Easy Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers (Mediterranean Style)

What you’ll love

• Quick and easy. Air frying stuffed peppers takes approximately half the time compared to baking. Once you’ve prepped the ingredients (this takes a little time, but it’s worth it!), you can have these on the table in around 30 minutes.
• Dinner all in one. These ground beef and rice stuffed peppers are a neat and balanced little package of protein, carbohydrate and vegetables all in one. No fussy side dishes needed, either. To keep the meal simple, I usually serve them with just ready-prepared green salad and toasted bread on the side.
• Mediterranean style. As you may know, I’m a fan of all things Mediterranean! These are no exception. I’ve stuffed the filling with delicious and perhaps surprising spices such as cinnamon and cumin, and plenty of fresh Mediterranean herbs such as parsley, dill and mint. The ‘icing on the cake’ is a generous sprinkle of feta and other cheeses, and a big spoonful of Greek yogurt… mmm!
• Child friendly. These are tasty and interesting enough for the grown-ups, but also not too ‘out there’ for the kids. There are plenty of ‘hidden’ vegetables in the filling, which tastes a little like pasta sauce, some might say!
• So versatile! These are just as good served as an easy midweek meal as they are for a ‘fancy’ meal for guests. You can also vary the filling to your heart’s content. Switch the protein for chicken or sausage, or make them vegetarian by replacing the meat with beans, for example (see more options for ‘making them your own’ below!).

Onion, carrot, zucchini: Grated or finely chopped (I usually finely chop the onion and grate the rest). You really don’t see or taste the veggies in the finished dish, which is great for fussy kids! You can add even more chopped or grated veggies if you like, such as eggplant or mushrooms.

Garlic: I like 3-4 large crushed cloves for plenty of extra flavor.

Ground beef (minced beef): I prefer low fat. Feel free to use ground chicken, turkey or pork instead, or to combine two kinds together.

Paprika, cumin, cinnamon, dried herbs, salt and pepper: This combination of spices and seasoning gives subtle but delicious Mediterranean/Middle Eastern notes to the ground meat. I especially love the hint of cinnamon which is often used in Greek recipes with ground beef. If you don’t have one of the flavors, however, it’s no problem to miss it out.

The ‘dried herbs’ can be mixed Italian seasoning or any other dried herb blend that you have.

Tomato paste: Sometimes called tomato puree or tomato concentrate. Whatever it’s called where you live, it’s the concentrated stuff you’re looking for. This, in combination with a can of chopped tomatoes, gives a subtle tomato flavor that doesn’t overpower the dish.

Rice: A starchy rice such as arborio or risotto rice works particularly well, but you can use any rice. If you use brown rice, bear in mind that it will take a bit longer to cook and you’ll probably need to add a little more water as it cooks.

Honey and balsamic vinegar: Stir a little of both of these into the filling mixture at the end of the cooking time to add extra flavor and sweetness. If you don’t have either of these, simply skip them, or just add a little sugar for sweetness instead.

Fresh herbs: I think adding at least a full cup (more if you have them!) of fresh herbs into the finished filling makes all the difference to this recipe. My favorite to use are dill, parsley, mint, basil and coriander. You don’t have to use all of these – use what you have or like.

Peppers (Bell peppers/capsicum): I love to stuff a variety of colors, usually red, green, and yellow. However, you can stuff whichever color you have or like. I suggest choosing medium sized peppers that will not hit the top of your air fryer, but are big enough to hold a good amount of filling.

Cheese: A very generous sprinkling of cheese on top of each of the stuffed peppers takes them from good to very delicious. I love feta cheese, but also like to add in a little parmesan and cheddar. Once again, use what you have and enjoy.

Greek yogurt: A large spoonful goes perfectly on top of the finished air fried stuffed peppers! You can substitute with sour cream, of course, or skip the yogurt if you don’t have any.

Firstly, prepare all of the ingredients (grate the veggies, grab all the pantry ingredients, get the air fryer ready etc.).

Grab a big pan with a lid. Add a big drizzle of olive oil to it (don’t be shy!). Then sauté all of the vegetables for a couple of minutes. Then stir in the garlic.

Add the ground beef, breaking it up and stirring it until it’s turned white.

Add all of the other stuffing ingredients apart from the honey, balsamic vinegar and fresh herbs. And stir!

Pop on a lid. Let the filling cook with the lid on for 15 to 20 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when the rice is cooked. When it’s cooked, stir in the honey and balsamic (if using), and also the lovely fresh green herbs.

Then use a dessert spoon to pack plenty of the filling into each of the air fried peppers.

Pile plenty of grated/crumbled cheese on top!

Serving ideas

If I’m going to simplify dinner by cooking these stuffed bell peppers in the air fryer, there’s no way I’m making any complicated side dishes to go with it!

I think the very best i.e. easiest way to serve this dish is with just green salad (ready prepared ‘bag salad’ is great!), a simple dressing such as olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and some 2-minute olive oil toasts. Or how about preparing some air fried garlic bread just before serving?

I also think a big spoonful of Greek yogurt on top goes perfectly, or you can up the ante a bit with this 5-minute yogurt dill sauce!

If however you’d like to serve the stuffed peppers to guests, perhaps as part of a larger dinner, the best side dishes are Greek potatoes and a Greek salad, as well as this amazing homemade Greek bread (don’t be afraid – it’s easy, not to mention amazing!).

Serve halloumi fries as an appetizer, and consider this very easy and crowd pleasing 6-ingredient gooey Swedish chocolate cake for dessert!

Varying the recipe

It’s very easy to adapt the recipe to suit your family. Here are some easy ways to make the recipe your own:

• Replace the rice with quinoa, bulgur wheat or cooked black beans (or other beans).
• Replace some or all of the ground meat with Italian sausage or chopped chorizo.
• Add more or different chopped or grated vegetables, such as frozen peas, chopped mushrooms, or finely chopped eggplant.
• Make the air fried stuffed peppers Mexican style instead by replacing the spices with taco spices. Top with guacamole, tomato salsa, sour cream and fresh coriander.
• Try stuffing other vegetables such as zucchini or large tomatoes.

More easy air fryer dinners

• 10-Minute air fryer naan pizza (A wonderfully easy last-minute dinner option!)
• Crispy air fryer chicken burgers – how can you go wrong?
• Air fried rotisserie chicken (can be ready in 1 hour!)
• Greek air fryer chicken meatballs

Or see all easy air fryer recipes.