If there's one side dish that brings back a ton of beautiful memory, it's definitely these easy Italian roasted red peppers recipe. This is one of those dishes that tastes like home to me - and I promise it is an absolute must-try! A rich salad loaded with crunch celery, olives, fresh mint and sweet and smokey roasted red peppers, a fresh dish that can be set it aside. If you are looking for more Mediterranean roasted vegetable recipes try my roasted carrots with shallots or my roasted asparagus with carrots, all lay on a creamy yogurt dip.
I love peppers, and I enjoy cooking them in different way. One of my favourite is my Italian Chicken alla romana (Roman chicken with peppers), a delicious chicken recipe with a creamy and sweet pepper sauce that's needs to be scooped up with plenty of bread.
In Italy, roasted peppers are usually served as an antipasto, alongside with focaccia and a charcuterie and cheese board. To create a full antipasto spread I love adding my quick and easy tomato and bread, my ricotta and zucchini bruschetta, and my coccoli (fried dough bread). Serve the antipasto with my refreshing and lemony Limoncello spritz or for non alcoholic drinks serve my Aperol spritz mocktails.
During the summer, my mum would make this Italian dish every week, and the smell of the roasted peppers would fill the entire home. She never served them on their own - she turned them in proper salad, filled with simple but delicious ingredients. She used whatever she had in the fridge, and the results was phenomenal: smokey, sweet, fresh and just a little tangy.
Jump to:
Ingredients
- Red peppers- Choose fresh peppers with a beautiful shiny and firm skin. You can mix red and yellow peppers for extra flavour.
- Garlic- One garlic is enough to give a slightly punchy flavour.
- Celery stalk- Use the inner celery (the heart), along with the leaves. They are sweeter, less fibrous than the outer stalk. It give to the Italian roasted red peppers recipe a crunchy texture.
- Mint- Add a fresh and aromatic note.
- Olives- I like to add Kalamata olives for their tangy and brine flavour. But any olives would work great in here.
- Olive oil- Always use extra virgin olive oil for all the Italian recipes. It adds richness to the dish.
- Seasoning- Use salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
How to make Italian roasted peppers
My mum makes this way, but the good news is that you can add whatever you fancy or you have left in the fridge. From goat cheese, fresh burrata to homemade croutons. As long as the peppers are roasted, you are fine. We want to preserve that smokey favour that just the roasting gives to this gorgeous veggie.
It's also good to know is that you can roast the red peppers a day in advance and store them in airtight container in the fridge. The next day, you'll need to add the rest of the ingredients. However, make sure that the peppers are at room temperature before mixing everything together.
- Step 1: Preheat the fan oven to 200°c, 392°F ,gas mark 6. Wash the peppers and lay them on a baking paper. Roast them for 50 minutes and make sure to flip them over every 15 minutes. The peppers are roasted once the skin is evenly charred.
- Step 2: Place them in a bowl covered with plastic wrap for 20 minutes. After the timing remove the skin using your hand and cutting half the peppers to remove all the seeds with a knife. Cut them in slices and add them with the rest of the ingredients in a serving dish a give a good mix.
During the summer we mostly go for vegetarian dishes, and this recipe is definitely a staple in our home. I love to serve the roasted peppers alongside my burrata caprese salad, with my pasta with homemade pesto and roasted tomatoes, or with my grilled corn salad with roasted peppers.
Italian roasted red peppers recipe top tips
Roast them whole- We roast the peppers whole, because this way the steam will build up inside as they roast. The steam gently cooks the flesh without burning it, this way you'll have perfectly roasted peppers. What matters is the flesh inside and not the outside.
Roast them properly- First, make sure the oven is preheated. Then turn the veggies every 15 mounts. This helps them roast evenly on all sides. Use oven tongs when turning them, as both the oven and the peppers will be piping hot.
Peeling- Once the peppers are roasted, place them in a large bowl and cover it with a food-safe plastic wrap. Leave them covered for 15 minutes. This will help you to remove the skin easily.
Don't rinse off the flavour- After peeling and removing the seeds, don't rinse the peppers. This will wash away all the flavour that we build it during the roasting.
More vegetarian recipes
These are my favourite recipes to serve with my Italian roasted red peppers:
📖 Recipe
Italian roasted peppers recipe - antipasto or side dish
Ingredients
- 4 red peppers
- 10 olives as kalamata
- 1 celery stalk with the leaves
- 8 fresh mint leaves
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the fan oven to 200c, 392°F ,gas mark 6. Wash the peppers and lay them on a baking paper.
- Roast them for 50 minutes and make sure to flip them over every 15 minutes. The peppers are roasted once the skin is evenly charred. In the meantime, wash the celery and the mint, then set them aside.
- Place the roasted peppers in a bowl covered with plastic wrap. Let them rest for 15 minutes. After that, remove the skins from the peppers using your hand.
- Cut the peppers in half and remove all the seeds with a knife. Slice each pepper into long strips using a knife.
- Cut the garlic and celery into small cubes using a knife. Break the mint leaves gently with your hand. Add all the ingredients in a serving plate and give it a good mix before serving.
Notes
MAKING THIS? I'D LOVE TO SEE IT!
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