Healthy stuffed peppers

Why stuffed peppers go wrong

Stuffed peppers usually fail in one of two ways: the filling is done but the pepper is still crunchy, or the pepper is soft but the filling is dry. The cause is the same. The filling is already cooked, and the pepper needs about 45 minutes in the oven to soften. Baking the empty peppers for 10 minutes first, and covering the dish with foil for most of the baking, solves both. The foil keeps the steam in, so the peppers soften without the filling drying out.

Some recipes boil the peppers first. That works, but they can split and get waterlogged. Pre-baking is simpler.

Which peppers to use

Red, yellow and orange peppers are sweeter and softer when cooked. Green peppers are cheaper and more bitter, and they keep their shape best. Choose peppers that are wide and blocky, with flat bottoms that stand up. Tall, narrow ones fall over and hold less filling.

Making them healthier, and what each choice is worth

• Lean beef: 93% lean ground beef rather than 80% saves about 80 kcal and 10 g of fat per pepper. Ground turkey or chicken works the same way; the turkey and Parmesan mix from our turkey meatballs makes a good filling.
• Brown rice: adds fiber. White rice, cauliflower rice or quinoa can be used instead. Cauliflower rice saves about 45 kcal and 10 g of carbohydrate per pepper.
• Part-skim mozzarella: melts well, with a quarter less fat than whole-milk mozzarella and about half the fat of cheddar.

The same beef, rice and tomato filling wrapped in cabbage leaves instead is Polish cabbage rolls.

Vegetarian stuffed peppers

Replace the beef with 2 cans (15 oz each) of black beans, drained and rinsed, and 1 cup of corn kernels, fresh or frozen. Use 1 tsp ground cumin and 1 tsp chili powder in place of the Italian seasoning, and Monterey Jack or pepper jack in place of the mozzarella if you like. Each pepper has about 340 kcal and 17 g of protein, with about 13 g of fiber. Leave out the cheese, or use a vegan cheese, for a vegan version. Leftover vegetarian chili is a ready-made filling too.

Air fryer stuffed peppers

An air fryer cooks each batch of stuffed peppers in about half the oven time. Most baskets hold 3 or 4 whole peppers, and they need about an inch of space below the heating element. If they are too tall, cut them in half lengthwise into boats instead. Boats fit better and cook faster.

1. Make the filling as written. Brown the beef fully, to 160°F. Do not try to cook raw ground beef inside the peppers in an air fryer, because the outside of the filling dries out before the center is safe.
2. Air fry the empty peppers or halves at 360°F for 5 minutes to start softening them.
3. Fill them and spoon the rest of the tomato sauce over the top, since there is no dish for it to sit in. Air fry at 360°F, 10 to 12 minutes for halves or 15 to 18 minutes for whole peppers.
4. Top with the cheese and air fry 3 to 4 minutes more, until it browns. The center of the filling should read 165°F.

Six peppers usually take two batches. The peppers stay a little firmer than in the oven, with some char on the skin. The nutrition is the same as the baked version.

Make ahead and freezing

Stuff the peppers, cover and refrigerate up to a day before baking. Add 10 minutes to the covered baking time. Baked peppers keep 4 days in the fridge. They freeze for 3 months, individually wrapped, though the peppers soften more after thawing. Reheat covered at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes, or in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes.

What they are worth nutritionally

One stuffed pepper has about 310 kcal, with 23 g of protein, 11 g of fat and 28 g of carbohydrate, including about 5 g of fiber. That is a full dinner in one pepper. Bell peppers are one of the richest sources of vitamin C among common vegetables. A large red pepper has more than a day's worth, though some is lost in long cooking.