Sides
Time-Tested
Simple Peperonata (Italian Peppers)
Sweet peppers cooked slowly in olive oil with garlic, a little tomato and red wine vinegar until soft and glossy. Great over polenta or with almost anything.
JUMP TO RECIPE
Prep
10 min
Cook
25 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Ingredients
2 red bell peppers, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons crushed tomatoes
1–2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt
Some recipes are more like suggestions than instructions, and peperonata is one of them. It’s simply sweet peppers, garlic, olive oil and a little time on the stove, but somehow it turns into something that tastes like it came from a restaurant.
This is what you make when you’re already in the kitchen with a glass of wine and dinner is taking its time. It doesn’t need much attention, just a stir every now and then, and it slowly becomes soft, glossy and full of flavor.
I served this with braised short ribs and creamy polenta, and it was one of those dinners that felt like it should have been at a restaurant instead of at home in the mountains.
Method
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium to medium-low heat.
Add the sliced peppers and a pinch of salt. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want the peppers to soften slowly, not burn.
Add the garlic and cook for 1–2 minutes, until fragrant.
Add the crushed tomatoes and red wine vinegar and cook another 5–10 minutes, until the peppers are very soft and glossy.
Taste and add salt if needed.
A note
It’s one of those things that’s good to have in the fridge because it makes everything else feel like a real meal.
Good to know
More About This Recipe
Nutrition
Calories
125
Protein
1g
Carbs
6g
Fat
10g
Tips & tricks
How to serve it:
Over creamy polenta
With braised short ribs
With roast chicken
On grilled bread
With goat cheese or Parmesan
Next to steak
With pasta
Nutrition is an estimate per serving (based on 4), calculated from the ingredients.
Substitutions
Pairs well with
The dinner I made it for.
Spoon the peppers right over the top.
Storage & leftovers
Good warm, at room temperature, or cold from the fridge the next day.
Questions people ask
Postcards from my kitchen
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