Pepper Steak: Low Carb Copycat Recipe

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Pepper Steak is one of my favorite Chinese takeout dishes.

Tender beef along with sautéed peppers and onions seasoned with copious amounts of black pepper.

Great low carb meal prep option or quick weeknight dinner.

Pepper Steak is Quick and easy

If you are looking for quick and easy I can’t think of a dish much easier than pepper Steak.

You can prepare this dish ahead of time and let it marinate all day while you’re at work, come home and heat it up in a pan in about 10 minutes.

Or prepare and portion into Glass Meal Prep Containers along side riced Cauliflower for the perfect keto meal to go.

The steak can marinate up to 24 hours but I think it’s best around the 8-12 hour range. I recommend at least one hour to give it time to absorb the marinade.

Type of steak for pepper steak

For this recipe I chose NY Strip steak. I think it’s the perfect texture when sliced thinly and it was on sale this week at the market.

Other cuts that will work are flank, skirt, top sirloin or flat iron. Ribeye can be a little too fatty and using tenderloin would be to lean.

Not to mention both of these cuts are a little pricey. If you really want to be budget friendly you can even make a ground beef version of this recipe.

It’s quite tasty. I’ve also made this same recipe using pork loin as well as chicken thighs. The beauty of this recipe is in the simplicity.

Marinated meat along with onions and peppers, that’s all you need!

Ingredients

• NY Strip: or any thinly sliced steak you have on hand
• Green and red Bell Pepper: thinly sliced
• Yellow Onion: Thinly Sliced or scallions to reduce the amount of carbs
• Minced Garlic: or use a ¼ tsp of granulated garlic if you don't have fresh
• Coconut Aminos: you can also use gluten free soy sauce or liquid aminos
• Worcestershire: adds body and beefy flavor
• Avocado Oil: or any quality high smoke point oil
• Sambal Oelek: You can substitute Sriracha or any hot sauce if you don't have chili paste
• Chopped Cilantro or Parsley: ands color and floral notes to the dish
• Dijon Mustard: adds viscosity to make the sauce a little thicker
• Allulose: optional ingredient that balances out the saltiness of the dish with a subtle sweetness.

Instructions

1. Slice steak thinly, and place in a ziplock bag along with sliced pepper and onion.
2. Whisk together remaining ingredients for the marinade and pour into bag. Massage so that the steak and veggies are fully coated. Marinate up to 24 hrs. Try to marinate at least 1 hr. If possible 
3. Heat cast iron pan on high. Add the contents of the bag and let cook without stirring for at least 3 minutes until veggies and steak begin to carmelize. 
4. Continue cooking just long enough for steak to cook. Onions and peppers should still have a bit of crunch left.

What kind of onions and peppers should I use?

I’m a traditionalist in the sense that I like to use yellow onions and green peppers in my pepper steak recipe.

If you prefer red or yellow peppers feel free to incorporate them.

To cut down on the carbs you may want to substitute leeks or scallions along with a tsp of onion powder to give that onion flavor with less carbs.

Riced Cauliflower 

I always have frozen riced cauliflower at home. It’s a great way to bulk up your meals with a lot less carbs than traditional rice.

There are still some carbs in cauliflower so a hack to lower my carb count even lower I’ll stir in a bag of Miracle Rice.

To heat up the Riced Cauliflower/ Miracle Rice mixture I’ll add a tsp of sesame oil along with a tsp of salt and Allulose to give it a subtle flavor .

I’ll stir just long enough for the cauliflower to warm through. Make sure to drain and rinse the miracle rice under hot water before cooking.

After I’ve prepared the pepper steak I’ll slide the meat off to one side and pour the “rice” into the same cast iron pan.

It makes for a nice presentation and is easy to serve.

More Meal Prep Inspiration

• Black & Bleu Coleslaw
• Cheeseburger Brunch Casserole
• Low Carb Meatballs Marinara
• Sloppy Joe Shepherd’s Pie

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