Air fryer egg-stuffed peppers
Sweet bell pepper halves filled with spinach, mozzarella and a whole egg, air fried until the whites set, a light, low-carb dinner in 25 minutes.
- 25 min total
- 10 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 2
- About $2.82 a serving
- 300 calories
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: I’d make this on a weeknight. It’s on the table in 25 minutes.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 2 red bell peppers
- 1 cup baby spinach, chopped
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella, divided
- 4 large eggs
From your pantry
- 1 tsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
Each serving has about 300 calories, 22 g protein, 12 g carbs and 18 g fat, and costs about $2.82 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No red bell peppers? Yellow bell peppers work.
- No baby spinach? Kale or arugula works.
- No shredded mozzarella? Provolone slices work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the peppers through the stem and pull out the seeds and ribs, keeping each half whole like a little boat.
Halve. Halving means cutting something into two equal pieces. Even halves cook at the same speed, so one doesn’t dry out while the other finishes.
How you’ll know: The two pieces look like mirror images of each other.
Lengthwise. Lengthwise means cutting along the long side, from stem to tip, which gives long pieces. Crosswise is the other way, straight across the middle, which gives short, round ones.
How you’ll know: Lengthwise halves of a zucchini look like two little canoes; crosswise pieces look like coins.
Dolly’s tip: Pick peppers that sit flat on their side so the eggs don’t spill.Rub the outsides with the oil, sprinkle the insides with of salt and air fry cut side up at 375°F for 5 minutes to .
Pinch. A pinch is what you can hold between your thumb and two fingers, less than an eighth of a teaspoon. It’s a small, forgiving amount, so there’s no need to measure.
How you’ll know: It’s a light sprinkle you can barely see on the food, not a little pile.
Softened. For vegetables it means cooked until they bend and lose their crunch; for butter, left out until it dents easily. Soft onions taste sweet, and soft butter mixes in smoothly.
How you’ll know: Onions squash easily against the pan with your spoon, and butter dents under a finger without looking greasy.
Timer: 5 min
the spinach. Tuck some spinach and a spoonful of mozzarella into each pepper half.
Chop. Chopping means cutting food into bite-size pieces that don’t need to be neat. Keep them roughly the same size so everything cooks evenly.
How you’ll know: Your pieces are about half an inch and roughly alike, even if none of them are pretty.
Crack an egg into each pepper and sprinkle with salt, pepper and the rest of the cheese.
Dolly’s tip: Crack each egg into a small cup first and pour it in slowly. If the pepper is shallow, leave a little white behind.Air fry at 350°F for 9 to 12 minutes, until the whites are set and the yolks begin to .
Thicken. Thickening means cooking a sauce or soup until it’s less runny, by simmering it down or adding something like cornstarch. A thicker sauce clings to food instead of pooling on the plate.
How you’ll know: It coats the back of a spoon, and a line drawn through it with your finger holds its shape.
Timer: 10 min
Food safety: For the safest eggs, cook until the whites are fully set and the yolks begin to thicken. Dishes made with eggs are done at 160°F.
Lift them out carefully with a spatula and sprinkle with pepper flakes.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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