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Roasted red peppers, diced, cut into strips or layered whole in a sandwich, are a colorful, flavor-packed, nutritious ingredient in any recipe. Sometimes, however, a substitute must be found. Perhaps your guests dislike the flavor or texture or possibility a sensitivity has developed. More likely, it's getting close to dinner, a particular dish is on the menu, and your cupboard is bare of roasted red peppers. Roasted eggplant or zucchini, sun-dried tomatoes or roasted cherry tomatoes all make tasty alternatives.
Make Your Own Roasted Red Peppers
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Roast your own from fresh. If you have a gas stove, ignite a burner to a low flame and place the whole pepper directly above the flame. Turn frequently till the entire surface is blackened and blistered.
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Cool completely and remove the blackened skin. Core and clean, cut into strips and use as directed in recipe.
Alternatively, slice your fresh red pepper in half, clean and core and place under a medium-hot grill on a baking sheet. Roast until the skin blackens and blisters.
Cool completely and remove blackened skin.
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Store any leftovers in olive oil.
Use Roasted Eggplant or Zucchini Squash
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Cut the eggplant into 1/2 inch round slices. Brush with light olive oil on both sides and put on a baking sheet.
Roast until brown on both sides. Cool completely and cut into strips or small chunks.
Cut the zucchini into 1/4 inch slices. Brush with light olive oil on both sides and place on a baking sheet. Grill on medium heat until nicely browned. Cut into strips or pieces.
Roast Your Own Cherry Tomatoes
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Cut about 2 cups of ripe cherry tomatoes in half lengthwise. Place on a baking sheet.
Whisk a 1/4 cup light olive oil, 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt and 1 tbsp. brown sugar together and pour over the cherry tomatoes. Stir them around so they are all well-coated and turn them so the cut side faces up.
Roast under grill for about 45 minutes until the tomatoes are soft, shrunken and sweet.
Use Jarred Sun-Dried Tomatoes or Dried From a Packet
Add sun-dried tomatoes in oil to any recipe that calls for roasted red peppers. The flavor will be different, but delicious.
If you are using sun-dried tomatoes that are not in oil, soak them in a small amount of hot water or warm vegetable oil for 10 minutes to soften.
Drain thoroughly and pat dry with paper towels. Use as directed in the recipe.
References
Writer Bio
Residing in Dublin, Tricia Rush has been writing for websites and local drama societies since 1998. Her recommendations on learning Japanese have appeared in "Everyday Japanese Newsletter." She also worked as a research assistant at Tokyo University. Rush holds an honors Bachelor of Arts in anthropology and archaeology from the University of British Columbia.
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Bell peppers
Other Names:green peppers, capsicums, sweet peppers
What are Bell peppers?
A variety of sweet peppers referred to as bell peppers because of their bell shape. Bell peppers are sold in their green, unripe form and provided the strongest flavor. As the bell peppers ripen then turn various shades of yellow, orange and red and they develop more sugar and become quite sweet.
Bell peppers can be eaten fresh, sliced or chopped added to salads or can be cooked or stuffed. This is a common grocery store item and can be found year round. You may also see miniature red, yellow, and orange bell peppers. These are used in the same way you'd use the larger peppers.
Substitute For Bell Peppers
What to do if you don't have bell peppers, but your recipe calls for them.
- You can use the red, yellow, or orange bell peppers interchangeably. They are comparable in flavor. Depending on the recipe, you might want to consider mixing different colors. An excellent example of this is our Tri-Color Pasta Salad.
- OR - If you happen to have a jar or can of pimentos, you could use these as an alternative in specific recipes (not for stuffing).
- OR - Substitute 1/2 cup of dried bell peppers for 1 cup fresh chopped green bell pepper.
- OR - Use one of the sweeter fresh chile peppers such as the Anaheim or Poblano pepper. These have a very mild heat. Use either of these as a replacement for green bell peppers. Both of these are terrific for stuffing.
- OR - Depending on the recipe (such as some casseroles), you can substitute green bell peppers for red, yellow, or orange. However, keep in mind the strong flavor of green bell peppers.
Equivalents
1 small
bell pepper = 1/2 cup chopped
1 lrg = 1 cup chopped
1lb = 3lrg or 4 med, 3-4 cups chopped
1 tbsp dried = 3 tbsp fresh
10-oz pkg = 2 1/4 cups diced or strips
metric conversions →
Nutrition Information For Bell peppers
Serving Size 1 cup, chopped | ||||||
% Daily Value* | ||||||
| ||||||
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. |
Favorite Bell peppers Recipes
- Rotini with Basil Sweet Peppers and Italian Sausage
Rotini with Basil Sweet Peppers and Italian Sausage recipe features whole wheat rotini pasta served with a beef consume based sauce with Italian sausage, basil and red peppers.
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Chorizo and Wild Rice Stuffed Peppers
Flavorful chorizo is combined with toothy-textured wild rice and fresh chives then used as a filling for green, red, or yellow stuffed peppers. The peppers are cut in half horizontally so you can appreciate the beauty of the stuffing.
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Tri Color Pasta Salad With Prosciutto and Feta
This pasta salad can be served warm or chilled. Ingredients include red and orange bell peppers, tri-color rotini, green onion, feta cheese and prosciutto.
- Curried Israeli Couscous (Mograbieh)
Curried Israeli Couscous, also known as Mograbieh, is a dish made with Israeli Couscous (large pearl) cooked with raisins, bell peppers, onion and broth. To keep the dish vegetarian use vegetable broth, otherwise the chicken or beef broth add a nice flavor.
- Sausage Gumbo
This Sausage Gumbo is made with smoked sausage, bell pepper, onion, celery and gumbo file. The homemade spice mixture includes cayenne, paprika, onion and garlic powder, mustard and cumin.
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