Peperonata aka Italian Bell Pepper Stew is a traditional Italian recipe where peppers and onions are simmered to create a tasty bell pepper side dish. Serve this family recipe for peperonata as an appetizer, side dish, sauce for pasta, bruschetta or pizza topping, or snuggled in Italian crusty bread.
I can already hear a few of you asking “What is Peperonata?”
Basically, peperonata is a simple traditional Italian dish of sweet peppers, slow-cooked and simmered in red wine, with onions and garlic. The result is an amazing dish of sauteed sweet peppers.
This sweet pepper stew recipe is a great way to take advantage of this vegetable found in abundance at the local farmers’ market this time of the year. Roasted bell peppers are another way.
Just like this recipe for Mediterranean roasted vegetables, this is a versatile recipe.
Serve it as a side dish, accompanying meat, chicken or fish; as part of an Italian appetizer line-up; a topping for bruschetta, focaccia or even pizza; combine it with pasta like this roasted vegetable pasta recipe, or snuggle it in a Piadina sandwich.
It’s pretty easy to make, too – just a few simple ingredients work wonderfully well together.
As is usually the case with regional Italian cooking, there are many variations.
Today, I’m sharing my family recipe.
Let’s begin!
Ingredients
A printable recipe card at the bottom of this page has the specific amounts for each ingredient. This is just a summary.
- Olive oil. Extra virgin, if possible.
- Onions. A wonderful flavor booster.
- Garlic. An essential ingredient in simple Italian dishes.
- Bell Peppers. Orange, yellow and red.
- Wine. Great to de-glaze our Italian pepper stew.
- Basil. Fresh, if possible.
- Parsley. Italian flat-leaf has so much more flavor.
- Salt and Pepper. To taste.
Instructions
Before we begin, let’s prep our recipe. Slice the onion and bell peppers into ¼-½ inch strips. Discard the seeds, stalks and any white pith from the bell peppers.
Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan (over medium-high heat).
Reduce heat to medium, add the sliced onion and sauté until they begin to soften. This will take about 6-8 minutes.
Add 2-3 whole garlic cloves and sauté for about one minute.
Add the 6 sliced bell peppers. DO NOT STIR.
Reduce the heat to low, cover and let it slowly cook for about 10 minutes.
Once again, there is no need to stir; just give your peperonata a couple of shakes so that the onions don’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
Once the bell peppers have softened, it’s time to add ¾ cup of red wine. Stir to combine.
Let it all reduce, uncovered, for about 10 minutes or so. Stir occasionally.
Feel free to pull them off the heat if you prefer your peppers to have a little bit of a bite.
Finally, add the chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley and the basil (⅓ cup each) and adjust your seasonings.
Tips
- Resist the urge to stir when the sweet peppers are added to the softened onions. Just walk away.
- Serve this dish hot, warm or at room temperature. The flavors improve the longer the peppers sit together.
- If you are a fan of hot peppers, you can easily add one to this recipe.
How long does it keep in the fridge?
Peperonata can be kept refrigerated, in an airtight container, for up to 1 week.
More roasted red pepper recipes
- Fregola Salad
- Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Recipe
- Roasted Bell Pepper Goat Cheese Bites
- Marinated Roasted Bell Peppers
- Balsamic Roasted Red Potatoes
Recipe inspiration
It’s back to my Italian upbringing for this recipe.
Along with this recipe for peppers and potatoes, these sauteed bell peppers were a weekly occurrence during the summer.
My mom would only use sweet red bell peppers for her traditional “pepronata“.
I include both the yellow and orange variety… I find it visually more appealing.
It never ceases to amaze me how different regions in Italy (and sometimes adjacent cities) will have slightly different variations of the same basic recipe.
This pepper stew recipe is the perfect example of Italian regional cooking.
As mentioned, some regions will incorporate tomatoes in the stewing process – if you’re interested in such a recipe, I encourage you to head over to JovinaCooksItalian. Jovina’s regional recipe also includes some heat! I was inspired by Jovina’s recipe and included wine at the end of the cooking process.
As you can see, the basics of a peperonata are all the same. With or without tomatoes, this is an amazing dish.
Do you have another variation of this Italian classic?
I would love to hear about it!
THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the She Loves Biscotti community where you will find Simple & Tasty Family-Friendly Recipes with an Italian Twist.
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Ciao for now,
Maria
★★★★★ If you have made this pepper side dish, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!
Recipe
Peperonata
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion sliced, medium-large
- 3 cloves garlic whole
- 6 bell peppers red, orange, yellow, sliced into ¼-½ inch strips
- ¾ cup red wine
- ⅓ cup parsley chopped
- ⅓ cup basil chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan (over medium-high heat).
- Add the sliced onions and sauté until onions soften (reduce to medium heat).
- Add the whole cloves of garlic and sauté for about one minute or so.
- Lower heat to medium-low.
- Add the sliced peppers all at once over the onions. Do not stir.
- Cover your pan and let the mixture stew together for about 10 minutes. Every few minutes or so, give your pan a shake.
- When the peppers have softened, add the red wine and simmer on medium heat for about 5-10 more minutes, uncovered.
- Remove from heat.
- Add parsley, basil, and season to taste.
Notes
- Resist the urge to stir when the sweet peppers are added to the softened onions. Just walk away.
- Serve this dish hot, warm or at room temperature. The flavors improve the longer the peppers sit together.
- If you are a fan of hot peppers, you can easily add one to this recipe.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on July 10, 2016 and republished on October 2, 2019 with updated content and photos.
Loretta
I have to leave town after making this. I hate to waste it. I am going to freeze it. What do you think of that idea? Thanks a lot for this recipe!
Maria
Thanks for your interest Loretta. You can freeze them but the texture will be a little different. Still great to use in sandwiches, in a frittata, or as a pizza topping.