Welcome to Frugal Homemade! This week, I am going to talk about how to roast bell peppers for use in recipes — which has the ancillary benefit of being a great way to save at least one type of produce from going to waste in your fridge.
I picked up some red peppers on sale last week, because they looked so pretty in the store that I couldn’t resist buying two, even though I didn’t have a specific plan for them. I did end up using one in a recipe, but the other doesn’t fit what I am doing in the next few days. Roasting it will keep it from going bad, and also will save me a trip out for a pepper next time I need one for a pizza, this “paella,” etc.
Especially when peppers are on sale, roasting your own is so much cheaper than buying the jarred ones, even at their cheapest. And of course it is nice to know there are no added ingredients here. This is also a great way to deal with peppers from your garden (if you have had better luck growing them than I have!).
How to roast peppers
Preheat your oven to 400°. Clean your peppers and place them on a baking sheet or baking dish. I am only doing one here but you can do as many as you like at a time.
After about ten minutes, check the pepper to see that it is starting to darken and cave in. Using tongs, turn it a quarter or third turn, depending on the shape of your pepper. Keep doing this until the whole pepper is darkened and caved in, about 30 minutes.
When it is done, place it in a heatproof bowl and cover with a lid or plastic wrap and let cool. Once it is cool, the skin will peel off easily.
After you peel and discard the skin, open the pepper and remove the stem, seeds, and any remaining bits of the ribs (but most of that will have disappeared).
Leave peppers whole, or cut however you need for your intended use. I diced mine to use in paella, but strips are good as well.
As far as storage, you have a lot of options. I usually just store them topped with a little olive oil in a glass container in the fridge, where they will last about two weeks. I am sure you could also freeze them in portions or properly can them.
This technique works great for any bell pepper or other larger pepper such as poblano. Smaller peppers could also work, but the time might need to be adjusted.
Be sure to check back each week for something new! I will be bringing you how-tos, advice, and articles on everything pertaining to easy frugal living: From DIY, to recipes, to practical tips and tricks. To help balance out the couponing and deal chasing we do a lot of here, I’ll talk about easy ways to incorporate frugality into everyday life and to do more from scratch.
Easy Roasted Peppers
Ingredients
- Red yellow, or orange bell peppers
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Clean your peppers and place them on a baking sheet or baking dish.
- After about ten minutes, check the pepper to see that it is starting to darken and cave in. Using tongs, turn it a quarter or third turn, depending on the shape of your pepper.
- Keep doing this until the whole pepper is darkened and caved in, about 30 minutes.
- When it is done, place it in a heatproof bowl and cover with a lid or plastic wrap and let cool.
- Peel and discard the skin, open the pepper and remove the stem, seeds, and any remaining bits of the ribs (but most of that will have disappeared).
- Leave whole or cut however you need for your intended use
- Store them topped with a little olive oil in a glass container in the fridge, freeze in portions, or properly can them.
Sheila
Monday 13th of October 2014
I roast red peppers on the grill. Anywhere between 10-15 lbs at a time. Blacken the outsides. Then I put them in a stock pot with a lid. This lets them cool off and steam to loosen the charred outside skins. After they are all cleaned I then portion them and freeze them. Makes for a great addition to panini or DH & DD eat them as a side dish.
Judy S.
Saturday 11th of October 2014
I broil the red peppers, turning after each side is blackened and then I put them in a paper bag, heatproof bowl, or wrap in foil and let steam with their own heat for about 10 minutes. Great also with pasta, black beans and good Parmesan cheese.
Outlander
Saturday 11th of October 2014
I roast red peppers on a much larger scale than that, for a couple of different uses. I prefer to clean them before roasting, just cut around the stem and remove the seeds, leave the rest whole. I also always roast them on a baking pan lined with foil for easier clean up. And make sure your baking sheet has a side or it can leak, peppers can sometimes have a lot of liquid. One thing I make is red pepper salad- after roasting them, put in a dish and cover with a bit of white vinegar. No oil needed. Add some chopped garlic and a touch of salt. Give a stir and let sit for a day or two before use. It will easily last a month in the fridge. Put on sandwiches or as a salad for meat and potatoes. The other thing I make is called Ajvar and is a kind of roasted red pepper and roasted eggplant spread.