Peperonata

Peperonata is made with sweet bell peppers in red and yellow for an amazing pop. All cooked in a great tomato sauce with onions and lots of garlic. Serve this vegetable stew along with rustic bread, pasta, orzo, rice or quinoa. You won’t regret, because everything comes so easy together and tastes always so good. A 30 minute recipe that will get compliments in no time and that the family will love.

I do love Peperonata. It is kinda like a vegetable stew and of course it is super versatile.

There are really lots of options here as you can serve this over Garlic Mashed Potatoes, with Country Potatoes or dip into it with Potato Cheese Balls.

However I won’t stop here. Serve it along with Lemon Rice. You get this, it is a Mediterranean recipe that does it all and is really flexible.

Reasons to make Peperonata

You prepare a dish with such simple ingredients, but get a whole array of complex flavors in no time.

Many options to serve this up. Just look at my suggestions above and of course it is also a great pizza topping.

The key to Peperonata that really tastes amazing is really good quality olive oil. That is all what it needs in my gusto.

The simplicity and the amazing result really level up your cooking skills in no time.

What you need for this Peperonata recipe

Sweet bell peppers: I like to use a combination of red and yellow bell peppers, but you can just use red or yellow.

Garlic and onions: I use lots of garlic to add a lot of flavor which really goes great with the other ingredients. Onions add another layering of flavor and texture.

Olive oil: Use really good quality olive oil here. It will really make a difference and will add great intense, savory flavor.

You will find recipes with tomato paste or passata, often with adding water to either of them. But I find that the combination of both  tomato paste and passata is unmatchable. You have a deep tomato flavor from the paste and the light and fresh texture from passata. You can add water, but I find this is really unnecessary, as it will make the result watery and mushy without enough tomato flavor.

Balsamic vinegar adds a great acid and makes the tomato sauce complex and gives it a wonderfully sweet flavor.

Oregano and basil: I use them both, because these are great in tomato dishes.

How to make Peperonata

First, heat olive oil in a large pan. When hot, add the chopped garlic, diced onions and sliced bell peppers. Fry them for around 5 minutes.

Add in tomato paste, passata, balsamic vinegar and a pinch salt of pepper. Let everything simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes more.

Mix in oregano and basil and let simmer for 2 minutes more, then serve the Peperonata.

Tips and tricks

Leftovers are great in the fridge for 4 days.

You can freeze Peperonata after letting it cool completely, but it will loose some texture.

You can add parsley if you want to.

For a little bit of more heat you can use a pinch of chili flakes, delicious.

Other recipes to try

• Mujadara
• Creamy Mac and Cheese
• Greek Lemon Potatoes
• Bang Bang Cauliflower
• Sweet Potato Curry

For remakes of the Peperonata, tag on Instagram or Facebook.

Enjoy, Florian.