Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers with Curried Ground Lamb

Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers are savory, spicy, and satisfying — a delicious offering for weeknight dinners or for a meal with company. Mine are low-carb & veggie-full, plus they are naturally gluten-free.

There are so many variations and possibilities when making air fryer stuffed peppers. This ground lamb version is especially flavorful and aromatic.

The sweetness of the roasted bell peppers is a perfect complement to the savory spiciness of the curried ground lamb. And it’s all balanced with the creamy richness of Greek yogurt.

I’ve purposely cut the carbs in this recipe to accommodate some new dietary restrictions in our family. And I did that by switching rice for veggies. These air fryer stuffed peppers are proof positive that working at eating healthier can still be satisfying and scrumptious.

Cooking stuffed peppers in an air fryer gives a great “roasted” flavor to the vegetables in the dish without a huge investment of time. These air fryer stuffed peppers come together quickly enough for a scrumptiously quick weeknight dinner.

I love this recipe because the veggies are not overcooked. They’re beautifully tender-crisp. The peppers turn out soft enough to cut easily but still have a freshness and slight bite to them along with brilliant color.

I can’t wait for you to try my air fryer stuffed bell pepper recipe. The unique curried ground lamb filling is so easy to prepare and its compelling flavor means you’ll be asked to share it often with both family and guests.

Air Fryer Stuffed Bell Pepper Ingredients

• Bell Peppers, any color: Choose the colors you like best, keeping in mind that green bell peppers are stronger and less sweet in flavor than their red, yellow, and orange cousins.
• Ground Lamb, (Ground beef can be substituted. Read more below.)
• Red Onion
• Minced Garlic
• Red Curry Paste (I chose Thai brand red curry paste that is easy to find at Walmart. However, it is quite spicy, so you may want to adjust the amount down from what I’ve used if you prefer milder heat.)
• Tomato Paste, I buy it in a squeeze tube in the produce section. That way I can use just the amount I need without opening a whole can. But you do what makes sense for you.
• Water
• Garam Masala, easily found in most grocery stores, now.
• Ground Sumac, I know I use this spice frequently and it may be something you haven’t heard of. Read my suggestions below if you are thinking of omitting it or making substitutions.
• Frozen Cauliflower Rice
• Greek Yogurt
• Optional Garnishes: parsley or cilantro, ground sumac

Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers with Curried Ground Lamb use ingredients that are fairly easy to come by.

The two that you may be less familiar with are sumac and garam masala. If you love Indian and Middle Eastern food you may very well already have them in your pantry, though.

Here in the Midwest, I have found both spices on the shelf in Hy-Vee stores and I have also had good luck with ordering ground sumac, as well as garam masala on Amazon _[affiliates].

I’ve come to love both and find I use them more and more frequently in my cooking.

Garam Masala

Garam Masala is a common spice blend used in Indian cooking, as well as Caribbean, Sri Lankan, Nepalese, and Bangladeshi dishes. The exact blend of spices varies from region to region and family to family. However, typical spices included in the blend are:

• cinnamon
• mace
• peppercorns
• coriander seeds
• cumin seeds
• cardamon pods

It may also include star anise, ginger, bay leaves, cloves, or nutmeg. It will all depend on who has created the blend and the spices commonly used in that region.

It’s simpler for me to purchase a garam masala blend than to try and keep all the possible ingredient spices in my cupboard, even though I have an extensive spice collection. This is the one I’m using right now _[affiliate] and I love it. It is a blend of eleven spices and produces deep and varied layers of flavor and has become a staple in my pantry.

Ground Sumac

Sumac is a common spice in Persian and Turkish cooking. In any Middle Eastern cooking, you may see it popping up, actually. It’s bright and citrusy, lifting up any dish it’s added to with a zesty tang. It also has undertones of earth, smokiness.

It is the dried and ground fruit of the sumac shrub. It adds a citrus-like note of brightness to dishes. It’s great on meats, in salad dressings, in soups, stews or on vegetables.

You will find that I use it frequently in my own recipes like Shirazi Salad (Persian Cucumber Salad), my Old-Fashioned Pimento Cheese, Homemade Gyro Meat, my favorite Creamy Hummus recipe, and my own Mediterranean seasoning blend (which is also superb on lamb, by the way).

I’m confident that once you taste the difference ground sumac can make in a dish you will love having it on hand in your pantry. Here’s the ground sumac I’m using now. _{[affiliate link]}

Ground Lamb vs Ground Beef

Lamb has an earthier and milder flavor than beef. And lamb has a slight undertone of sweetness which I love with curry. It has fewer calories than ground beef.

Like ground beef, ground lamb is high in protein, iron, and Vitamin B12.

Both ground beef and ground lamb are delicious in this recipe. I just love the flavor of curried ground lamb.

And in our area, ground lamb is the same price as better-quality ground beef.

So, the deciding factor is mainly preference and availability. Use what works easiest for you.

Why a Stuffed Bell Pepper Without Rice?

David was recently asked to change his diet because of a type 2 diabetes diagnosis. We would love to be able to manage that with diet and exercise rather than using drugs. So, I am working at lowering the carbs in our favorite dishes.

We aren’t eliminating carbs, but often substituting something else when a delicious ingredient is available. As a whole grain, brown rice breaks down to sugars much more slowly than white rice. Brown rice would have been my go-to up to now.

However, cauliflower rice is so conveniently available and we love it, so I decided to try it in these peppers. Stuffed bell peppers without rice did NOT disappoint. I’ll be making them this way all the time, now.

Can You Freeze Stuffed Peppers

Absolutely! Bell peppers are one of the few vegetables that don’t require blanching before freezing.

To make Air Fryer Stuffed Bell Peppers with Curried Ground Lamb and then freeze them, the process is simple.

1. Make filling according to the recipe and cool completely.
2. Wash, halve, and remove the seeds and veins from the bell peppers.
3. Stuff the halved bell peppers.
4. Place stuffed bell peppers on a parchment-lined plate or cookie sheet and then flash-freeze them for about 2 hours.
5. Individually wrap frozen stuffed peppers in plastic wrap and then place them in a gallon zip-top bag.
6. Place the bag in the freezer. Your stuffed peppers should keep well in the freezer for up to four months.

Cooking Frozen Air Fryer Stuffed Bell Peppers

You can actually air fry your stuffed peppers from frozen. That makes for a quick and easy meal when you forget to thaw something for dinner!

Simply preheat your air fryer to 400°. Cook the stuffed peppers for 30 to 45 minutes depending on the type of air fryer you own and how powerful it is.

Start checking that the peppers are heated all the way through at about the 30-minute mark and then every five minutes until they reach an internal temperature of 165°.

What Goes With Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers

My favorite dishes to serve with stuffed bell peppers are quick and easy to prepare.

Serve Air Fryer Bell Peppers with Curried Ground Lamb next to Air Fryer Green Beans, a House Salad, creamy Strawberry Cottage Cheese Salad, or delicious Asian Cucumber Salad.

How to Make Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers

1. Preheat air fryer to 375°.
2. Wash, halve, and remove seeds and veins from your bell peppers. (I cut them in half lengthwise because I find that they are easier to stuff and make a good portion size.) Set the peppers aside.
3. Make the filling by first browning the ground lamb (or ground beef) with a bit of salt and pepper.
4. When the lamb is mostly browned, with only a small bit of pink remaining, add the minced onion and garlic, red curry paste (adjust the amount to your preferred heat/spicy tolerance), tomato paste, sumac, garam masala, and 1/4 cup of the water. Stir to completely combine and allow the mixture to heat over medium heat.

5. After the ingredients are thoroughly combined with the ground lamb (or ground beef) and the mixture smells fragrant (1 to 2 minutes), add the frozen cauliflower rice and the last 1/4 cup of water. Stir to combine.
6. Spoon the curried ground lamb filling into the prepared bell pepper halves. Be sure to keep the filling amount equal in each pepper so they cook evenly.

7. Arrange the peppers in your air fryer basket and place into the preheated air fryer at 375° for 15 to 20 minutes. Exact cooking time will depend on the size and power/wattage of your specific air fryer. TIP: If some of the pepper halves are refusing to sit level, crinkle up a ball of aluminum foil and prop the side that is a problem.
8. Remove from the air fryer and serve with a large dollop of Greek yogurt. Garnish with chopped parsley, cilantro, and/or more ground sumac, if desired.