Peperonata (Italian Bell Pepper Stew)

No ratings yet

Peperonata (Italian Bell Pepper Stew)

Try his delicious Peperonata made with peppers, onions, tomatoes, and basil and use it in in MANY different ways: as a side dish, creamy sauce for pasta, bruschetta topping and more!

Prep Time10

Cook Time40

Total Time50

Course: Appetizer, Sauces, Side Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Calories: 163kcal

Author: Svi

Ingredients

2.2 lb bell peppers red and yellow , 1 kg
1 onion medium size , about 9 oz (250 grams)
5 tomatoes , about 12 oz (350 grams) see NOTE 1
½ cup tomato passata (optional)
Handful fresh basil leaves
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste

Instructions

Prepare the vegetables.

Wash peppers and tomatoes.
Cut each pepper in half then in quarters. Remove the stem, seeds and inner membranes. Cut peppers into thin strips.
Cut tomatoes into cubes.
Peel onion, cut in quarters and then into thin slices.

Cook onion and peppers.

In a large pan add a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and sliced onions.
Let simmer on medium heat for 5 minutes.
Once onions has become translucent add sliced peppers. Cook for another 10 minutes.

Add tomatoes and finish cooking.

Add tomatoes and/or tomato puree. Add salt and cook for another 20 minutes. If you see peperonata starts to get a little dry add some water.
As an end result you want peppers to have a light crunch and the whole peperonata have creamy texture.
Turn the heat off and add basil leaves torn by hand. Let rest for a few minutes and serve.

Notes

See the Step By Step Pictures for a visual walk-through of the recipe.

NOTE 1: Tomatoes can be replaced with 1 ½ cup of tomato passata (tomato pure).

Top Tips:

- Balance the flavors. Peppers is the main protagonist of Peperonata so be sure other ingredients don’t cover or overpower them. As a rule of thumb, onions should be ¼ or ⅓ (at most!) of the weight of peppers. Tomatoes should be ⅓ to ½ of the peppers weight.

- Don't rush cooking. Peppers require a good cooking time, and the ingredients must mix without burning in order to preserve the flavor of the fresh pepper: if fried, it would irremediably change the taste of the dish.

- The final consistency is important. Be sure to taste. The peppers shouldn’t be mushy or overcooked but still result with creamy tomato & onion sauce.

Nutrition