These roasted sweet peppers are healthy and delicious and only require one ingredient. I’m using organic, sweet peppers from the farmers market. Keep reading to learn how to roast sweet peppers, what to make with roasted peppers and how to preserve roasted peppers in olive oil.
Peppers of all kinds are in season right now in Florida, which means they are abundant at the farmers market. I’m roasting large sweet peppers, but you can also roast mini sweet peppers and bell peppers with this farm-to-table recipe.
If you want to know how to make roasted red peppers, my recipe also works.
After roasting, I’ll show you how to preserve roasted peppers in olive oil so you can keep them in the refridgerator.
Wondering what to make with roasted peppers? Here are some ideas:
What to Make with Roasted Sweet Peppers
- Homemade Pasta Sauce: Blend them with roasted tomatoes and garlic
- Roasted Pepper Puree: Use an immersion or small blender to puree 1/2 pound roasted sweet peppers with 2 tablespoons of a good olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar and a small clove of minced garlic. This makes two servings and is delicious over pasta and topped with cheese.
- As a side dish: Roasted sweet peppers can be eaten as a side to your dinner
- As a stuffing for….omelets, fajitas, sandwiches
- Hor d’oeuvres: such as wrapped around a piece of goat cheese and drizzled with balsamic
- On a charcuterie board
What are Sweet Peppers?
Sweet peppers are those varieties of peppers that are not spicy; they are mild at most. True to their name, the flavor profile is sweet, but not overly so. Bell peppers, cubanelles and banana peppers are some well-known types of sweet peppers.
How to Make Roasted Sweet Peppers
The word “roasted” is often used, but “charred” would be more appropriate. The goal here is to turn the skins of the peppers black, and you’ll do this by using your oven’s broiler and very high heat.
After roasting, the charred skin is removed as the final step in roasting peppers.
1. Prepare
Slice each pepper in half lengthwise and remove the seeds, veins and stem part.
Place the peppers cut side down on a baking pan. Squash them flat with your palm, if needed to ensure that all the skin is facing up. Do not put oil on the peppers.
I highly recommend lining the pan with aluminum foil to prevent staining and make clean up easier. Here’s what charring peppers does to a pan without foil. *oops*
Don’t say I didn’t warn you. 😀
2. Broil
Place your oven rack in the top spot a few inches below broiler. Then turn on the broiler and give it 5 minutes to heat up. If your broiler has a ‘hi’ and ‘low’ setting, choose ‘hi’.
Turn on the exhaust fan and place the pan with the peppers on the top rack of the oven directly under the broiler.
It only takes a few minutes to roast peppers under the broiler, so now isn’t a good time to multi-task. You’ll want to watch them closely.
Let the peppers roast for 4 to 7 minutes. The skin will quickly start to bubble and char black.
Leave them in long enough to char most of the skin. Like this…
3. Cool
Immediately after removing the roasted peppers from the oven, place them in a medium heat-safe bowl and cover it tightly with plastic wrap.
This will make the skins much easier to remove and give the peppers a chance to cool some before handling.
Let the peppers sit just until cooled to a temperature where you can handle them. I suggest 5 minutes.
4. Remove the skin
Next, remove and discard as much of the skin as possible. You’ll discover that the charred bits are definitely easier to remove.
With that done, your roasted red peppers are ready to slice and serve!
Why Remove the Skin from Roasted Peppers?
We remove the skin for a couple reasons.
- It makes them easier to eat. After roasting sweet peppers, the flesh will be soft but the skin remains chewy.
- Removing the skin also makes roasted peppers easier to puree or add to sauces.
How to Preserve Roasted Sweet Peppers in Olive Oil
If you’ve made a large batch of roasted peppers that you won’t be consuming within a couple days, you can preserve them in olive oil and store them in the fridge.
It’s easy to preserve roasted peppers in olive oil. Here’s what you need:
- Glass jar and lid (cleaned and dried)
- Roasted peppers
- Olive oil
Here’s how to preserve roasted peppers in olive oil:
- Slice the roasted peppers into serving size pieces
- Place the roasted peppers in the jar and press down so they are well-packed.
- Pour olive oil into the jar until the peppers are covered with oil.
- Place a lid on the jar and store in your refrigerator.
Remove a few as needed to cook with. Note that the oil will become solid when cold but once the jar returns to room temperature it will liquify again.
Roasted Sweet Peppers
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb sweet peppers from the farmers market
Instructions
- Slice each pepper in half lengthwise and remove the seeds, veins and stem part.
- Place the peppers cut side down on a baking pan that is lined with aluminum foil. Squash them flat with your palm, if needed to ensure that all the skin is facing up.
- Place an oven rack on the top most rack in your oven which should be just a few inches below the broiler. Preheat the broiler for 5 minutes (on high).
- Once preheated, let the peppers roast for 4 to 7 minutes. The skin will quickly start to bubble and char black. Leave them in long enough to char most of the skin.
- Immediately after removing the roasted peppers from the oven, place them in a medium heat-safe bowl and cover it tightly with plastic wrap for 5 minutes.
- Carefully remove and discard as much of the skin as possible – ideally all of it.
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