
Air fryer stuffed peppers
Sweet pepper halves filled with Tex-Mex beef, rice and tomatoes, air fried until tender and topped with melted cheese, dinner for two in 30 minutes.
- 30 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 2
- About $4.58 a serving
- 510 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free

Dolly says: I’d make this on a weeknight. It’s on the table in 30 minutes.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 2 red bell peppers
- 8 oz 90/10 ground beef
- ¼ yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 cup microwave rice pouches
- ½ can diced tomatoes and green chiles, drained
- ½ cup Mexican blend cheese
- 1 tbsp cilantro, chopped (optional)
From your pantry
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp salt
Each serving has about 510 calories, 34 g protein, 37 g carbs and 25 g fat, and costs about $4.58 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No red bell peppers? Yellow bell peppers work.
- No 90/10 ground beef? 85/15 ground beef works.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No Mexican blend cheese? Shredded cheddar or cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese works.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the peppers lengthwise through the stem and pull out the seeds and ribs.
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.
Cook the beef and onion in a over medium-high 6 to 7 minutes, breaking up the beef, until no pink is left.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium-high heatTimer: 6 min 30 sec
Food safety: Ground beef, pork and lamb are done at 160°F. When it’s cooked through there’s no pink left anywhere in the pan.
Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin and salt for 30 seconds, then the rice and tomatoes, and cook 2 minutes, until hot.
Medium heatTimer: 2 min
Heat the air fryer to 360°F. Brush the pepper halves with the oil and air fry them empty, cut side up, for 5 minutes to .
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
Spoon the filling into the peppers and air fry 8 minutes, until the peppers are tender when poked.
Timer: 8 min
Top with the cheese and air fry 2 minutes more, until . Scatter cilantro over the top.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Timer: 2 min

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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