A kitchen skill that everyone needs to know: how to roast bell peppers! The most efficient way to do it, in my opinion, is in your oven. Roast a bunch of bell peppers at once, and use them in meals throughout the week.
Look, I'm not going to lie, I take shortcuts in life. I buy jarred roasted red peppers all. the. time. Why? Because they're convenient, delicious enough, and it's winter for six months in Wisconsin so good luck finding one red pepper that holds a candle to local, seasonal, truly fresh red pepper. But, since it is summer, and bell peppers are in season, I decided that I would take the time to roast them. And so, here we are.
The Best Method for Roasting Peppers: The Oven
Obviously the fastest method, right? Always (at least in my humble opinion).
I mean, holding each pepper individually over an open flame until it's roasted to a perfect char is totally acceptable... if I'm one eating them. But if I'm the one roasting them? Nope. It's all at the same time, all in one oven. One and done. Which, lucky for us, gets us those deliciously charred, olive oily results just as well.
To prep, you'll just need to preheat your oven to 450 degrees -- 500 if you can! It's gotta be HOT. -- and get out a rimmed baking sheet. For ingredients, it's simple: just some red, yellow, and/or orange bell peppers, olive oil, and salt.
You'll start off by deseeding the peppers and cutting each one into quarters, lengthwise, and place them in a bowl, like so:
You can use as many peppers you want. I usually do anywhere from 8-10, because hey, if I'm taking the time to make these, I want to eat them with everything throughout the week.
Next, toss them in a generous amount of olive oil (I use about ¼ cup for 8-10 peppers -- you want them to be well-coated) with a healthy pinch of salt. From there, empty the bowl with all the olive oil and peppers onto your prepared baking sheet, spreading them evenly across.
Then, just pop those babies in the oven for at least 30 minutes (depending on your oven, it could be more like 35-40), until they start to collapse and each one has those nice, charred edges. You can flip them halfway through if you'd like, but it's not necessary.
And then? Put them in meals all week long!
How to Use Roasted Bell Peppers
Roasted bell peppers just so happen to make everything taste better.
- In salads
- In pasta salads (maybe add some to this olive tapenade and tuna pasta salad??)
- On burgers, grilled cheese, and other sandwiches
- In homemade spreads and sauces, like roasted red pepper pizza sauce or romesco sauce
- On pizza
- Serve them chilled, as an appetizer (Mediterranean cheese plate, anyone?!)
- In grain bowls
- On the side of your favorite protein
Will I always roast bell peppers myself and never buy jarred roasted peppers again? Probably not -- I'll always be an occasional shortcut-taker and I won't judge if you are, too. But if you adore roasted bell peppers, and if you also live in a place where you have a fleeting season of fresh peppers... you should roast those babies like there's no tomorrow. Except there is a tomorrow, and in it, your very happy self is eating all the roasted peppers.
PrintRecipe
How to Roast Bell Peppers (Oven Method)
Roasting bell peppers is one of the easiest ways to add flavor to any dish! You can make sauces and spreads, add them to pasta salads and sandwiches, top pizza, or put them out as an appetizer.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: ~4 cups
- Category: Appetizers, how-to
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients
- 8-10 bell peppers (red, yellow, orange)
- ~¼ cup olive oil
- a generous pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450 degrees; line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, if desired.
- Slice off the pepper stems and deseed; then slice into fourths, lengthwise. Place the peppers into a bowl and toss with olive oil and salt.
- Dump peppers onto prepared baking sheet and spread evenly across. Roast at 450 for at least 30 minutes (maybe 35-40 depending on your oven). The peppers are done when they're slightly collapsed and charred on the edges.
- Let peppers cool, and use immediately or store in glass in the fridge until ready to use.
Notes
*Roasted bell peppers are delicious in warm or chilled dishes alike! I love serving them chilled as part of a Mediterranean-style appetizer plate with olives, cheeses, sourdough, almonds, etc.
*Fresh roasted bell peppers will keep for a week in the fridge. For longer-lasting results, you could follow a canning & preserving method.
Karl Duncan
I’ve burned the crap out off peppers enough times...will try this next time!