What should I do with a big bag of mini sweet peppers?

April 19, 2020 3:35 PM

I bought a bag of mini sweet peppers that is way too big. Any suggested recipes welcome, especially ones that will likely require not leaving the house to buy more ingredients. (My own bonus mini sweet peppers recipe inside)

Something I came up with during one of my work's Iron Chef competitions:
Guacamole, cheese and bacon stuffed mini peppers appetizer

• Halve and seed peppers.
• Dice some cheese and bacon. Add to guacamole.
• Stuff pepper halves with guacamole mix.

What recipes can you suggest?

posted by ShooBoo to Food & Drink (24 answers total)

No recipes but peppers freeze really well. Here are some instructions.
posted by mareli at 3:40 PM on April 19, 2020 [1 favorite]

Red pepper spread - this works great on bread, as a dip, and even on pasta. It calls for pistachios, but I think you could substitute other nuts or seeds. I've used pine nuts, and I think walnuts would probably work well.
posted by amelliferae at 3:40 PM on April 19, 2020 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Would they work to cook as with padron peppers?
posted by biffa at 3:42 PM on April 19, 2020

I like them sliced, fridge pickled, and then tossed into pasta dishes.
posted by Candleman at 3:45 PM on April 19, 2020 [1 favorite]

I buy one of those bags every month or so, use the few I need, and dice the rest for the freezer.

I always add some to my spaghetti sauce with the aromatics. The more peppers you add to it, the more un-marinara like the sauce gets.
posted by Lyn Never at 4:06 PM on April 19, 2020 [2 favorites]

roast them and freeze them!
posted by mccxxiii at 4:21 PM on April 19, 2020 [4 favorites]

The last time I had extra sweet peppers, they became part of salmon cakes. Take your favorite crab cake recipe, make it with salmon. Add the chopped sweet peppers. YMMV.
posted by msamye at 4:36 PM on April 19, 2020 [1 favorite]

Seconding roast and freeze. Broil them or put them on the grill til the skin is nice and black and charred. Then, throw them in a sealable container to sweat off the skins (I usually use a zip lock bag). Once cool enough to touch, throw them all in the bowl of cold water to peel off the skins. I've found this is my favorite way, the skins don't stick to the peppers or your fingers, and the seeds sink! Then pat dry, dice, seal in a bag, and freeze. Use for salsas, sauces, pastas, etc.
posted by Grandysaur at 4:58 PM on April 19, 2020 [1 favorite]

I just discovered that stuffing them with tuna salad is delicious
posted by pyro979 at 5:30 PM on April 19, 2020 [4 favorites]

I stuff them with goat cheese and pop them in the toaster oven. Heaven!
But I also love to just stick them in the freezer and have them on hand for when you just need a little bit.
posted by Caravantea at 5:35 PM on April 19, 2020 [1 favorite]

Cut in half, seed, and stuff with mixture of ground beef/chicken/turkey/sausage (whatever you have), rice and/or beans, cheese, and spices. All the stuffing ingredients should be precooked. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the peppers are soft. Devour.
posted by Red Desk at 5:54 PM on April 19, 2020 [2 favorites]

I love these stuffed with boursin cheese.
posted by shadygrove at 7:14 PM on April 19, 2020 [2 favorites]

consider making muhammara, a standard levantine dip. Originally from Aleppo
posted by Ahmad Khani at 7:15 PM on April 19, 2020 [1 favorite]

I too have a bunch of mini sweet peppers (in a bag) and while I haven't tried it yet, my plan is to roast them in place of the jarred roasted red peppers in this recipe: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/piri-piri-meatballs
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 7:19 PM on April 19, 2020

Stuffed with falafel mix is awesome. 2nding goat cheese also. Cheddar and cream cheese also works well.
posted by eleanna at 8:34 PM on April 19, 2020

shaksuka - basically chopped peppers with an onion and a can of tomatoes plus some cumin, let simmer til thickenend. Improvise based on what you have on hand.
posted by shoesietart at 8:53 PM on April 19, 2020

I use 6-8 sweet peppers, sautéed with onions and tossed with a can of pinto beans, a spoonful of sour cream and a squirt of lime juice, then all that gets mixed with some Mexican flavored rice, as the filling for bean and rice enchiladas. Roll and top with some enchilada sauce (aka crushed tomatoes simmered with garlic), top with cheese and bake until cheese is bubbly.
posted by Liesl at 9:23 PM on April 19, 2020 [1 favorite]

What Grandysaur said about roasting them, and then romesco sauce is great with basically anything. That recipe uses almonds and sherry vinegar, but wine vinegar would be fine and you can sub in pine nuts or hazelnuts or whatever you have, I’m sure it would still be good.
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 1:22 AM on April 20, 2020

You don't have to get fancy. You can roast them with garlic or whatever, whiz them up in a blender, and literally use that as pasta sauce. Or sub 1/2 tomato sauce. Or 1/2 pesto. Or whatever.
posted by DarlingBri at 7:51 AM on April 20, 2020

Seeded, roasted and food-processed, they make a delicious sauce for pasta. Add "Italian" sausage if you want.
posted by madcaptenor at 8:45 AM on April 20, 2020

Mini sweet peppers are very versatile and we almost always keep some in our fridge. A few ideas:

-You can cut them into strips and use them as a topping on homemade pizza
-Dice and cook with eggs and cheese and other veggies you may have on hand to make a delicious egg scramble
-OR, here's a technique we learned from Blue Apron: take about 6 oz of peppers and cut off the stems, remove the ribs and seeds, and thinly slice them into rings. Heat some olive oil in a skillet, then add the peppers with some diced shallot and saute for 2-3 minutes until soft. Then, add 2 Tbsp tomato paste, a little bit of sugar, and some dried oregano, and stir 1-2 minutes until the tomato paste is dark and fragrant. Add a little bit of vinegar and 1/4 c. water, season with salt and pepper, cook for another minute until thick and saucy. Serve as a side dish - delicious!
posted by shannonigans at 4:16 PM on April 20, 2020

I use these almost daily—dice and sauté until soft before adding to a scramble, mix into taco meat to stretch it a little further, cut into strips or cute little rounds and make into a salad with cucumber, tomato, and a little olive oil and Italian seasoning. Anytime I’m doing a savory dish I throw a 3-5 mini peppers in.
posted by assenav at 6:01 PM on April 20, 2020 [1 favorite]

Am I the only person who just eats them raw, like carrot sticks? I'll happily munch my way through an entire bag as a single snack.
posted by Jacqueline at 10:11 PM on April 21, 2020

Response by poster: Many good options here (too many to mark as favorites), but just tried biffa's suggestion of Padrón peppers, and they were excellent.
posted by ShooBoo at 8:45 PM on April 25, 2020 [1 favorite]