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Home » Produce guides » Bell pepper recipes

Modified: Mar 6, 2023 by Vee

Bell pepper recipes

Red, orange, yellow, and green bell peppers are often interchangeable in recipes, with a few exceptions.

Green bell peppers have a vegetal (or grassy) flavor and can be bitter. This creates a unique flavor (like for Cajun and Creole dishes). It also can balance richer dishes that the other colors don't do nearly as well (or at all).

Red, orange, and yellow bell peppers are citrus-y and slightly sweet. Red bell peppers have the most pronounced flavors, but they are all quite close. These all pair very well with spicy food and develop a delicious flavor when roasted. These 3 colors can almost always be interchanged with each other.

Jump to:
  • Classic green bell pepper recipes
  • Cajun & Creole "holy trinity"
  • Stuffed bell peppers
  • Dips & sauces
  • Fajitas
  • Pasta
  • Skillets
  • Sandwiches
  • Kabobs
  • Soups
  • Salads
  • Stews & Curry
  • Recipes in under 30 minutes
  • Too many bell peppers? How to use them up.
  • More bell pepper guides

Classic green bell pepper recipes

The slight bitterness of green bell peppers cuts through rich foods, making it perfect for pizza, a cheesy omelet, or as a topping for philly cheesesteaks. These are classics for a reason.

Philly cheesesteak. Recipe by Damn Delicious
Philly cheesesteak with garlic aioli
Denver omelet. Recipe by Recipe Runner.
Denver omelet
Pan pizza in a skillet with green and red bell peppers. Recipe by A Couple cooks.
Perfect pan pizza

Cajun & Creole "holy trinity"

Another classic green bell pepper combination is a Cajun and Creole stew-base called The Holy Trinity. It consists of celery, onions, and green bell peppers. Similar to the French mirepoix (celery, onions, and carrots). Replacing the green bell peppers with another color will completely change the flavor and isn't advised.

A bowl of gumbo, recipe by Three Olives Branch
Chicken sausage gumbo
Shrimp etoufee by House of Nash Eats
Shrimp Etoufee
A skillet of jumbalaya, recipe by Cooking Classy
Jambalaya
A bowl of red beans & rice, recipe by Cooking Classy
Red beans & rice

Stuffed bell peppers

The internet has no shortage of stuffed bell pepper recipes. I've tried to round up a variety of them, from mac & cheese stuffed bells to ones with tuna salad.

These are also a great make-ahead (and freezer) meal. Most stuffing can be make well in advanced. When you are ready to eat, stuff the peppers and roast as directed. Cooked peppers can be stored for about 3 days in the fridge.

A tray of bell peppers stuffed with mac & cheese
Mac & cheese stuffed peppers
Bell pepers stuffed with spaghetti. Recipe by It's a Veg World
Spaghetti stuffed bell peppers
Quiche baked stuffed peppers. Recipe by A Mummy Too
Quiche stuffed bell peppers
Bell pepper stuffed with rice and mushrooms. Recipe by A dude that cookz
Rice & mushroom stuffed bell peppers
Mexican stuffed bell peppers. Recipe by Little Sunny Kitchen.
Mexican stuffed bell peppers
Lentil stuffed bell peppers. Recipe by Pepper Bowl
Lentil stuffed bell peppers
Mediterranean stuffed peppers. Recipe by Our Happy Mess
Mediterranean stuffed bell peppers
Bell peppers stuffed with tuna salad. Recipe by Delicious Table
Tuna salad stuffed bell peppers

Dips & sauces

Roasted red peppers make excellent dips. All of the recipes below roast fresh red peppers, but jarred ones are great during off season.

Roasted red pepper aioli. Recipe by Garlic & Zest
Roasted red pepper aioli
pineapple salsa in a pineapple cup. Recipe by Julie Blanner
Pineapple salsa
Roasted red pepper hummus. Recipe by The Curry Trail.
Roasted red pepper hummus
a bowl of romesco sauce. Recipe by Recipe Tin Eats
Spanish romesco sauce
Muhammara dip with crackers on a table. Recipe by Minimalist Baker.
Muhammara (red pepper, walnut, & pomegranate dip)

Fajitas

When possible, using a combination of bell pepper colors in fajitas adds a variety of flavors in every bite. Green bells add their typical grassy (and sometimes bitter) flavor. Red, orange, and yellow are all pretty similar in their citrus, slightly sweet flavor (with reds being the most pronounced).

A tray of shrimp, bell peppers, and rice. Recipe by The Movement Menu
One pan shrimp fajitas
Sheet pan filled with bell peppers and mushrooms. Recipe by My Pure Plants.
Sheet pan veggie fajitas
Bell pepper recipes in season: Chili lime steak fajitas recipe by Cafe Delites
Chili lime steak fajitas

Pasta

Pasta is a great example where red bell peppers compliment tomato-based recipes when cooked down into a sauce. Raw or slightly-cooked bell peppers (of any color) work well on lighter pasta dishes, especially in summer.

Fregola pasta with fresh vegetables.
Farmers market medley summer pasta
Jamaican rasta pasta. Recipe by Little Sunny Kitchen
Jamaican rasta pasta
pasta salad with onions and bell peppers. Recipe by Nourish Plate.
20 minute pasta salad
Chicken scampi with bell peppers. Recipe by Three Olives Branch.
Chicken scampi
Bell pepper recipes in season: Roasted red pepper and tomato pasta by Lauren Caris Cooks
Roasted red pepper and tomato pasta

Skillets

So many recipes that I make in a skillet benefit from a chopped bell pepper. From rice to shakshuka, they all taste great.

Philly cheese steak and bell peppers in a skillet. Recipe by The Modern Proper.
Philly cheese steak skillet
green shakshuka with bell peppers and jalapenos. Recipe by Broma Bakery.
Green shakshuka
shakshuka recipe by Cookie + Kate
Foolproof shakshuka
Skillet of bell pepper stuffing. Recipe by Backyard Bohemian.
Unstuffed bell pepper skillet
Capsicum rice. Recipe by Mrishtanna
Capsicum (bell pepper) rice

Sandwiches

Some recipes have you cook bell peppers before adding them to the sandwich. Others use the peppers raw, which preserves the bright, fresh flavor. However, it's worth noting that green bell peppers are more bitter raw than cooked. Give them a taste - if you don't like it plain, you might not like it raw on a sandwich.

Brats, bell peppers, and onions roasted on a sheet pan. Recipe by The View from Great Island
Sheet pan bell peppers & brats
Vegetable spring rolls with carrots and bell peppers. Recipe by Damn Delicious
Vegetable spring rolls
Philly cheesesteak. Recipe by Damn Delicious
Philly cheesesteak with garlic aioli
Sandwich with avocado, cucumbers, and green bell peppers. Recipe by Broma Bakery.
Green thumb sandwich
Sandwich with a rainbow of vegetables. Recipe by A Couple cooks.
Ultimate rainbow veggie sandwich

Kabobs

In my experience, any color of bell pepper can be used in kabobs. Buy your favorite, what's on sale, or any variety. If making kabobs for a party and want to be a crowd-pleaser, I might suggest making some skewers without green bell peppers as there's a large number of people who really don't like them.

steak, bell pepper, and onion kabobs. Recipe by Gimme Some Oven
Asian bell pepper steak kabobs
chicken kabobs with red bell peppers and pineapple. Recipe by Damn Delicious
Pineapple chicken kabobs & red bell peppers
Kabobs with bell peppers, mushrooms, corn, and zucchini. Recipe by A Spicy Perspective
Vegetable kabobs with fajita butter
Bowl with fregola, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers and kabobs. Recipe by Souther and Modern
Mediterranean kabob bowl
Bell pepper recipes in season: Grilled chicken naan with roasted red pepper tahini by Tara's Multicultural Table
Grilled chicken naan with roasted red pepper tahini

Soups

Tomato based soups often benefit from some red peppers. They add depth without stealing the spotlight. Red and yellow bell peppers add a slight sweet or citrus flavor to other types of soups and well. Green bell peppers' bitterness can cut through heavier soups with cream or cheese (like unstuffed bell pepper soups).

A bowl of tomato soup with basil leaves and flowers. Recipe from Mr. Wilkinson's cookbook
Roasted tomato soup from Mr. Wilkinson's cookbook
Turkey bell pepper soup. Recipe by Zesty Southern Indian Kitchen
Turkish bell pepper, tomato, & yogurt soup
Sausage, bell peppers, and rice soup. Recipe by Eat the Gains.
Sausage, bell pepper, and rice soup
Bowls of yellow bell peppers soup topped with avocado and sprouts. Recipe by This Healthy Table
Golden bell pepper soup
A bowl of stuffed bell pepper soup. Recipe by The Recipe Well
Chicken & bean stuffed bell pepper soup
Vegan stuffed bell pepper soup recipe by Stacey Homemaker
Vegan stuffed bell pepper soup
roasted red pepper and carrot soup. Recipe by Piping pot Curry
Roasted red pepper & carrot soup
Gazpacho recipe by Cookie + Kate
Gazpacho

Salads

Red, orange, and yellow bell peppers are the most common for salads. As mentioned before, raw green bell peppers can be quite bitter and often don't pair with bitter greens on salad. However, they can work in a pasta salad.

A bowl of black bean salad with corn and bell peppers. Recipe by Salt & Lavender
Corn and black bean salad
fajita salad. recipe by The View from Great Island
Mexican fajita steak salad
Thai noodle salad. Recipe by Pinch of Yum
Thai noodle salad
Asian pineapple salad with peanut dressing and peanuts. Recipe by Carlsbad Cravings
Asian pineapple salad with peanut dressing
Sweet potato salad with dressing limes, bell peppers, and cilantro. Recipe by G-free Foodie.
Sweet potato salad with chili lime dressing
A salad bowl with lettuce, oranges, and bell peppers on black background
Vegan quinoa salad with bell peppers and oranges

Stews & Curry

For these recipes, I'd suggest to use the color of pepper listed in the recipe to avoid altering the flavor too much.

Bowls of queso chicken chili topped with avocado. Recipe by Pinch of Yum.
Queso chicken chili
A bowl of coconut curry with red bell peppers. Recipe by Half Baked Harvest.
Coconut curry with red bell peppers
Nigerian beef stew. Recipe by Low Carb Africa
Nigerian beef stew

Recipes in under 30 minutes

These are all of the recipes from this page that great if you're short on time.

A bowl of black bean salad with corn and bell peppers. Recipe by Salt & Lavender
Corn and black bean salad
steak, bell pepper, and onion kabobs. Recipe by Gimme Some Oven
Asian bell pepper steak kabobs
fajita salad. recipe by The View from Great Island
Mexican fajita steak salad
Brats, bell peppers, and onions roasted on a sheet pan. Recipe by The View from Great Island
Sheet pan bell peppers & brats
Vegetable spring rolls with carrots and bell peppers. Recipe by Damn Delicious
Vegetable spring rolls
Sandwich with avocado, cucumbers, and green bell peppers. Recipe by Broma Bakery.
Green thumb sandwich
A bowl of coconut curry with red bell peppers. Recipe by Half Baked Harvest.
Coconut curry with red bell peppers
Jamaican rasta pasta. Recipe by Little Sunny Kitchen
Jamaican rasta pasta
pasta salad with onions and bell peppers. Recipe by Nourish Plate.
20 minute pasta salad
Skillet of bell pepper stuffing. Recipe by Backyard Bohemian.
Unstuffed bell pepper skillet
Sheet pan filled with bell peppers and mushrooms. Recipe by My Pure Plants.
Sheet pan veggie fajitas
pineapple salsa in a pineapple cup. Recipe by Julie Blanner
Pineapple salsa
Capsicum rice. Recipe by Mrishtanna
Capsicum (bell pepper) rice
Bell peppers stuffed with tuna salad. Recipe by Delicious Table
Tuna salad stuffed bell peppers
A bowl of sausage, beef, and bell peppers soup topped with cheese. Recipe by A Nerd cooks.
Slow cooker beef & bell pepper soup
Gazpacho recipe by Cookie + Kate
Gazpacho
Asian pineapple salad with peanut dressing and peanuts. Recipe by Carlsbad Cravings
Asian pineapple salad with peanut dressing
Kabobs with bell peppers, mushrooms, corn, and zucchini. Recipe by A Spicy Perspective
Vegetable kabobs with fajita butter
Sandwich with a rainbow of vegetables. Recipe by A Couple cooks.
Ultimate rainbow veggie sandwich
Bell pepper recipes in season: Chili lime steak fajitas recipe by Cafe Delites
Chili lime steak fajitas

Too many bell peppers? How to use them up.

If you need to use up 1 or 2 peppers, almost any recipe on this page will do that for you. Trying to use up more can seem daunting, but I have a few solutions for you:

  • Stuffed bell peppers can use them up fast. Since they can also be frozen, try doubling a recipe and freezing all (or half) of them.
  • A few recipes from the soup section use a lot of bell peppers: golden pepper soup (6 orange or yellow), chicken & bean stuffed pepper soup or vegan stuffed pepper soup (4 of any color, but I probably wouldn't do all green).
  • Dips can easily use up bell peppers without making an entire meal out of them. The muhammara recipe uses 3 red bell peppers. Most of the other dips and sauces use 2 peppers but can easily be doubled to use 4.
  • Some pasta sauces, like this roasted red pepper sauce, uses 4-5 red bell peppers (yellow and orange would work too).
  • Make roasted red peppers from scratch and store them in the fridge for up to 5 days. This recipe works for any color of pepper. You could also try to make pickled peppers which will last in the fridge for up to a year.
  • Freeze them for later use. My Frugal Home shares are few tricks to freezing.

More bell pepper guides

  • Guide: How to buy & store bell peppers
  • Guide: Sweet pepper varieties (including bell peppers and how they all start out green)
  • Why green bell peppers are bitter & what to do about it
  • Monthly seasonal guide

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. S says

    February 13, 2023 at 5:17 pm

    The salad section just has the soups listed over again instead of salads, just fyi

    Reply
    • Vee says

      March 01, 2023 at 7:07 pm

      I missed that, thanks for letting me know. I updated it now and appreciate you taking the time to leave the helpful comment.

      Reply

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