Sauteed Peppers

Sauteed peppers are a quick and easy recipe that’s bursting with flavor! Eat them as a side dish or throw onto sandwiches or pizzas.

Looking to mix up your side dish routine? Try these Easy Sauteed Peppers! Bell peppers aren’t always a go-to for people: you might first think of broccoli or asparagus when it comes to a healthy side dish. But why not try bell peppers? They’re full of nutrients and especially high in Vitamin C: one serving of this recipe will give you a whopping 126% of your daily need. But even better: they’re full of sweet, tender flavor that makes every bite irresistible. Here’s what you need to know about how to saute peppers: the quickest and easiest way to cook this healthy vegetable.

How to sauté peppers: some tips!

Sautéing is one of the fastest methods to cook peppers! Making roasted bell peppers coaxes out the most of their sweet flavor, but sauteed peppers are nearly as good. This method for cooking browns the outside of the food, helping complex flavors to develop (called the Maillard reaction, if you want to get technical!). The word saute means “jump” in French, meaning you need to keep the food moving by stirring or flipping the pan.

• Thinly slice the bell peppers. The thinner the slices, the faster it will cook. See below for some tips!
• Use an aluminum or cast iron pan for ultimate caramelization. Using this type of pan makes for the best caramelized outside of the peppers! You can also use non-stick, you just won’t get the darkened edges.
• Heat the olive oil. It’s important to heat the oil before adding the veggies to the pan: wait until it shimmers!
• Cook on medium high heat and stir occasionally. Watch that the heat is not too high.
• Cook until crisp tender, or very tender: you choose! You’ll need about 10 to 12 minutes for crisp tender, and about 15 for very tender. The texture depends on your personal preferences and how you plan to serve your peppers.

Tricks for cutting a bell pepper

The easiest way to make this sauteed peppers recipe quick to make? Know how to cut a bell pepper! It took us years to figure out the right way to cut a bell pepper. But with this special trick, you’ll be able to slice one up in just 1 minute. Here are our tips, or click over to this quick video:

1. Cut off the sides: Using a large chef’s knife, slice straight down on each side to form 4 straight pieces of the pepper. This keeps the seeds and ribs intact in the center — you can discard this part.
2. Cut slices: Place the skin side of the pepper down, and cut it into thin slices.

Variations: add onions!

Want to mix up these sauteed peppers? Add onions! This recipe is even more delicious by adding a red onion to the mix. Head over to Sauteed Peppers and Onions.

You also can add even more veggies like carrots and broccoli. Here’s our master recipe for the Ultimate Sauteed Vegetables, which also uses bell peppers for color and nutrients.

Ways to serve sauteed peppers

Once you’ve made these sauteed peppers, there are so many ways to serve them! You can use them as an easy vegan side dish, or a component to go in other meals. Here are a few ideas:

• Side for pasta. Add them to add nutrients to Homemade Mac and Cheese, Creamy Shrimp Pasta, Perfect Zucchini Lasagna or Baked Rigatoni Pasta.
• Side for salmon. Try them with Quick Broiled Salmon, Blackened Salmon, Miso Salmon, or Pesto Salmon.
• Sandwich filling. Throw them into an Ultimate Hummus Sandwich or Avocado Grilled Cheese.
• Breakfast scramble. Add them to a breakfast vegetable scramble or serve alongside a tofu scramble.
• Fajitas. Add black beans marinated in fajita sauce and you’ve got make-shift fajitas!
• Pizza topping. Throw them onto a pizza, like this one.

Are bell peppers healthy?

Bell peppers are loaded with vitamins, especially Vitamin C! In fact, one serving of this recipe provides 126% of daily Vitamin C. How’s that for healthy side dish? Bell peppers are:

• A low calorie food. One serving of this recipe has only 40 calories!
• Loaded with Vitamin C. A medium red bell pepper provides a whopping 169% of your daily vitamin C! (Source)
• A potential preventer of anemia. Some studies indicate peppers could prevent low iron (Source).

More bell pepper recipes

Want a few more ways to use this tasty and healthy vegetable? Here are a few more bell pepper recipes to try:

• Roast them up as a main dish in these Quinoa Stuffed Peppers, Stuffed Green Peppers or Classic Stuffed Peppers
• Add onions and make Roasted Peppers and Onions
• Throw them on the grill to make Grilled Bell Peppers
• Add them to Sheet Pan Veggie Fajitas for a tasty easy dinner recipe

This sauteed peppers is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.

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