Roasted red pepper strips (without the skin)

This is the Italian way of making roasted red pepper strips – succulent, sweet, and smoky, but without the skin! Roasted red pepper strips are a perfect addition to an Italian antipasto platter or buffet spread, but they are equally as delicious served as a side dish or in pasta and rice dishes! They are easy to make, and hands-on time is limited to peeling them and preparing the seasoning, which only takes a few minutes. These roasted red pepper strips are so delicious and versatile that you’ll wish you had discovered them before! You’ll find lots of delicious serving suggestions at the end of this page.

In this Italian-style recipe, the red peppers are roasted whole in a very hot oven until the skins blister and blacken. This makes them super easy to peel, and the flesh inside remains moist, sweet and smoky! Once you have peeled them, you tear or slice the “fillets” into strips and then season them with good quality extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, slices of garlic (which you can later remove), and freshly chopped parsley. Simple seasonings and fresh, high-quality ingredients are a hallmark of Italian cuisine.

These homemade roasted red pepper strips are far superior to anything you can find in a jar, so go and preheat your oven and let’s get started!

How to make Italian roasted red pepper strips

For the best results, use high-quality, fresh ingredients!

Ingredients

You’ll find the exact quantities of each ingredient in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.

Red peppers

You’ll need bell peppers for this recipe because they have a thicker flesh and more pulp than other varieties. While red peppers are usually the go-to choice because of their vibrant colour and sweetness, yellow peppers are a valid alternative, even if they have a slightly milder flavour. A mix of red and yellow peppers also makes a lovely combination. In some countries, you can get orange peppers – feel free to add them to a mix of yellow and red for even more colour. Steer clear of green ones because they have a different flavour profile (slightly bitter) and lack the caramelised sweetness of red peppers.

Look for firm, plump red peppers with shiny, smooth skin and no soft patches. If you have any that aren’t up to scratch, you can use them for other recipes.

Can I use jarred red peppers for this recipe?

To be honest, I’m a cook-from-scratch girl, but I can think of far worse culinary crimes than using jarred red peppers for this recipe (like using them for roasted red pepper sauce, for example). If you have a jar that you want to get rid of, this is actually a good way of using them. Bear in mind, though, that jarred peppers lack the sweet, smoky, caramelised flavour of freshly roasted peppers. This is because they have been sitting in brine, vinegar or oil for months, which dilutes their flavour. The texture is also different – freshly roasted red peppers are, in one word, succulent. If you decide to use jarred peppers, simply cut them into long, thin strips and season them as indicated in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.

Olive oil

Use the best extra virgin olive oil you’ve got for this recipe. You’ll definitely be able to taste the difference.

Salt

I use natural, unrefined Atlantic sea salt from Guérande for its purity and naturally occurring minerals. Himalayan salt is also an excellent alternative to common table salt, which is refined and has been stripped of its natural minerals during processing. Table salt often contains anti-caking agents, such as calcium silicate, to prevent clumping. Although these additives aren’t harmful in small amounts, I prefer a more natural salt.

Due to the lack of minerals and the presence of additives, table salt can have a harsher, more one-dimensional flavour compared to sea salts or other less refined salts. This can make a difference in taste, especially in recipes where salt is a prominent ingredient.

Parsley

Use freshly chopped curly or flatleaf parsley for this recipe. If you can’t find fresh, you could use dried instead, although it will lack the bright, herby flavour of fresh parsley.

How to roast bell peppers in the oven

The best way to roast red peppers, especially for this recipe and others like roasted red pepper sauce and roasted red pepper involtini, is to roast them whole in a very hot oven.

How to make roasted red pepper strips

Instructions 

You’ll find step-by-step instructions with photos in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.

• Preheat the oven to 250 °C.
• Wash the peppers. Leave them whole with the stems attached. Place the peppers in an oven dish. Line it with a sheet of aluminium foil for a quick clean-up afterwards if you want. This also makes it easier to collect the juice that comes out of the peppers.
  Roast the peppers on the 2nd shelf of the oven at 250 °C for 45-60 minutes, turning them every 20 minutes or so until the skins blister and blacken. Remove the peppers from the oven and cover them. The condensation which forms will facilitate the peeling.
• As soon as the peppers have cooled down enough to handle, peel them, removing the stalk and seeds as well. Place the fillets and juice in a bowl.
• Add the slices of garlic and olive oil. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve. Just before serving, remove the garlic, season with salt and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

How to serve roasted red pepper strips

Here are some tempting ways to serve your delicious oven-roasted red pepper strips! You can enjoy them hot, warm, or cold.

Traditionally, in Italy, they would be served as part of an antipasto spread or as a side dish. They are also delicious on bruschetta or open sandwiches, together with ingredients like vegan cheese or hummus, and olives. I love serving them with plain focaccia bread. Focaccia is great for mopping up all that delicious juice. You could add them to piadinas (Italian flatbread) or simply enjoy them with some delicious crusty bread.

Some Italians add black olives and capers to enrich the dish. In the past, the Italians used to eat very simply. The Mediterranean diet used to consist of a first course, like pasta with fresh tomato sauce or other simple sauce, followed by a second course of fresh vegetables. These roasted red pepper strips are an example of that kind of second course. There are lots of others here on my blog if you fancy trying traditional Italian sides that are naturally vegan: grilled courgettes, grilled aubergines, roasted aubergine slices, potatoes, green beans and pesto, artichokes and potatoes, orange and fennel salad with walnuts, braised red cabbage with balsamic vinegar, roasted pumpkin slices, and sautéed porcini mushrooms. Meat was eaten only once a week, on a Sunday. Italians were naturally vegan most of the time without even realising it, haha!

Roasted red pepper strips are especially suitable as an accompaniment for dishes that don’t have a sauce, like vegan burgers, sausages, seitan skewers, crispy air-fried tofu, vegan “meat”balls and “meat”loaf, to mention just a few delicious combinations/pairings. Get creative, and let me know how you serve yours in the comments below!

How to store roasted red pepper strips

You can keep these red pepper strips in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 – 4 days. If you want to keep them for more than a day or two, it’s best to hold off with all the seasonings and just refrigerate the pepper strips in their juice. When you are ready to serve them, you can add freshly prepared garlic, oil, salt, and parsley.

Can you freeze roasted red pepper strips?

Yes, but bear in mind that freezing will alter the texture slightly. If you want to freeze them, I recommend doing so without the seasoning. That way, they’ll taste much nicer when you add freshly chopped parsley, etc. Freeze them in portions in airtight containers and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.

I’m sure you’ll love this recipe for homemade roasted red pepper strips! If you try it and like it, I’d love to hear about it! Let me know in the comments below, or take a quick pic and share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Facebook @vegan_hot_stuff – I love seeing your re-creations!

Frequently asked questions

Can this recipe be made ahead?

Absolutely! You can roast and peel the peppers in advance. Once peeled, store the fillets or strips in the fridge for up to two or three days. Hold off from seasoning them until just before serving because salt, in particular, will cause the peppers to release excess water. It will also adversely affect the texture.

How do I prevent my roasted peppers from becoming too soft?

In this recipe, the roasted red pepper strips are actually meant to be soft and succulent. If you prefer a firmer texture, you will need to reduce the roasting time. The trick is to get the skins to blister before the peppers become too soft. To do this, increase the temperature, get the peppers as close as possible to the heat source, and remove them from the oven as soon as the skins blister and blacken.

Why roast bell peppers whole?

When roasted whole, the flesh remains moist and succulent. There is no oil involved in the cooking; raw, extra virgin olive oil can be drizzled on afterwards, which is healthier. Roasting bell peppers whole means you can collect all the delicious juice that usually evaporates with other cooking methods. It’s also a cooking method which requires practically no hands-on time, just the occasional monitoring and turning.

What are the best ways to cook red peppers?

There are many delicious ways of cooking red peppers. Here are a few of my favourites:

• Sautéed red pepper strips – pan-sautéed until lightly brown and caramelised.
• Stuffed red peppers – filled with ingredients like rice, vegan sausagemeat or mince, tofu, mushrooms, peas, etc.
• Oven-roasted red peppers– cut into large pieces, tossed in a little oil and roasted in the oven.
• As a secondary ingredient – red peppers enhance dishes like vegan chili con carne, black bean burgers, oven-roasted summer vegetables, and casserole dishes.
• In sauces and dips – red peppers are the star of the show in roasted red pepper sauce, pesto calabrese, roasted red pepper hummus, and Muhammara.

I hope you enjoy this recipe for roasted red pepper strips! If you do, it would be great if you could give it a star rating and leave a comment below! It helps other readers find my content and posts and ultimately makes my blog more successful! Thanks so much for your support! Deborah xx

Before you go, maybe you’d like to take a look at some other great vegan recipes…

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