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Air fryer stuffed pepper for one served as a single baked red bell pepper on a white plate.
Anas Jafir

Air Fryer Stuffed Pepper for One

Air fryer stuffed pepper for one delivers a hearty, cheesy single-serving dinner in under 30 minutes — no oven needed, no leftovers to deal with.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 1 serving
Course: Entree
Cuisine: American
Calories: 380
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 large bell pepper
  • 3 ounces lean ground beef or ground turkey
  • 1/4 cup cooked white or brown rice
  • 2 tablespoons tomato sauce or marinara sauce
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • 3 tablespoons shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese

Equipment

  • air fryer
  • small skillet
  • wooden spoon
  • instant-read thermometer
  • aluminum foil (optional, for cradle)

Method
 

  1. Preheat the air fryer to 360°F (182°C) for 3 minutes.
  2. Slice off the top of the bell pepper and remove the seeds and membrane.
  3. Cook the ground meat in a skillet, breaking it up. Confirm 160°F (71°C) for beef or 165°F (74°C) for turkey before draining; 4 to 5 minutes is only an estimate.
  4. Stir in cooked rice, tomato sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Cook 1 minute.
  5. Spoon the filling tightly into the hollowed pepper.
  6. Place the stuffed pepper upright in the air fryer basket (use a foil ring cradle if needed).
  7. Air fry at 360°F (182°C) for 10 to 13 minutes until the pepper is tender.
  8. Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the filling.
  9. Air fry for an additional 2 to 3 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
  10. Confirm the center of the assembled filling reaches 165°F (74°C) with an instant-read thermometer.
  11. Rest for 2 minutes and serve.

Notes

Always pre-cook the ground beef filling before stuffing. The air fryer cook time alone is not sufficient to safely cook raw ground beef inside a cold pepper.
Before stuffing, cook beef to 160°F (71°C) or turkey to 165°F (74°C). Heat the assembled filling to 165°F (74°C).
Leftovers must be refrigerated within 2 hours and reheated to 165°F (74°C).
Cooking time and nutrition values are estimates.
Times and nutrition are estimates. Follow your appliance instructions and check doneness.
Never preheat with a loose parchment liner. Keep any liner secured beneath food and away from the heating element.