The ‘mbuttunati stuffed peppers, meaning stuffed peppers, are a typical Neapolitan dish that my mother often made since she frequently found part of the filling left over in the fridge, namely diced fried eggplant and zucchini. Of course I made them without frying anything and used my beloved air fryer.
The peppers should first be roasted and peeled, and to do that I used my Airfryer following this procedure: roasted peppers in the air fryer.
The filling is typically made with diced fried eggplant, breadcrumbs, Gaeta black olives, capers, basil and anchovies in oil. I wanted to add some vegetables so I also used a zucchini and some cherry tomatoes. I also used a few green olives and Parmesan, which I personally like almost everywhere.
They turned out delicious. And above all very light: only 2 Weight Watchers Propoints per pepper. They can be used as a hearty side dish or even as a vegetarian main dish, depending on your needs. Here’s how I prepared them…
More light recipes with peppers can be found here:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Cooking time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 3 or 6
- Cooking methods: Oven, Air Fryer
- Cuisine: Healthy
Ingredients
To make this a vegan recipe replace the anchovies and Parmesan with a couple of tablespoons of nutritional yeast.
- 6 peppers (medium-sized)
- 2 oz pitted black olives (preferably Gaeta olives)
- 1 oz pitted green olives (or replace with an extra 0.4 oz of black olives)
- 2 eggplants
- 1 zucchini (or replace with another eggplant)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 tbsp capers (in salt)
- 5 fillets anchovies in oil (well drained. Alternatively use 1 tsp more oil)
- 2 tbsp grated Parmesan (not a traditional ingredient; can be replaced with about 0.5 oz more black olives)
- 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
- to taste fresh basil
- to taste salt and pepper
- Total points = 13 WW points
- Points per pepper (as a side) = 2 WW points
- Points for 2 peppers (as a main) = 4 WW points
Tools
- Air Fryer
Steps
First, roast and peel the peppers. If you have an air fryer follow the instructions here: Roasted peppers in the air fryer.
Cut the eggplants and zucchini into cubes and roast them in the air fryer at 392°F for about 20 minutes, or in the oven at 428°F for about half an hour.
Prepare the filling in a large bowl by mixing together the roasted eggplant and zucchini cubes, the olives halved, the cherry tomatoes chopped, the Parmesan, the breadcrumbs, the capers rinsed and squeezed, anchovies and torn basil, and a little salt and pepper.
Brush a little oil on the bottom of the baking dish, stuff all the peppers evenly and place them in the dish. Brush the remaining oil over the peppers.
Bake at 482°F for 15-20 minutes in a conventional oven or in the air fryer at 392°F for 15 minutes. As soon as the peppers are a little golden, remove the dish from the oven.
The ‘mbuttunati stuffed peppers are ready to be served piping hot, but they are also very tasty cold. Since they are roasted and peeled they are a bit easier to digest. I didn’t add finely chopped garlic to the filling so as not to weigh down digestion, but if you like it, feel free to use it.
If, like me, you adore peppers and strong flavors, you absolutely must try this recipe. At home everyone approved and I was really satisfied: even after lightening the recipe it felt like traveling back many years to my mother’s peppers… what nostalgia.
Make them yourself and then tell me if you liked them.
Enjoy your meal!
by Giovanna Buono
Storage
The ‘mbuttunati peppers keep in the fridge for 4 days and you can also freeze them for 4-5 months. Thaw them and then reheat in the oven for a few minutes.
