16 Best Bell Pepper Recipes

Sweet and crunchy bell peppers can be prepared in a variety of ways and their beautiful colors will brighten up any dish. Learn the best way to store bell peppers to make the most of the season's harvest, and get cooking with our 16 delicious recipes with bell peppers!

How to store bell peppers

Freezing and canning are both great ideas for putting away peppers for use later in the year. We love putting away a bounty of summer fruits and vegetables for fall and winter; that beautiful produce is just too pretty to let go to waste.

• Freezing
  Freezing is the simplest preparation for storing peppers. We prefer freezing because the recipe possibilities are much more open. Start by coring and seeding the peppers. You can leave the peppers whole, cut them into strips or chop them into chunks. (Choose the method that will be the best for how you intend to use the peppers.) Add them to a sealable freezer bag, remove as much air as possible, and freeze. (You might want to use a vacuum sealer for best results.) Make sure to date the bag and freeze for no more 6 months. You can use frozen peppers in a number of recipes, but, please, do not serve them raw. For recipes that require sauteing, you'll want to defrost the peppers first, pat them dry, and then add them to the saute pan. But for soups, stews or casseroles, you can add the peppers right from the freezer bag.
  

• Canning
  For canning peppers, you'll want to put them in a brine, which helps preserve them. The brine can include oil. You can make a jar of marinated red bell peppers just as you would buy in the supermarket. This would require blistering the peppers first to remove their skins. But you could also preserve the peppers fresh, which will keep their texture firm and almost crunchy, like pickles. To do this, core and seed the peppers and cut them into wedges and stuff them into a canning jar. Pour over with a hot brine (a 1:1 ratio of water to vinegar or all vinegar), which has been flavored with spices and seasoned with sugar and/or salt. Make sure to leave a little headspace before tightening on a lid. Process the jars in a hot water bath to seal them. Keep the jarred peppers on your pantry shelf for no more than 3 months. You can enjoy canned peppers as a side dish, as a topping for sandwiches, or pureed into a dip.

How to cook bell peppers

Bell peppers are versatile vegetables. Not only can they be enjoyed eaten raw, but you can cook them in many ways. Try sautéing, grilling, roasting, baking or steaming them.

If you favor yellow peppers, try our Yellow Pepper Relish recipe for your next barbecue. More of a red pepper lover? Don't worry, we have a Red Pepper & Goat Cheese Frittata recipe that you'll love. For those who have trouble choosing, combine a variety of different peppers in our Grilled Pepper Salad recipe. Click through our slideshow and get cooking!

Check out the slideshow above for our 16 best recipes with bell peppers.

More From Kitchen Daily:
Check out this visual guide to peppers
The world's 10 spiciest hot sauces