Peperonata is a delicious and quick side dish, contorno, made with peppers, onions, tomatoes, and basil as the main ingredients.
Peperonata is typical of Sicilian cuisine but also widespread throughout Italy. With just a few fresh and wholesome ingredients this classic peperonata is ideal to accompany a thousand dishes.
Imagine light sweetness of peppers softened in naturally sweet and sour tomato and onion sauce that are cooked long enough to turn into creamy and bright-color celebration of flavor. A unique mouth-watering experience.
Table Of Contents
5 Reason You’ll Love Peperonata
- It is packed with flavor and nutrients.
- Enjoy it warm or cold.
- Serve in numerous ways: as an appetizer, side dish, topping for bruschetta or focaccia, filling for panini, as a sauce for pasta and even as a whole meal in of itself (see below).
- Freezes great. Make a big batch and use as needed.
- It’s never boring! With just one extra ingredient you can add extra flavor and changing that one ingredient you can have a slightly different tasting dish every time you make it.
Like any traditional recipe, depending on the region (and personal tastes!) there are many possible variations. In this Peperonata recipe you’ll have both classic version but also all possible variations and add-ons.
Ingredients
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Bell Peppers - sweet bell peppers (capsicum) better if a colorful mix. It is essential, not only because they give a touch of color, but also a unique flavor to the dish.
- Onions - we opted for a flavorful white onion but classic yellow onion will work great as well.
- Tomatoes - ripe red tomatoes of sweet variety work the best. You can also use cherry tomatoes. When fresh tomatoes are not in season you can use tomato passata (tomato puree) instead. To make Peperonata extra creamy and flavorful use a mix of fresh ripe tomatoes and a little bit of tomato passata (tomato pure).
- Fresh Basil - a handful of fresh basil leaves is a necessary ingredient to complete the unique flavor combination of peperonata.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil (abbreviated name EVO oil) - high quality extra virgin olive helps all the flavors come together and bring the whole dish to the next level.
Possible Add-Ons
- Capers
- Green Olives
- Sweet & Sour sauce made with sugar and vinegar.
- Crumbled ricotta salata or feta cheese.
- Chicken, turkey or beet strips.
How To Make - Step By Step With Pictures
Prepare the vegetables
- Wash peppers and tomatoes.
- Cut each pepper in half then in quarters. Remove the stem, seeds and inner membranes. Cut peppers into thin strips.
- Cut tomatoes into cubes.
- Peel onion, cut in quarters and then into thin slices.
Cook onions and peppers
- In a large pan add a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and sliced onions.
- Let simmer on medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Once onions has become translucent add sliced peppers. Cook for another 10 minutes.
Add tomatoes and finish cooking
- Add tomatoes and/or tomato puree. Add salt and cook for another 20 minutes. If you see peperonata starts to get a little dry add some water. As the end result you want peppers to have a light crunch and the whole peperonata have creamy texture.
- Turn the heat off and add basil leaves torn by hand. Let rest for a few minutes and serve.
Top Tips
- Balance the flavors. Peppers is the main protagonist of Peperonata so be sure other ingredients don’t cover or overpower them. As a rule of thumb, onions should be ¼ or ⅓ (at most!) of the weight of peppers. Tomatoes should be ⅓ to ½ of the peppers weight.
- Don't rush cooking. Peppers require a good cooking time, and the ingredients must mix without burning in order to preserve the flavor of the fresh pepper: if fried, it would irremediably change the taste of the dish.
- The final consistency is important. Be sure to taste. The peppers shouldn’t be mushy or overcooked but still result with creamy tomato & onion sauce.
Use a loaf of rustic Italian bread like homemade Pugliese bread to make irresistible bruschetta.
How To Make Peperonata With Meat
- Start by lightly browning the meet strips in extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Once they’re browned on both sides remove them from the pan and set aside.
- Add another splash of extra virgin olive to the same pan where you cooked the meet. Add onions, then peppers and after that tomatoes as directed in the peperonata recipe.
- Add browned meet strips 15 minutes before peperonata is ready. Finish cooking following the recipe.
Turn It into a Pasta Sauce
Blitz a cup of peperonata in a food processor until smooth with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. You can use it as is or add a tablespoon of fine nuts, a few tbsps of cream cheese and a few basil leaves to make it even more silky and creamy. Coat pasta cooked 'al dente' and enjoy!
FAQs
Absolutely! Free it in an airtight container and store in the freezer for a few months.
When needed, take the container out of the freezer and thaw better if in the fridge. Once completely thawed you can either reheat it or serve as is.
Once peppers are rinsed, use a vegetable peeler to peel as much of the skin as possible. Keep in mind that it’s only possible when using large, most fresh peppers with smooth and bouncy skin. It’s a little extra work and it’s very worth the effort.
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Full Recipe
Peperonata (Italian Bell Pepper Stew)
Ingredients
- 2.2 lb bell peppers red and yellow , 1 kg
- 1 onion medium size , about 9 oz (250 grams)
- 5 tomatoes , about 12 oz (350 grams) see NOTE 1
- ½ cup tomato passata (optional)
- Handful fresh basil leaves
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Prepare the vegetables.
- Wash peppers and tomatoes.
- Cut each pepper in half then in quarters. Remove the stem, seeds and inner membranes. Cut peppers into thin strips.
- Cut tomatoes into cubes.
- Peel onion, cut in quarters and then into thin slices.
Cook onion and peppers.
- In a large pan add a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and sliced onions.Let simmer on medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Once onions has become translucent add sliced peppers. Cook for another 10 minutes.
Add tomatoes and finish cooking.
- Add tomatoes and/or tomato puree. Add salt and cook for another 20 minutes. If you see peperonata starts to get a little dry add some water.As an end result you want peppers to have a light crunch and the whole peperonata have creamy texture.
- Turn the heat off and add basil leaves torn by hand. Let rest for a few minutes and serve.
Notes
-
- Balance the flavors. Peppers is the main protagonist of Peperonata so be sure other ingredients don’t cover or overpower them. As a rule of thumb, onions should be ¼ or ⅓ (at most!) of the weight of peppers. Tomatoes should be ⅓ to ½ of the peppers weight.
-
- Don't rush cooking. Peppers require a good cooking time, and the ingredients must mix without burning in order to preserve the flavor of the fresh pepper: if fried, it would irremediably change the taste of the dish.
-
- The final consistency is important. Be sure to taste. The peppers shouldn’t be mushy or overcooked but still result with creamy tomato & onion sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Brenda Spina says
I made this for the first time last week and it was fabulous! It is a definite repeat recipe for me
Erin says
Thank you for sharing. My grandmother used to make this, but she never taught us how. We have tried many recipes over the years, but none of them were right. She would put a big spoon on half a cibatta, top with mozzarella then bake. It was lunch at least 3 times a week. It means a lot to us to us to have this
Svitlana says
What a beautiful memory, Erin — thank you for sharing it. Your grandmother's way sounds perfect: a generous spoonful on half a ciabatta with mozzarella, baked until melting. YUm! I hope this version brings a little of that flavor back!