Peperonata
Peppers melted slowly with onion, tomato, and vinegar — Italy's sweet-sour pepper stew for everything.
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Join HomecookedIngredients
- 4 Bell pepper
- 1 Onion
- 2 Tomato
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 4 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp Red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp Salt
- 6 leaves Basil (optional)
Method
- Slice the peppers and the onion into thin strips.
- Chop the tomatoes roughly and slice the garlic thinly.
- Stew the peppers and onion gently in the olive oil with the salt in a wide covered skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, garlic, and the vinegar and cook uncovered until soft and jammy, about 8 minutes.
- Tear in the basil leaves, if using, and serve warm or at room temperature — with eggs, meat, or bread.
Nutrition per serving
Estimated from ingredients; varies with exact portions and brands.
About Peperonata
Peperonata is an Italian pepper stew that turns bell peppers, onion, and tomato into something soft, sweet, and faintly sour. Versions turn up all over Italy, and it sits in the same family as French piperade and Basque cooking, all built on peppers slowly coaxed into tenderness. What sets peperonata apart is the splash of red wine vinegar, which sharpens the peppers' natural sweetness into a proper agrodolce, the sweet-sour balance Italians prize. Cooked long and gentle, the vegetables collapse into a jammy tangle rather than staying crisp.
The taste is mellow and rounded, with the vinegar keeping it lively and a little garlic and basil lifting the finish. The technique is patience: peppers and onion sweat under a lid over low heat for a quarter hour before the tomato and vinegar go in to cook down uncovered until glossy. It's endlessly useful, which is why it's called a stew for everything: spoon it warm or at room temperature alongside eggs, roast meat, or grilled fish, pile it on toasted bread, or fold it through pasta. Made ahead, it only improves as the flavors settle overnight.
Peperonata: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Peperonata?
One serving of Peperonata has about 190 calories, with 2g of protein, 12g of carbs, 16g of fat and 4g of fiber. These are estimates based on the ingredient amounts in this recipe and will vary with your exact portions and brands.
Is Peperonata gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Peperonata has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
Do I need every ingredient to make Peperonata?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out basil — it's optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Peperonata make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.