Description
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. 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.
Ingredients
- 3 sweet bell peppers, any color, halved and cored
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 1/2 cup water, divided
- 1/4 cup minced red onion
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 Tablespoon red curry paste
- 2 teaspoons ground sumac
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 2 cups frozen cauliflower rice
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- optional garnishes: chopped parsley, cilantro and/or ground sumac
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 375°.
- 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.
- Make the filling by first browning the ground lamb (or ground beef) with a bit of salt and pepper.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Notes
FAQs
1. Can I make these in the oven instead of the air fryer? Absolutely! Preheat the oven to 375°. If you have convection, I recommend using it as air frying is basically just super-charged convection. It cooks more quickly by more evenly distributing the heat. Even if you don’t have convection you can still make these in the oven. With convection, bake for 25 to 30 minutes. With a standard oven, bake for 30 to 45 minutes. Always begin checking the tenderness of your bell peppers at the shortest time and then every five minutes until they reach the desired tenderness.
2. Can I use regular rice instead of cauliflower rice? Sure. Just be sure it’s fully cooked before adding it to the filling.
3. Can I make Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers with Curried Ground Lamb less spicy? Yes. Look for red curry pastes that have milder spice because they use fewer chili peppers. Or, you can also just use a smaller amount. I wouldn’t use less than two teaspoons, though. Red curry paste is a complex blend of spices, chilies, lemongrass, and so much more. Reducing it too much will reduce all the other wonderful flavors. And, unfortunately, just adding curry powder instead of red curry paste will not yield the same delectable flavors for the exact same reason.
4. Can I freeze stuffed peppers? Yes. Look for red curry pastes that have milder spice because they use fewer chili peppers. Or, you can also just use a smaller amount. I wouldn’t use less than two teaspoons, though. Red curry paste is a complex blend of spices, chilies, lemongrass, and so much more. Reducing it too much will reduce all the other wonderful flavors. And, unfortunately, just adding curry powder instead of red curry paste will not yield the same delectable flavors for the same reason.
5. Cooking frozen 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°.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Category: Main Dish, Lamb
- Method: Air Fryer or Oven
- Cuisine: Thai-American