoy them again 🙂
I’ve made this several times and I love it! It wasn’t spicy enough and didn’t have as much sauce as I liked, so I modified it a little. I added 2 tbsp of chopped jalapeños (inspired by your tuna melt recipe), doubled the dijon to 2 tsp, and increased the buffalo sauce to 4 tbsp. Absolutely delicious!
Delicious and healthy lunch! This would also be a good dinner option. I used poblano peppers instead of bell peppers and I added some diced red cabbage to the filling. Thanks for all the amazing recipes! I am a huge fan.
one of my favs!!
Wow!!!! These were sooo good! What a flavor bomb!!! Came together sooo fast!! Another WIN!!
So easy and delish!!
Love this simple recipe. I did the switch to chicken and doubled everything except the hot sauce, as we are a bit sensative to heat, and I used mild buffalo sauce too! Instead of shredding I chopped carrots very tiny, and used two laughing cow wedges of white cheddar for the cheese and added that in to the mix,instead of cheese on top. I pre- cooked the peppers as you said, and then did put the pepper in a baking dish and baked for half an hour or so after filling. They were great. Will make again and try the tuna too. Nice make ahead lunch or dinner depending what put with it. Thank you
Perfect! This one’s great for customizing 🙂 Glad you enjoyed!
I did not think I was a tuna melt person before I made these almost 2 years ago but this recipe converted me. Now I make this pretty much anytime my boyfriend and I want a quick, healthy, and cost-effective lunch. The Buffalo sauce really makes this an elite tuna melt recipe and I love the use of Greek yogurt rather than mayo. We love these stuffed peppers as part of our regular lunch rotation.
Love that! Such a simple, flavorful lunch 🙂
Wow, these are so delicious! 😋 We made them for dinner two dags ago (recipe × 3) and The were just as yummy for lunch today! Greetings from Anna (Sweden)
Love that! Glad you enjoyed!
These are so good, I’m making them for the second time this month!
Amazing! So happy to hear that.