By These chicken pot pie stuffed peppers have 35g of protein per pepper and absolutely no protein powder in sight! The filling is a creamy, herby pot pie sauce with a cottage cheese base, loaded with chicken, chickpeas, peas and carrots, and corn. Then a scrunched-up square of phyllo goes on top for the crust. All the cozy pot pie flavor, baked inside a bell pepper, in 45 minutes.
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If stuffed peppers and cottage cheese sauces are your thing, you've probably already worked through our cottage cheese dinner recipes. This one's the fall comfort food version, and it's joining the high protein dinner recipes rotation for the cold months.
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blend it on low
The one thing that makes or breaks this recipe is how you blend the sauce. You want the cottage cheese, garlic, bouillon, and herbs blended on low, just until it comes together. Don't take it to smooth-and-pourable. A few curds left in the mix are totally fine, and the sauce should be very thick. Blend it into a liquid and it'll bake up thin instead of creamy. Low speed, thick sauce, some curds are fine.
key ingredients & swaps
All substitutions are a 1:1 substitute unless otherwise noted. See the recipe card for quantities.
- Bell peppers: Grab the biggest, widest ones you can find. Wide peppers stand up better and hold more filling. If one wobbles, trim a thin slice off the bottom so it sits flat.
- Whole milk cottage cheese: This is the protein and the creaminess of the pot pie sauce. Blend on low until it's thick, not smooth.
- Bouillon base: Chicken or vegetable, either works. This is where the savory pot pie flavor comes from.
- Cooked chicken: Shredded or chopped, whatever you have. This is a great way to use up leftover chicken.
- Chickpeas: One can, drained and rinsed. They bump the protein and fiber and make the filling hearty.
- Peas and carrots + corn: Straight from frozen is fine. Corn can be frozen or canned.
- Phyllo dough: Two sheets, thawed. Keep a damp towel over the stack while you work so it doesn't dry out.
- Butter or olive oil spray: Either one for brushing the phyllo.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
high protein ingredient spotlight: cottage cheese
Cottage cheese is doing the job of the heavy cream and flour roux in a traditional pot pie, and honestly it does it better. Blended with garlic, bouillon, and herbs, it turns into a thick, creamy sauce that coats every bite of chicken and veggies. And because it's cottage cheese, it brings a serious protein bump with it. No powder, no chalky aftertaste, just pot pie filling that happens to have 35g of protein 🙂
step by step: tips to nail this recipe every time
- Trim the wobble: Stand the peppers in the dish before you fill them. If any tip over, slice a sliver off the bottom. Way easier to fix now than once they're full.
- Blend on low: Thick sauce with a few curds, not a smoothie. See above.
- Mound it: Spoon the filling in and pile it a little above the rim. You may have extra depending on your pepper size, so bake any leftover filling in a greased ramekin alongside.
- Watch the phyllo: It goes from pale to deep golden to burnt fast. Stay close for the last few minutes and pull it the second it's golden.
quick recipe video
the phyllo cloud
Instead of a full pastry lid, each pepper gets a loosely scrunched square of phyllo baked on its own sheet pan until deep golden. Two sheets of phyllo, brushed with butter and stacked, scrunched into ruffled clouds about the size of a pepper opening. It can be hard to handle, so just sort of scrunch it up - it doesn't need to be perfect. It bakes separately so it stays shatteringly crisp, then goes on right before serving. Store the peppers and phyllo separately and the phyllo re-crisps in a 350°F oven for about 3 minutes.
reader questions
Yes. The filling can be made up to 2 days ahead and kept in the fridge. Stuff and bake when you're ready.
Depending on pepper size you might have some left over. Bake it in a greased ramekin alongside the peppers.
It's lower in calories than pastry crust or biscuit dough so we prefer it. But pastry crust or biscuit dough works too (baked separately also).
troubleshooting & testing notes
My sauce came out thin
It got blended too long or too fast. Low speed, stop as soon as it comes together. Curds are fine.
My filling looks a little coagulated after baking
A splash of milk or bone broth stirred into the filling before it goes in the peppers loosens it up.
My phyllo dried out before I could scrunch it
Keep a damp towel over the stack the whole time you're working. Phyllo dries in minutes once it's exposed.
My phyllo got too dark
It needed to come out sooner. Start checking at 8 minutes and pull it the moment it's deep golden.
Recipe
chicken pot pie stuffed peppers (high protein!)
Ingredients
peppers & filling
- 4 large bell peppers (wide is best)
- 12 oz whole milk cottage cheese
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ teaspoon chicken or vegetable bouillon base
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1½ cups cooked shredded or chopped chicken
- 1 15-oz can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
- 1 cup frozen peas and carrots
- ½ cup corn (frozen or canned)
phyllo topper
- 2 sheets phyllo dough (thawed)
- 1 tablespoon melted butter or olive oil spray
Before you start!
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Slice the tops off 4 large bell peppers and remove the seeds and ribs. Stand them in a baking dish, trimming the bottoms slightly if they wobble.
- In a blender, combine 12 oz whole milk cottage cheese, 2 cloves garlic, ½ tsp chicken or vegetable bouillon base, ½ tsp dried thyme, ½ tsp dried parsley, ¼ tsp onion powder, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper. Blend on low just until it comes together. Do not liquefy it. Some curds are fine and the mixture will be very thick.
- In a bowl, stir the sauce together with 1½ cups cooked shredded or chopped chicken, 1 15-oz can chickpeas, 1 cup frozen peas and carrots, and ½ cup corn until everything is coated.
- Spoon the filling into the peppers, mounding slightly. Bake 30-35 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and set at the edges and a knife slides into the pepper wall with a little resistance. You may have extra filling depending on pepper size. Bake it in a greased ramekin alongside.
- For the phyllo: lay one sheet of 2 sheets phyllo dough flat, brush lightly with 1 tbsp melted butter or olive oil spray, lay the second sheet on top, and brush again. Cut the stack into 4 squares. Loosely scrunch each square into a ruffled cloud about the size of a pepper opening. Set on a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake 8-10 minutes until deep golden. Watch closely, they go fast.
- Rest the peppers 5 minutes, then set a phyllo cloud on each one right before serving.
Video
Notes
- Blend the sauce on low. Thick with a few curds, never liquefied.
- Trim the pepper bottoms so they stand flat before filling.
- Keep a damp towel over the phyllo stack while you work so it doesn't dry out.
- Watch the phyllo closely. It goes from golden to burnt fast.
- If the mixture seems really thick, add a splash of bone broth or milk to thin it out before baking.
- Store peppers and phyllo separately. Peppers will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- Phyllo re-crisps in a 350°F oven for 3 minutes.
Looking for more information?
Additional substitution information can be found above in the substitution section of this post.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate and for informational purposes only.
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