Recipe: $1
Per Serving: $0.25
When it comes to perfection, I think roasted red peppers are pretty darn close to the real deal. Wouldn’t you agree?
When I worked at a fancy restaurant, we had this awesome appetizer of fresh mozzarella with sliced roasted red peppers and a few dabs of pesto. It was amazing. It’s not on the menu anymore, but sometimes when I return there, if an old coworker is working the line (or the bar), they’ll send one out for me. SO SO good.
When I first tried to make roasted red peppers, I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. This was before Pinterest, and before recipe sites and food blogs were all the rage. I just sliced my bell pepper into thin strips and roasted them in the toaster oven on 450. Not exactly what I was looking for, but better than you might expect. Now that I’m older and slightly more knowledgeable, I know how to do it the right way, and I think everyone else should too!
The key to roasted red peppers is to let them sweat in a sealed container for awhile. If you can blacken them on the grill first, that’s going to be faster, but the oven method works perfectly fine as well.
I am a huge fan of red bell peppers, but they can be pretty pricey. When they’re on sale for 50 cents each, you should roast a whole bunch of them and then toss ’em in the freezer! Plus, since they’re on the dirty dozen list for pesticides, you can help reduce your exposure by peeling off the skin. They’re a great addition to soups, sauces, appetizers, and even breakfast. You can also make an awesome veggie panini/grilled cheese. YUM.
How to Roast Red Peppers
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 2 red bell peppers
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Place the bell peppers on a cookie sheet. (You can also cut them in half or in quarters if you prefer them to lie flat.)
- Roast for 25 minutes or until tops are completely blackened, flip and roast for another 30 minutes.
- Remove from oven and immediately transfer to a bowl or container. Seal with plastic wrap or a lid and set aside for one hour.
- After one hour, the steam from the hot peppers should have loosened the skins. Simply pull away the skins and scrape out the seeds and you’re done!
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Category: Condiment, Make Ahead