Italian Roasted Pepper Salad Recipe (2024)

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Italian style roasted pepper salad recipe made with smoky roasted sweet or bell peppers marinated in a classic Italian dressing of extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar. Really lovely on the antipasto platter with goat cheese, garnished with capers, toasted pine nuts and fresh basil.

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Italian Roasted Peppers Salad

One of my favorite things to make with sweet or bell peppers besides sauce, is this Italian roasted pepper salad. Luckily I stumbled upon a great sale at the market so I stocked up on a few pounds of peppers while they are having a moment.

Although you could make this with bell peppers, happen to really love the little colorful sweet peppers. Once I roast them until charred on my cast iron plate, peel off the skins and marinade them as they are still with the little green stems attached to serve as handles. Not only does it save time but I also think it really adds a lot of rustic charm to my pepper salad. There are barely any seeds to speak of if any at all so no need to remove those.

The Italian Dressing / Marinade

Not even close to what you get out of a bottle at the store. In reality, Italian dressing is a perfect balance between a good quality cold pressed extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar.

The general rule of thumb in dressing is 3:1 BUT I promise you that is wrong. Why? Because np two olive oils or vinegar will ever be exactly the same. Depending on the acidity ib each the final result will be different so tasting as you go is key to finding the perfect ratio.

So start with 3:1 olive oil to red wine vinegar ratio, season to your taste with good sea salt and adjust 11 times. Taste again and add more vinegar or salt as your taste buds will tell you. Cooking is not an exact science (unlike baking), you need to get involved and make each recipe your own.

Recipe Tips

Once you have peeled the charred peppers and are ready to assemble your salad, simple place all your cleaned pepper son a serving bowl or platter and drizzle all over with the marinade. I like to tear the side of each roasted pepper so the marinade slides inside and coats more surface.
Refrigerate – Although I love love love this salad while still a little warm, for a deeper flavor refrigerate it for a couple of hours or overnight. In my world the peppers almost never make it to the fridge unless I’m topping this white bean dip with them.

That roasted pepper texture and smokiness permeating the kitchen reminds of my childhood and the man in the photo, and life in that moment is just perfect, because someone time manages to stand still…

We devour it right then and there, standing over the kitchen counter with garlicky bruschetta in hand piling it up with the peppers. Nothing beats the soulful magic of rustic living

How to Make Italian Roasted Pepper Salad

Italian Roasted Pepper Salad Recipe

Italian style roasted pepper salad recipe made with smoky roasted sweet or bell peppers, marinated in a true Italian dressing of extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar.

Print Recipe

Prep Time:5 minutes mins

Cook Time:25 minutes mins

Total Time:30 minutes mins

Ingredients

2.5 lb sweet or bell peppers - mixed colors
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar + more to taste
3/4 tsp sea salt (or to your taste)
1 sprig fresh basil or thyme -for garnish
1 tbsp capers (optional)
1 clove garlic -grated
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Instructions

Heat up a cast iron plate on medium high flame.
Roast the peppers on all sides until charred. Transfer to a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow them to sit at room temperature until cool enough to handle.
Once the peppers have cooled down, gently start peeling away the charred skins and discard.
Optional but not needed: in the case of small sweet peppers, you can cut the peppers in half lengthwise and with a pairing knife remove the seeds and the core.
In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil and vinegar and season to taste with the sea salt. Adjust with more red wine vinegar until the magic balance is attained. Add the grated garlic and taste again, even ten times if you must. Alternatively you can use a small jar with a tight lid to shake up the dressing.
Pour the Italian dressing over the roasted peppers making sure sure they are coated evenly. Sprinkle with the red pepper flakes.
Garnish with the basil or thyme and capers (optional), then serve as a side dish, on top of bruschetta or on the antipasto platter.

Video

Nutrition

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 4

Calories: 251kcal

Author: Florentina

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