Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers

Where This Goes Wrong

Reduce the filling until thick so the peppers do not collapse.

If the peppers will not stand, wedge them with scrunched foil.

Add a pinch of chilli flakes to the mince for heat.

Making Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers

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1. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Cook the onion for 5 minutes, add the garlic and beef and cook for 6 minutes until browned.

   Mark done Start 5 min timer

2. Stir in the cumin, paprika, tomatoes and salt. Simmer for 5 minutes until thick, then stir in the rice.

   Mark done Start 5 min timer

3. Heat the air fryer to 180°C / 355°F. Remove the seeds from the pepper halves and fill each one with the beef mixture.

   Mark done

4. Stand the peppers in the basket and cover with foil. Cook for 12 minutes.

   Mark done Start 12 min timer

5. Remove the foil, scatter over the cheddar and cook for 8 minutes more until the cheese has melted and the peppers are soft.

   Mark done Start 8 min timer

Related guide: Choosing rice.

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Why the Method Works

A Sunday dish for a table of four, and one that also works on a Tuesday. Stuffed peppers are a way of using a handful of ordinary things, mince, rice and a tin of tomatoes, and ending up with something that looks like a proper meal. The air fryer shortens the time without drying out the filling.

Cook the rice first, or use a pouch of ready-cooked rice, so that the filling is only being heated rather than finished in the pepper. Brown the mince with onion and garlic, add the spices and tomatoes, and let it reduce until it holds its shape on a spoon. A wet filling pools in the base of the pepper and makes it sag.

Cut the peppers lengthways and keep the stalks on. The stalk gives the half a little rigidity and holds the filling in. Remove the seeds and pith, and stand each half upright in the basket, wedged against the others.

Cover the tops with foil for the first 12 minutes, then take it off, add the cheese and cook for the last 8 minutes until the top is golden and the pepper edges are charred.

After You've Cooked It

Keeps for 3 days in the fridge. Reheat in the air fryer for 6 minutes at 170°C / 340°F.

Swaps and Variations

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

Serving Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers

• Green salad
• Soured cream
• Garlic bread
• Corn on the cob

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Buttermilk Biscuits, New York Bagels, Creamy Coleslaw.

Nutrition per Serving

Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: a cooked weight is worked out with raw figures, so those lines run high. How the figures are worked out.

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