Air Fryer Recipe
Chorizo and Manchego Stuffed Peppers
A simple, tasty recipe for chorizo and Manchego stuffed peppers, just right for cooking in the air fryer.
Ingredients
- 4 medium bell peppers (red, yellow, or orange)
- 150g Spanish chorizo, finely chopped
- 100g Manchego cheese, grated
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 100g cooked rice (optional)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley for garnish
Method
- Slice the tops off the bell peppers, then remove the seeds and membranes. Brush the peppers lightly with olive oil and set them aside.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over a medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, and sauté until softened and translucent.
- Add the chopped chorizo and cook until it begins to release its oils and turn crisp.
- Take the skillet off the heat and stir in the grated Manchego cheese. Add the cooked rice, if using. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Spoon the chorizo mixture evenly into each pepper, taking care not to overfill them.
- Preheat the air fryer to 180°C (356°F) for about 3 minutes.
- Set the stuffed peppers in the air fryer basket. Cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the peppers are tender and the tops are lightly charred.
- Leave the stuffed peppers to cool for a couple of minutes before serving. Finish with freshly chopped parsley.
Why this works in an air fryer
Air-fryer convection dries and blisters the pepper skins while the vertical pepper walls shield the filling from scorching. Chorizo renders paprika-rich fat, which coats the onion, rice and Manchego; the cheese melts into the rendered fat to bind the stuffing without needing egg or breadcrumbs.
Equipment notes
Assumes a 4–5 litre basket taking 4 medium peppers upright with space between them; in a single-drawer model cook in one layer and rotate any tight-fitting peppers halfway, while in a dual-zone air fryer split 2 and 2, start both zones together, and check the smaller zone first as it often browns faster.
Common pitfalls
- Watery filling pooling in the pepper base? The chorizo and onion were not cooked long enough; fry until the chorizo oil is visible and the onion moisture has evaporated before adding cheese.
- Cheese leaking and burning on the basket? The peppers are overfilled or the tops are mounded; leave 1cm headspace and press the stuffing level so melted Manchego stays inside.
- Pepper skin charred but flesh still firm at 15 minutes? The peppers are too large or thick-walled; lower to 170°C and cook 5–8 minutes longer so the walls soften before the tops blacken.
- Peppers collapsing sideways during cooking? Their bases are uneven or the basket is crowded; trim a tiny flat spot from the base without cutting through, or use a small heatproof ramekin/foil ring to support each pepper.
Variations & substitutions
- Use cooking chorizo instead of cured chorizo for a juicier filling, but cook it fully in the skillet until crumbly before stuffing as it releases more fat and moisture.
- Swap Manchego for mature Cheddar if needed; it melts more fluidly, so keep the filling slightly below the rim to prevent overflow.
- Use quinoa or cooked bulgur instead of rice for a lighter filling; both absorb chorizo oil well but can dry out, so add a teaspoon of the rendered pan fat to each pepper if the mixture looks loose.
- Add finely chopped roasted red pepper or olives for extra Spanish-style flavour; keep the pieces small and well drained or the filling will steam rather than brown.
Storage & reheating
Keep cooled stuffed peppers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days, then reheat in the air fryer at 160°C for 6–8 minutes until hot through, covering loosely with foil if the tops are already dark.
Nutrition
Calories: 250
