Today I thought I would share with you all a quick and practical post on how to roast red peppers, because I know they’re some of you out there that may not know how to. Roasting red peppers is super easy, and roasting them brings out their natural sweetness. The roasted red peppers that you buy at the market are good, but they really don’t hold a candle to red peppers that you roast at home in your oven. You can roast a few red peppers at a time for a particular recipe, or roast a bunch to use in various recipes throughout the week. I used roasted red peppers for soups, sandwiches, pizza sauces, in omelets or scrambled eggs and as a topping for pizza. There are truly so many uses for them. Once you start roasting your own peppers you won’t go back to buying them.

I love using roasted red peppers in my roasted red pepper panini with cilantro-lime mayo. This panini is outstanding!

I also love using the red peppers in this grilled cheese with roasted red peppers and avocado.

how to roast red peppers:

4 red bell peppers
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil – the oil is only needed if you are storing the roasted peppers and not using them in a recipe right away

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

Wash the peppers and then cut them in half lengthwise.

Cut off the stem with a paring knife and scoop out all the seeds and membranes. I use a melon baller to scoop out the seeds and membranes.

Place the peppers cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet that has been lined with foil, use parchment paper, see my note below.

Update: I just learned this tidbit at natural chef school! Don’t use aluminum foil for cooking. Cooking your meat or veggies directly on aluminum foil leaches aluminum into your food, so it’s a big NO, NO!

Simple solution, use parchment paper instead!

Roast the peppers in the pre-heated 450 degree oven for about 25 minutes; or until the skins are completely wrinkled and the peppers are charred, rotating the sheet if necessary for them to cook evenly. Below is what mine looked like after roasting for 25 minutes.

Let the peppers cool for a minute or two, and then remove them from the baking sheet and place them in a bowl.

Cover the bowl with foil or a plate, and let cool for about 30 minutes.

When the peppers are cool enough to handle, peel off the skins and discard them, dropping the peppers back into the bowl.

If you’re using the peppers up right away or later that night then you can just refrigerate them in a glass container with a lid till later that day.

If you’re making them ahead to use throughout the week, then put the peppers along with their juices into a glass container, pour the olive oil over the peppers, cover and refrigerate. The peppers should last for a week to two weeks. Honestly, they never make it past day 3 in my house.

Got some roasted red peppers? Below are 3 great recipes that incorporate roasted red peppers.

Roasted red pepper and tomato soup.

Roasted red pepper and arugula whole-wheat pizza.

Roasted red pepper panini with cilantro-lime mayonnaise.

Another favorite veggie that I like to roast up and make ahead is beets. Make a batch on Sunday, and you’ll have roasted beets all week to add to just about anything, as roasted beets last 5 days. Roasting beets brings out their natural sweetness, intensifies their color and the beets come out perfect, flavorful and tender every time.