Air Fryer Recipe
Mediterranean Olive and Feta Stuffed Peppers
A delicious and easy-to-make Mediterranean olive and feta stuffed peppers recipe, perfect for air frying.
Ingredients
- 4 medium bell peppers (any color)
- 200g feta cheese, crumbled
- 100g Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
- 1 small red onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Lemon wedges for serving
Method
- Wash the bell peppers thoroughly. Cut the tops off and remove seeds and membranes.
- In a mixing bowl, combine feta cheese, olives, red onion, garlic, olive oil, oregano, parsley, salt, and pepper.
- Fill each pepper cavity with the stuffing mixture.
- Preheat air fryer to 200°C (390°F). Place stuffed peppers in the basket and cook for 12-15 minutes.
- Remove from air fryer, let cool slightly, and serve with lemon wedges.
Why this works in an air fryer
Air-fryer convection dries and blisters the pepper skin while heat softens the walls from the outside in. The feta and olives supply salt and fat, so the filling warms and lightly browns without needing to melt fully; keeping the pepper upright prevents brine and oil pooling in the basket.
Equipment notes
Assumes a 5–6 litre basket holding 4 medium peppers upright with space between them; in a single-drawer model cook in one layer and rotate positions halfway if browning is uneven, while in a dual-zone fryer use the larger drawer or split 2 and 2, checking the smaller zone 1–2 minutes earlier.
Common pitfalls
- Peppers collapsing or the filling spilling by minute 10 means they were overfilled or the bases are uneven; trim a very thin slice from the bottom to level them and leave a small gap at the top of the stuffing.
- Watery liquid bubbling in the pepper and pale filling usually comes from wet olives or feta brine; drain and pat the olives and feta dry, then add a minute or two at 190°C to drive off moisture without scorching the herbs.
- Pepper skins blackening before the walls soften means the peppers are too close to the heating element or too tall; lower to 180°C and extend by 3–5 minutes, or use squatter peppers.
- Harsh raw onion or garlic after cooking signals pieces were too large for the short air-fryer time; chop them very finely, or soften them for 1–2 minutes in a little oil before mixing into the feta.
Variations & substitutions
- Use Romano peppers instead of bell peppers; their thinner walls cook faster, so start checking at 9–10 minutes.
- Swap half the feta for ricotta for a milder, creamier filling; it releases more moisture, so drain it first and expect less browning on top.
- Add cooked couscous or bulgur to the filling; it absorbs feta and olive juices, making the peppers more stable but needing an extra 2–3 minutes to heat through.
- Replace Kalamata olives with sun-dried tomatoes; the filling becomes sweeter and less salty, and oil-packed tomatoes should be well drained to avoid a greasy base.
Storage & reheating
Keep leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat in the air fryer at 170°C for 5–7 minutes, until the pepper is hot through and the filling is steaming.
Nutrition
Calories: 250
