Welcome to Air Fryer August!

First up: The easiest stuffed peppers you’ll ever make

Hey crew, and welcome back to Cool Beans! After a month of no-cook dinners (and desserts!), we’re ready for a warm meal again. It’s still too hot for the oven though, so we’re busting out America’s new favorite countertop appliance. Bienvenue to Air Fryer August. These pint-sized convection ovens not only save you from suffering in a steamy kitchen, they’re also way more efficient than conventional cookers, which means the more of us that use them, the more the planet-saving bennies can add up. If every oven-using household in the U.S. made one meal a week in an air fryer instead of al forno, that would save about 3.5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity every year—in terms of emissions, that’s like taking more than 345,000 gas-powered cars off the road.¹

Lest we forget: Air-fried food is also dee-licious. If you like crispy, crunchy vittles but hate dealing with tons of oil, the air fryer is your fast pass to perfectly cooked proteins, veggies, snackies, and more. They come in all sizes, but the compact ones are also great for small households, like mine, where turning on the oven for two people feels like a waste. To kick things off, we’re making a summery spin on stuffed peppers that celebrates the best late-season produce. (Don’t worry, we’ve included conventional cookery instructions, as well.)

A veggie vessel for late summer’s best

Credit: Gabriella Vigoreaux

Bell peppers might not be the most fawned over summer veggie, but at this time of the season, the ones at the market are too good to pass up. They are vibrant, glossy, and big enough to carry cargo. This week that baggage is succotash, a medley of corn, lima beans, and tomatoes with Indigenous roots. Native Americans first introduced the dish to European colonizers in the 17th century, and several regional varieties have emerged since. Unlike the cheesy, meaty stuffed peppers nonnas are famous for, ones with this mix inside are fresh and light while still being filling. The real kicker comes from the umami-loaded basil sauce, which comes together while the pepps are doing their thing in the air fryer.

Fresh corn and limas are also at their peak right now, but you can opt for canned or frozen or swap the beans for edamame, all of which which makes this dish a breeze to assemble—and allows you to make it all year long. This meal comes together super quickly, because the succotash stuffing roasts right inside the peppers. While that duo is air-frying away, you’ll whip up the sauce. Depending on how smothered you like your peppers, you’ll probably have some left over: It keeps in the fridge for a few days and you’ll be happy to have it on hand for scrambles, grain bowls, and salads. 

Succotash Stuffed Peppers

Yield: 4 servings, plus extra sauce