Lay them on a parchment-lined tray, lightly oil, and roast for around 20 minutes at 400ºF/200ºC.For a more smoky flavor, broil the peppers for a few minutes afterward until the skins are blackened (you’ll remove them at a later stage).
Step 2: Steam the peppers
Remove the peppers from the oven and, while they’re still hot, transfer them to a bowl (or a jar), cover with a lid (I just used a plate), and allow to steam for 10 minutes.Once steamed, if you’d prefer to remove the skins, you can do so now, and they’ll be super easy to peel. I tend not to do this all the time unless I’ve broiled the peppers too (do they’re charred). Most of the nutrition is just under the skin, so I don’t want to remove anything unnecessarily.
Collect all the roasted pepper ‘juices’ from the bowl/jar - this is the secret to the delicious salad dressing that goes into this roasted pepper salad!
Step 3: Prepare the onion and dressing
Thinly slice the onion.
Add it to the bowl with the roasted pepper juices along with the apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper (adjust the amount, to taste).
Step 4: Assemble the salad
Thinly slice all of the peppers and add them to the bowl, mixing to combine everything.
Sprinkle some parsley over the top of the roasted pepper salad. You can serve immediately, but I recommend leaving the roasted peppers salad to marinate in the refrigerator for a couple of hours (or overnight) to allow all the flavors to meld. You won’t regret it!
Notes
Recipe Notes & Variations
Cutting and coring the peppers: you can do this before or after roasting them. I prefer to do this after, but I know some find it easier and less ‘slimy’ to deal with beforehand.
To caramelize the peppers: after baking, peeling, and slicing the peppers, you can actually place them back in the oven for a further 20 minutes with a bit of olive oil to caramelize them for even sweeter results and added depth of flavor. The combination of the sweetness goes particularly well when adding salty ingredients like feta and ingredients like garlic.
Don’t forget to marinate: allowing this salad with roasted peppers to marinate for at least two hours makes a world of difference. I actually recommend preparing it the night before and allowing it to marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
Raw bell pepper salad: this salad tastes super delicious if you use raw sweet mini bell peppers too! Reduce the peppers slightly (since none will shrink from cooking) and make a little extra vinaigrette since there won’t be pepper juices.
Optional add-ins and variations:This salad with roasted peppers is the perfect ‘base’ for all kinds of extra ingredients.
Garlic: One of my favorite add-ins is minced garlic added to the vinaigrette. You can optionally roast the garlic with the peppers for a sweeter, milder, more mellow flavor. I recommend 1-2 cloves but adjust to personal taste.
Cheese: Crumbled feta, goat’s cheese, blue cheese, mozzarella pearls (bocconcini), grilled halloumi, etc.
Nuts: Walnuts, pine nuts, slivered almonds, or even seeds like pepitas.
Veggies: Kalamata olives, avocado, tomatoes, zucchini (roasted/grilled), etc.
Leafy greens: For a more traditional salad feel, free to add in a few handfuls of your favorite leafy greens. I like to use a bag of mixed "baby leaf" greens.
For spice: Fresh finely chopped chili or a pinch of red pepper flakes
Grains: farro, couscous, quinoa, recipe, etc., could all be added for a heartier salad.
Pasta: You can easily adjust this into a roasted pepper pasta salad with the addition of your favorite pasta (orzo included).
For tang: You could add in some capers or lemon zest.