Who doesn’t love a good bell pepper? This deliciously crisp, colorful veggie adds flavor to our food and dresses up the vegetable bed with wonderful yellow, orange, red or purple fruit. Of course, it’s not just their looks that make bell peppers so popular in the garden – it’s their taste! Even better, no matter how you eat them, bell peppers pack a punch of health. After all, they’re rich in vitamins A and C, as well as beta-carotene.
These delicious strips of roasted bell pepper are ready to enhance your favorite sandwich, salad or main dish.
Photo Credit: Mary Moore
To roast, spread your bell peppers on a baking sheet so they don’t touch each other.
Photo Credit: Mary Moore
After 10 minutes, check to see if the skins are blackened. If so, turn them.
Photo Credit: Mary Moore
Roasted peppers should be soft, and the skins should be burned.
Photo Credit: Mary Moore
Bell peppers can be harvested and enjoyed when they’re a few inches long and green, or you can let them ripen until they’ve turned their bright, spectacular colors. Enjoy your peppers fresh or try them roasted. Here’s a very easy roasting recipe – all you need are the peppers from your garden, some nonstick spray and olive oil to turn up the flavor with a little heat! (And if it’s grilling season, this simple recipe can be easily adjusted to roast up some homegrown peppers on the grill!)
Oven-Roasted Peppers
- Lightly spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray or rub some olive oil on it.
- Arrange your whole bell peppers on the baking sheet so they don’t touch each other. Lightly coat each pepper with olive oil.
- Turn your broiler on, and place the top rack on your oven high enough so that your peppers can be placed about 6-10 inches under the flame. (Don’t allow the peppers to touch the flame.)
- About 10 minutes later, your peppers should start turning black. As they do, turn the peppers, using tongs, until all sides have been blackened. (Be careful not to burn yourself!)
- Your peppers should be done in about 40 minutes. (You can tell when they’ve finished roasting because the peppers should be soft with blackened skins.)
- Place your peppers in an airtight container that can take heat (such as a microwavable bowl with a tight lid). Allow them to steam in the container for 15-20 minutes. The steam will loosen the skin from the pepper’s flesh.
- Move the peppers to a cutting board. Using a knife, gently remove the burnt skin. The peppers will peel more easily when they’re warm, but there’s no need to burn your fingers. If the peppers are too hot to peel, let it cool a few more minutes.
- Cut the meat of the peppers away from the stem and seeds, and toss out the waste. Use the dull side of the knife to scrape away any seeds or white membrane on the inside of the pepper.
When you’re done, serve your roasted peppers with grilled chicken, cool them and mix into a salad, or use them in a sandwich instead of a tomato slice. However you serve it, this delicious treat will really dress up dinner and add zest to many dishes. (Enjoy!)
