Oven Roasted Peppers

How to Roast Peppers in the Oven

Roasting peppers in the oven is as easy as arranging the peppers onto a lined baking sheet (for easier clean-up) and placing them into a pre-heated 450 degrees Fahrenheit oven until they are heavily charred and blistered.

It is not roasting the peppers itself that requires action on your part - it is the peeling of the skins. Which in and of itself is quite easy. You just need some patience for the peppers to cool down before you can do it.

Below we offer two ways of approaching the task of roasting bell peppers in the oven:

• roasting the peppers halved and with the seeds already removed, then simply peeling the skins

• roasting the peppers whole and then peeling the skins and removing the seeds

NOTE: You can oven roast ANY type of pepper as we show here, not just bell peppers, of which for some reason red bell peppers are disproportionately most popular. Consider jalapeños, sweet Italian peppers, sweet mini-peppers, Poblano peppers, Hatch chiles, etc.

TIP: Roast a dozen or more peppers at a time on two baking sheets - if you cannot consume them all right away, they freeze wonderfully and you can enjoy them later.

You Will Need

To roast peppers in the oven you will need a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silt pat and, of course, raw peppers. Once again - you are not limited to roasting bell peppers. Any type of pepper you fancy can be roasted in one of the two manners demonstrated below.

NOTE: As a rule of thumb smaller peppers such as shishito, mini sweet peppers, Padron peppers, cherry peppers, serrano, or fresno peppers are best roasted whole for convenience.

Step-by-Step Picture Guide and Video

Below you can follow through the picture sequence for roasting bell peppers halved. This is our preferred method because of its ease - the cleaned and halved peppers are much easier to peel in the end.

We recommend this roasting method over roasting larger peppers whole - no seeds stubbornly getting stuck to your hands and the peppers' moist flesh that you struggle to remove during peeling.

Roasting Peppers Cut in Half

• Begin by cutting the peppers in half, then with a small sharp knife cut out the tops with the attached seeds and the ribs. The seeds of raw peppers fall out easily.

• Then arrange the peppers on the prepared baking sheet and roast them at 450 F for 30 to 40 minutes. You want to see them become really charred, this makes for easier peeling later on.

• Once they have become blistered and charred (you do not notice skins that are still smooth and supple) take them out of the oven.

• Naturally, they will be extremely hot so use kitchen tongs or gloves to transfer them into a bowl or other container for which you have a lid (or simply cover with plastic as shown below). Allow them to sweat as they cool down.

• Once they have reached a temperature where you are comfortable touching them you can peel the skins with ease.

Roasting Peppers Whole

Watch the demonstrational video where we show roasting the peppers whole as Method #2.

You will notice how the seeds tend to stick to the hands and it may even be necessary to rinse the flesh of the peeled pepper to remove them. Rinsing also removes the flavor, so for larger peppers Method #1 works much better.

We recommend that you roast whole only peppers that are so small that all their juices will come out while in the oven if you halve them. They are also easier to peel when whole (many do not need to be peeled because they are very thin skinned, ex. padron or shishito) and typically you can just pull on the tops and the seeds come out along with them.

NOTE: Thin skinned and smaller peppers do not have to be roasted as long as fleshier, bigger and thicker skinned ones. Less charring is sufficient on them and even if a bit of skin has not been peeled it doesn't make a difference.

Delicious Roasted Bell Pepper Uses

Roasted bell peppers unlock a wealth of gustatory experiences you can create in a manner of minutes. Here are a few ideas.

Salads - roasted peppers sliced into ribbons or otherwise make a wonderful addition to a variety of salads. See below how to make two of our favorites.

Pasta ingredient - sliced and added to pasta tossed in tomato sauce, pesto, alfredo or simply olive oil and grated parmesan.

Dips, spreads, relishes, sauces - roasted red peppers can be blended and added to hummus, made into a variety of dips and spreads or diced into a relish - we often make this Roasted Red Pepper relish.

Toppings - for sandwiches, for pizza and flatbreads, for bruschetta, etc.

Roasted Bell Peppers Pasta Salad

This roasted bell peppers pasta salad is a breeze to prepare and is usually applauded when we bring it to family or friends gatherings. As it is enjoyed cold, we often make it as a refreshing, light vegetarian summer meal - lunch or dinner. It is also easy to take to a picnic in an insulated food container.

To make it (serves 4 as salad/side dish or 2 as an entree) you will need:

• 2 ½ cups of al dente cooked pasta such as orzo (shown), ditalini, or bow ties etc.
• 2 tablespoons basil pesto
• 3-4 roasted bell peppers
• 11-15 cherry tomatoes
• olive oil and red wine vinegar to taste, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste

How to: Toss the cooked pasta in the pesto (adjust to taste if you want more pesto). Slice the peppers into thin, short ribbons. Halve the tomatoes. Combine all the ingredients and mix gently. Enjoy!

TIP: To add a protein to the pasta salad, consider mozarella cheese pearls, cooked chicken or sausage cut into bite sized pieces, etc.

Roasted Red Peppers Salad with Feta Cheese

This is a salad that goes a long way in the sense that it is so flavorful that a small serving completely satisfies the palate. It is very well-suited for heavier proteins such as roasts or steaks. When I was growing up in my extended family we always enjoyed it alongside grilled kofta or pork skewers, and often with pork shoulder steak or grilled lamb leg in the summertime. To me it is simply my grandmother's roasted red peppers salad.

To make it to serve 4 people you will need:

• 5 to 7 roasted red peppers, depending on their size
• 1 medium yellow or sweet onion
• 1 or 2 cloves garlic
• fresh Italian parsley and dill, to taste
• about 2-3 oz of feta cheese, or to taste
• olive oil, to taste
• red wine vinegar, to taste
• kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

How to: Thinly slice the onion and roasted red peppers. (You can soak sliced yellow onion in water to take the pungent edge off, then drain). Add the minced garlic and chopped herbs to the peppers and onion, add the oil, vinegar and season. Mix and let sit and marinate for about 10 minutes for the flavors to blend. Just before you serve the salad give it another stir and crumble the feta cheese on top.

Storing and Freezing

Store peeled roasted peppers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will save well for a couple of days so if you make a bigger batch you can enjoy them over the course of a few days in various dishes.

To freeze roasted peppers if you make a really big batch squeeze out the liquids after you peel them and allow them to cool down completely. Pack them very tightly in freezer safe bag(s), all air expelled, neatly rolled and sealed. We reccomend vacuum sealed bags if this an option in your household. They will keep well frozen for months. Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator.