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These air fryer stuffed peppers give you all the savory, substantial goodness of traditional stuffed peppers in a fraction of the time; no need to wait an hour for them to bake!
Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers
Air fryers are a hot commodity -pun intended- in the kitchenwares category these days, and for very good reasons. They are -to oversimplify- basically compact convection ovens.
Using a fan to circulate the heat and having the food positioned closer to the heating element allows the food to cook faster and more evenly. This convection process helps develop a crispy crust while sealing moisture inside all while using less oil!
Stuffed peppers are a perfect candidate for air fryer cooking. The ideal stuffed pepper is crisp tender without being mushy, and the air fryer delivers flawlessly.
I use the COSORI Air Fryer for all of my air fryer recipes. I’m partial to a square basket air fryer as I find it easier to fit more food into the basket. This is a 5.8QT air fryer, one of the largest machines I’ve found that works effectively.
The machine is a bit retro with simple knob controls. It turns out that I really like the basic settings and ability to set the time and temp like a traditional appliance. I’ve used a few different air fryers with pre-programmed settings and I found I was still tweaking the times.
This air fryer is surprisingly easy to clean and the two-part basket locks together (it’s literally impossible for it to detach the way some do) until you open the latch and then push the button to release it. I simply wipe down the baskets with a sudsy dish scrub brush or sponge, rinse and let them air dry on the counter.
Italian Stuffed Peppers
To make these air fried stuffed peppers, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- bell peppers
- ground beef
- onion
- garlic
- rice
- pasta sauce
- crushed red pepper flakes
- Italian seasoning
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- cheese
- parsley
Sometimes I like to use all one color of pepper and sometimes I like to change it up and do red, yellow, and orange all at the same time. You can choose any color bell pepper that strikes your fancy.
You have choices when it comes to the cheese, too. Whether you choose mozzarella, Monterey jack, or pepper jack cheese, just be sure to pick a good melter!
Stuffed Peppers in the Air Fryer
Preheat the air fryer to 350°F. In a medium skillet, cook and crumble the ground beef.
When the beef is almost done cooking, add the onion and the garlic. Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes. Drain any excess grease, if needed.
Add 1 cup of spaghetti sauce, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper to the skillet with the meat. Bring to a simmer and cook for a minute or two.
While the filling is simmering, split the peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Place the peppers in the basket of the air fryer. Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the cooked rice.
Spoon an equal amount of the filling into each bell pepper. Spoon the remaining pasta sauce over the top of each pepper.
Air fry the filled peppers for 15 minutes. Add the shredded cheese and air fry for an additional 1-2 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.
Stuffed Pepper Recipes
This recipe is adapted from our Italian Stuffed Bell Peppers; a dish I started making when I was a newlywed. The benefit to using the air fryer here is the decreased cooking time and also that it is perfect for just 2-3 servings; something that I’m learning to appreciate as our children grow older and are often not home for meals with us.
We are clearly fans of the whole stuffed pepper category here, between our Taco Stuffed Bell Peppers, Lasagna Stuffed Peppers, and Stuffed Poblano Peppers. They’re such a visually pleasing, perfect “meal in one” option to tickle our tastebuds and still fill us up!
Air Fryer Stuffed Bell Peppers
Ingredients
- 2 large bell peppers red, orange, yellow, or green
- ½ pound ground beef
- ½ small yellow onion finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 12 ounces pasta sauce homemade or store-bought (about 1½ cups)
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh black pepper
- ½ cup cooked rice
- ¾ cup freshly shredded Monterrey jack, pepper jack, or Mozzarella cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 350°F. In a medium skillet, cook and crumble the ground beef. When the beef is almost done cooking, add the onion and the garlic. Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes. Drain any excess grease, if needed.
- Add 1 cup of spaghetti sauce, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper to the skillet with the meat. Bring to a simmer and cook for a minute or two.
- While the filling is simmering, split the peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Place the peppers in the basket of the air fryer. Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the cooked rice.
- Spoon an equal amount of the filling into each bell pepper. Spoon the remaining pasta sauce over the top of each pepper.
- Air fry the filled peppers for 15 minutes. Add the shredded cheese and air fry for an additional 1-2 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I re-read the instructions and see that you mix sauce with the meat in step 1. Add rice later in step 3.
That is correct. I hope you enjoy the peppers!
I was confused about steps 3&4. You add rice to the pasta sauce. When do you add the pasta sauce to the meat filling?