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This Roasted Pepper Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette is a fresh, colorful dish, bursting with smoky-sweet flavors. Serve it as an appetizer or side dish, and pair it with a glass of wine or crusty bread. It's a real crowd-pleaser!
If you love bell peppers, you most certainly will love this Roasted Pepper Salad! When those colorful little gems are roasted, the flavors are taken to another level of deliciousness.
The charring infuses them with a deep smoky flavor, and roasting them enhances the sweetness of the peppers. They are far superior to jarred roasted peppers and well worth the effort.
Roasted Peppers are fabulously delicious as-is or marinated and lightly seasoned. Or you can make a satisfying and mouth-watering meal such as my favorite roasted pepper pasta or these quinoa stuffed peppers. This roasted red pepper hummus is quite a treat too!
Ingredients + Substitute Ideas
You'll need simple ingredients to bring this pepper salad together. Here's what you'll need to make it:
- Bell Peppers - Use a combination of red, yellow, and orange for a slight flavor variation. All the different colors make the dish prettier too!
- Olive Oil - Extra virgin would be my first choice here.
Balsamic Vinegar - Red wine vinegar will work for this recipe too. - Oregano - You can also use Italian seasoning.
- Granulated Garlic - Feel free to use fresh garlic instead. One small minced clove should do the trick.
- Red Pepper Flakes - This will add a subtle kick. You can omit this for no heat.
- Vegan Feta Crumbles - I love Violife or Follow Your Heart feta cheese.
- Kalamata Olives - If you don't have them you can use castelvetrano or manzanilla olives. 1-2 tablespoons of capers are a nice alternative too.
- Pine Nuts - You can also use sliced or sunflower seeds.
- Fresh Basil - If you don't have it, 2-3 tablespoons of chopped parsley will work.
How to roast bell peppers
You won't need anything fancy to get started, just some kitchen basics such as aluminum foil, a baking sheet, an oven mitt, tongs, a large bowl, and of course, the yummy peppers!
- Turn on your broiler then place the peppers on a lined baking sheet.
- Broil until the skins start to blister and blacken.
- Rotate peppers every five minutes until all sides are charred.
- Place peppers on a cutting board and cover them with a large bowl to steam them, for about 15 minutes.
- Remove the stems, seeds, and charred skin.
FAQs
I highly recommend using fresh roasted peppers for that deep smoky flavor profile. However, jarred will work if you're in a pinch. Replace the fresh with three 12 oz jars. Drain well.
Store the salad in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days. Toss before serving. This recipe doesn't freeze well.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know what you think by leaving a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and sharing your feedback in the comment section below. It would make my day!
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Recipe
Roasted Pepper Salad
Ingredients
- 6 large bell peppers (a combination of red, yellow, and orange)
- 1.5 tablespoons olive oil , extra virgin
- 1.5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- Salt and pepper
- ½ cup vegan feta crumbles (or any non-dairy cheese)
- ¼ cup fresh chopped basil (more for topping)
- ⅓ cup pitted kalamata olives
- ¼ cup pine nuts (optional)
Recommended Equipment
- Tongs
- Aluminum Foil
Instructions
- Place oven rack to the highest position and turn on the broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place whole peppers on the sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Broil the peppers until the skin starts to blister and blacken. Using tongs, rotate peppers a quarter turn until all sides are charred, about 5 minutes each side. The peppers should be slightly collapsed and soft. The whole process should take about 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and place them on a cutting board. Cover peppers with a large bowl or pot to steam them, about 15 minutes.
- While the peppers are steaming, prepare the dressing. In a large bowl, add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, oregano, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine.
- When peppers are cool enough to handle, slice them vertically, and spread them open to make a long strip. Remove the stem and seeds. Flip the pepper over and remove charred skin. It should peel off easily.
- Cut peppers into ¾-inch strips and place them in the bowl of dressing. Add fresh-cut basil and toss to coat. Taste for seasoning and add more as needed.
- At this point, you can serve the peppers right away and top with pine nuts, olives, and vegan feta, OR you can let the peppers marinate in their dressing for an hour or more. Just cover and place in the fridge after tossing. Add the toppings when you are ready to serve. Enjoy!
Linda
This was light and delicious. Only thing I did differently was placed it on rice so I could turn it into a full meal. Thanks for sharing.
Melissa Huggins
Thank you, Linda! So happy you liked it. Also, I appreciate you making so many of my recipes. Makes me happy! 🙂
Irene
I made this for a summer BBQ and it was amazing! I've never roasted peppers before - thanks for the great instructions!!
Melissa Huggins
Yay! I'm glad you liked them! This is one of my favorite summer recipes! Thank you for giving it a try! 🙂
Stephanie
I made this yesterday as part of our Thanksgiving dinner. Evefryone loved it. It is flavorful and colorful! Thanks for sharing it with us!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Stephanie, so happy to hear this! Thank you for sharing your feedback 🙂
Cap'n Dave
I saw a package of baby bells at Trader Joe's today and thought that this would make for wonderful roasting peppers...and like an idiot, I got distracted and didn't get them. That may well have to change! I'm also thinking of roasting them with zucchini and yellow squash, maybe some criminis and purple onion, and making the salad with risotto...so many ways this could be made! And I never thought of de-seeding them afterward - good idea! Thanks for the inspiration!
Melissa Huggins
Hi there, I love baby bells! I haven't seen them around, so I guess I'll be making a trips to Trader Joe's. I love your idea of roasting them along with squash, mushrooms and onions. That just has to be good! Thank you for the inspiration too! Have a great weekend! 🙂
Hauke Fox
Wow, this is indeed super easy to prep!! Love the colours too. It's spring, I'm ready for salads! 😀
Melissa Huggins
I'm so ready for salad season too! Thank you for stopping by. 🙂
Manju | Cooking Curries
Now thats a salad I can get behind! Looks delicious!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Manju, thank you for stopping by. Have a great weekend! 🙂
Agness of Run Agness Run
This is quite a colorful salad, Melissa! Loved the recipe!
Uma
Roasted pepper salad sounds very delicious:) flavorful and colorful!
Melissa Huggins
Thank you, Uma! It's my favorite 🙂
Linda from Veganosity
Yum, I love roasted peppers. This is such a beautiful salad.
Melissa Huggins
Thank you, Linda! I made this today again. My favorite spring/summer recipe 🙂
Kelly @ Trial and Eater
Such a colorful dish! I know peppers are the star of this recipe but the olives sold me!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Kelly, I'm a big olive fan too! They just had to go in 🙂
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
O that sounds so good! I LOVE roasted peppers! So much flavor!
Melissa Huggins
Thank you, Rebecca! Have a great weekend! 🙂