It’s that time of the year to make Italian Marinated Roasted Bell Peppers. I can smell the bushels of peppers being roasted in my neighborhood.
Roasted pepper is a common ingredient in Italian cuisine.
Whether using it in pasta dishes or as a topping for pizza, polenta or bruschetta, this roasted vegetable adds so much flavor to almost any dish.
If you have never roasted bell peppers before, be sure to consult this detailed step-by-step photo tutorial on How to Roast Bell Peppers.
Roasted bell peppers are also the main ingredient in this appetizer recipe, often referred to as the Italian peppers in oil recipe.
Roast (or barbecue), peel and slice your peppers. Drizzle some olive oil, add minced garlic, chopped flat-leaf parsley, salt, and pepper to taste and marinate.
It’s that easy.
Don’t believe me?
Here, I’ll show you…
Ingredients
A printable recipe card found at the bottom of this page has the specific amounts for each ingredient. This is just a summary.
- Roasted Bell Peppers. Orange, yellow and/or red.
- Garlic. Combines perfectly with bell peppers.
- Parsley. Italian flat-leaf has so much flavor.
- Olive oil. If possible, use extra virgin.
- Salt and Pepper. To taste.
Instructions
Before we can combine the ingredients for this recipe, we need to roast 3 bell peppers.
Wash and dry your peppers. Place them on their sides on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast in the upper third of the oven heated to 400°F (200°C) until the skin is completely charred and the flesh is soft (alternatively, you can use the barbecue, grill pan or air fryer). Make sure you turn the peppers, allowing all sides to get black and blistered. Notice how the peppers will also collapse in on themselves. This can take about 1 hour.
Warning: the scent of roasting peppers is intoxicating!
While the peppers are roasting, prep the ingredients for the marinade. You need 2 cloves of minced garlic and ¼ cup of chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley.
Once the peppers are done, carefully transfer to a heatproof bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow cooling for about 30 minutes.
When cool enough to handle, remove stems and charred skins. Cut peppers in half to remove the seeds and then cut in long strips.
This can get messy, but please, promise me you will not run the pepper under water to speed up the process. You will thank me later.
Place in the bowl, along with any juices which have escaped the peppers and add the garlic, parsley and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Toss gently and voilà!
Allow marinating at room temperature for a couple of hours.
Time to enjoy that smoky natural sweetness of these Italian sweet peppers.
Tips
- Only use bell peppers in this recipe.
- If you do not plan to use your roasted peppers immediately, they can be frozen (in reusable plastic bags or freezable containers). When ready to make this recipe, thaw and proceed.
- Feel free to add some hot chiles for extra heat.
Can these roasted peppers in oil be made ahead of time?
Yes, this is one of the best make-ahead Italian appetizers. The longer they sit in the marinade, the better they taste. It can be made 24 hours in advance and refrigerated until needed. Use within 5 days.
Roasted red pepper recipes we love
- Fregola Salad
- Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Recipe
- Peperonata
- Roasted Bell Pepper Goat Cheese Bites
- Italian Sausage, Potatoes, Peppers, and Onions
Recipe origins
Once again, I return to the food of my childhood and I have my mom to thank for this simple Italian roasted peppers recipe.
Growing up Italian meant that there was a good supply of roasted peppers in the freezer. My mom would roast a few bushels of red peppers at the end of summer, remove the skin and seeds, and freeze them. Throughout the year, she would use these frozen roasted peppers to make this recipe for marinated peppers.
To this day, I continue to make and enjoy this recipe using roasted red peppers. They are great eaten on their own, as a side dish, snuggled in a sandwich, used in salads, tossed with pasta, or my favorite, used as a topping for Homemade Pizza.
They also make a great crostini topping… did someone say Italian appetizers?
Take one bite -just one, sit back and savor the simple goodness of this recipe for Marinated Roasted Bell Peppers.
I hope you are all able to take advantage of and enjoy the rest of the summer!
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.
Ciao for now,
Maria
★★★★★ If you have made this Roasted Bell Pepper Recipe, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!
Marinated Roasted Bell Peppers
Ingredients
- 3 whole bell peppers
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup flat-leaf parsley minced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Wash and dry your peppers and place them on their side on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Roast in upper third of oven until skin is completely charred and the flesh is soft (alternately, you can use the barbecue.) Make sure you turn the peppers allowing all sides to get black and blistered. This can take between 45-60 minutes.
- While the peppers are roasting, combine the ingredients for the marinade.
- Once the peppers are done, transfer to a heatproof bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to cool for about 30 minutes.
- When cool enough to handle, remove stems and charred skins. Cut peppers in half to remove the seeds and then cut in long strips. Do not rinse your peppers under running water.
- Combine with the marinade and toss gently together.
- Allow to sit for a few hours for the flavors to mingle together. Can be served at room temperature.
- Can also be refrigerated for up to a week
Notes
- Only use bell peppers in this recipe.
- If you do not plan to use your roasted peppers immediately they can be frozen (place in reusable plastic bags or freezable containers). When ready to make this recipe simply thaw and proceed.
- Feel free to add some hot chiles for extra heat.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on August 16, 2015, and republished on October 7, 2019, with updated content and photos.
Marvelle
I have been looking all around for this type of recipe. When I lived in Rochester NY my mother in law. Would makes these every Sunday to go with the Italian goulash as she called it. I can still remember the taste. Awesome. I am Swedish and I married into a Italian family. Boy did I learn how to cook.
Autumn
Good Morning Maria!
I just printed this out to make in the next few days. I buy the roasted pimentos in a jar and use them in sandwiches but I know this will be MUCH tastier & healthier for you! TY for posting it! Have a wonderful day!
Maria
How wonderful Autumn. This really is the time for all things peppers! Have fun!
Gerry
Hi Maria, what would you do to preserve these? I remember my mother making and preserving them in jars. I was born in Frosinone, Italy.
Maria
Nice to meet you Gerry! You can preserve them, but you need to add citric acid and process them in a water bath.
Here is what I do… After I have roasted and cleaned the bell peppers, I then separate them in smaller amounts and freeze them. When I want to make this recipe, I thaw out my peppers and combine them with the rest of the ingredients to make a fresh batch. Hope this helps.
Eleanor Mathis
OMG thank you soooo awesome!
Maria
Thanks for stopping by Eleanor!
Lou
Thank you for sharing this! I can’t wait to dive into your website and see what else I find!
My grandma used to make this almost every day as a quick lunch for us in the summer. She would use her vegetables from her garden, and would make toast and slice hard cheese.. oh how I miss those smells, but more importantly, I miss my grandma.
I told my grandma multiple times to please write down her recipes, but never did… Dementia stole those recipes from her in the end.. Now, I am on a global search to recreate those memories for my children 🙂
Thank you again!
Maria
My pleasure Lou! Our nonna’s were such special women. Let me know if I can help you in any way. Thanks so much for stopping by.
Mia
Very good and beautiful! Can you explain the reason for the plastic wrap? Someone also told me to use a paper bag.
Maria
Thank you Mia. The plastic wrap will create steam and it is this steam that allows the skin to detach from the meat of the pepper. A paper bag works in a similar way. Thanks for stopping by.
Jerrilyn
I make roasted peppers on the stove top, roasting them diectly on an open burner. Next time ill try using the oven. Also didnt know they could be frozen. Can you tell me why i shouldnt rinse under cold water. Thanks.
Maria
Hi Jerrilyn, so many ways to roast peppers… all so delicious. Rinsing the broiled pepper washes away all of the flavor. Try it, you will taste the difference. Thanks for stopping by.
Joy
Thank you for this. I thought marinated peppers required a much more complicated process. I don’t digest raw peppers very well anymore, but I do enjoy marinated roasted peppers!
Maria
My pleasure Joy! Me too! I used to love raw peppers but the older I get, the harder they are to digest. Hope you get a chance to try them. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Charlotte Sassone Sabotnik
I grew up with this recipe, my dad made this all the time. He should have written a cook book.I still make these.
Maria
It’s definitely a classic! Thanks for dropping by 🙂
Sonia and mom
Mary,yes, just like my mom used to make them.I still do it,great for lunch. Thumbs up! Love your pictures (even zucchini fritters).
Maria
Our moms made simple, tasty recipes. I guess that’s why we are still making them 🙂 Thanks so much for the comment, appreciate it.