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.
During the summer, these sauteed bell peppers were a weekly occurrence.
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 was mentioned, some regions will incorporate tomatoes in the stewing process – if you’re interested in such a recipe, I encourage you to head on 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.
And if you are new here, welcome! You may want to sign up for my weekly e-mail newsletter. This way, you won’t miss any of my new recipes.
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!
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.
Brenda Jensma
My Nonna and Mom were born in Northern Italy and I grew up eating Peperonta . This is the 1st time I have ever seen a recipe for it!! I eat it cold as well as hot😃
Maria
Thanks so much for stopping by Brenda.
Josy Parrotta-Marck
Hi Maria. You’re so right about variations. My mother cut eggplant up in the same way to add to the míxture. and sometimes fry-cut potatoes were added and all were allowed to crisp a bit. Would this still be the same dish?
Maria
Delicious Josy! Yes, my mom would also make them this way. A definite variation. That’s the wonderful thing about Italian regional cooking… all a little bit different, all so delicious! Thanks so much for stopping by, appreciate it!
Nicole | Culinary Cool
Maria, I cannot wait to try this! I’m not joking when I say I have 6 fresh peppers in my fridge right now. I would love this with some goats cheese on crostini. I think it might be on the docket for this weekend!
Maria
That sounds amazing… can’t go wrong with goat cheese. Sounds like you are off to a great week-end! Thanks for dropping by! Enjoy Nicole ♥♥♥
Diane Galambos
Hi Maria! I recently posted a recipe for a Hungarian dish that uses onions, peppers and tomatoes and did make note that probably every culture with access to those ingredients has a similar dish – and there you go – proving the point. Will go back and add a link to your variation. The red pepper version sounds enticing. The Hungarian one uses only Hungarian peppers. Diane @kitchenblissca / FBC
Maria
Thanks Diane 🙂 How can you possibly go wrong with onions, peppers and tomatoes? I must go and take a peak at your recipe. Thanks for dropping by ♥♥♥
Nicoletta @sugarlovespices
Love love sweet bell peppers! I actually made them last night with my favorite tuna/capers filling 🙂 . Peperonata is something I grew up with, and you are so right about the differences from Region to Region (and sometimes even in the same Region 😉 ). My dad, for example, always added the summer garden vegetables to his peperonata, so there were a lot of peppers, but also potatoes, zucchini, and tomatoes.
Maria
That sounds delicious ♥ You can’t go wrong with fresh summer produce. Thanks for stopping by Nicoletta 🙂
Marie-Pierre Breton
Nothing like a simple Italian dish where the veggies shine through! plus wine always kick it up a notch! Lovely recipe!
Maria
Thanks Marie-Pierre 🙂 Simplicity is definitely key with Italian cooking. Appreciate your comment 🙂
Gabrielle @ eyecandypopper
This sounds incredibly tasty! I love the versatility of it, and also that it’s an easy way to add a little bit extra nutrition to almost anything, like sandwiches!
Maria
This pepper stew is especially tasty sandwiched in a nice crusty bread… Appreciate your comment, thanks Gabrielle 🙂
Dana
I love love love the smell of onions and peppers simmering and crackling in a pan at the same time. I’ve always plopped them into tortillas with cheese to make fajitas, but I’ll have to keep them as a side sometime!
Maria
They are so, so versatile… that’s why I just love this dish. Thanks for dropping by Dana 🙂
Jovina Coughlin
Those peppers are gorgeous and this is the perfect time of year to make this dish.
Maria
I agree Jovina! I was inspired by your recipe to add red wine. So So sweet! Appreciate you dropping by 🙂