Quick Summary: Peperonata is slow-cooked sweet peppers with onions and garlic, simmered until velvety soft. Use it to braise pork chops for a tender, flavorful one-pan dinner. The sauce also works on burgers, grilled chicken, or crusty bread. Prep: 15 min | Cook: 45 min | Serves: 4
Jump to: RECIPE | What is Peperonata? | Ingredients | Step by Step | Which Peppers to Use | FAQ
Peperonata is a rustic Italian sauce of sweet bell peppers slow-cooked with onions and garlic until meltingly soft. It’s traditionally served as a side dish or bruschetta topping, but it also makes an incredible sauce for braised pork chops.
The peppers keep the meat tender and add late-summer sweetness. I make this at my farm, HeathGlen Organic Farm, in early fall when the bell peppers are at their peak.
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What is Peperonata?
Peperonata (peh-peh-roh-NAH-tah) is an Italian vegetable dish of slow-cooked, or stewed bell peppers with onion and garlic. Of course there are variations and some Italian cooks will add tomatoes, eggplant, or other Italian vegetables.
The simplest way to make a peperonata sauce or stew is to cook 2 cloves of minced garlic and 1/2 sliced onion in 1/4 cup of olive oil over low heat for 10 minutes. Add 5 bell peppers that are quartered and cook for 10-15 minutes, until the bell peppers are soft.
What Ingredients Do You Need?
The key ingredients of a classic peperonata sauce include sweet bell peppers, onions, garlic, and oil. Some cooks will add mushrooms and some will add anchovies. A list of additions and substitutions is included below the photo.
Substitutions
- Peppers: Using different colors of bell peppers definitely adds to the visual appeal of this dish. Red bell peppers are the sweetest of the bunch and my favorite. Don’t use green bell peppers and they have more of a vegetal flavor rather than a sweet flavor.
- Onions: Yellow onions are the standard. Purple or white can be used but they don’t caramelize as nicely.
- Tomato base: tomato puree has the most concentrated flavor. Some cooks will use fresh tomatoes or tomato paste mellowed out with the addition of water
- Garlic: fresh is best but use the bottled minced garlic if that is all you have. Avoid the garlic powder.
- Sugar and Salt: Just a touch of these enhances the flavor of the vegetables in this sauce. It doesn’t take much….just a pinch.
- Vinegar: This is another ingredient that also enhances flavor. I used red wine vinegar, but any vinegar will work as the acid component
- Oil: I always use olive oil in cooking, especially in Italian cooking! As long as you are not doing high-heat frying, olive oil is fine. No need for high-end olive oil though!
Additions:
- Vegetable additions: Some cooks like to add mushrooms, zucchini, or eggplant when first cooking the peppers
- Spice: Add 1/2 teaspoon of your favorite powdered spicy chile pepper (or use red pepper flakes for a milder version)
- Herbs: basil and/or oregano are the classic Italian herbs that add flavor
Step by Step: How to Make Pork Chops with Peperonata
Detailed directions can be found in the recipe card below. The illustrated directions below do a good job of summarizing the steps:
What are the Best Peppers to Use for Peperonata?
Many different pepper varieties can be used, from sweet to very spicy. I like the complexity of a mix of hot, mild and sweet peppers.
In addition to the complexity of flavor, using a variety of peppers results in a stunning visual dish. It is often said that we eat first with out eyes, and a mix of colors, shapes and textures can definitely elevate the visual appeal of this dish.
Typically peperonata just uses sweet bell peppers. However, if you want to change it up a bit, red bell peppers will add sweetness, fresh green jalapenos will add a medium amount of heat, and yellow banana peppers will add more of the vegetal earthy flavor.
What Else Can You Use Peperonata On?
I used to be a diet and health coach and developed many recipes for my clients. Using peperonata on the options below were some of the favorites.
FAQ
An Italian sauce of sweet bell peppers slow-cooked with onions and garlic. The peppers become soft and almost jammy. It originated in Southern Italy.
Red, yellow, and orange bell peppers. Avoid green bells, which are more vegetal than sweet. Use multiple colors for visual appeal.
Yes. It keeps refrigerated for 5 days and the flavor improves overnight. Reheat gently before adding to pork chops.
Peperonata is sweet peppers with onions. Puttanesca is tomatoes with olives, capers, and anchovies. Different flavor profiles: sweet vs briny.
Bunless burgers, grilled chicken, crusty bread, eggs, white fish, or serve as a side dish. It’s versatile.
Overcooked. Use thick, bone-in chops and remove from heat when just cooked through (145°F internal). Thin chops overcook quickly.
For recipes that make great use of these fruits and vegetables check out this Italian recipes category. For detailed and comprehensive information on starting your own Italian kitchen garden see this guide.
Italian Pork Chops in Peperonata Sauce
Equipment
- skillet You will need two skillets or a skillet and a dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1 large onion thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound sweet bell peppers (~2 cups sliced) Can use jarred peppers if fresh are unavailable
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup tomato puree if you don’t have puree, use 1/3 cup tomato paste and 2/3 cups water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sugar optional
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 pork chops (thick and bone-in)
Instructions
- Slice the onion(s) thinly and cook in oil over medium heat until softened and slightly caramelized. Don’t brown them. This can take 5-10 minutes.1 large onion, 3 tablespoons olive oil
- While the onions are cooking, half the peppers and remove seeds and veins. Then slice them into 1/4-inch strips.1 pound sweet bell peppers
- Add garlic and sliced peppers to the skillet and continue cooking over medium heat for 10 minutes.3 cloves garlic
- Stir in tomato puree and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in vinegar and sugar and simmer another 10 minutes.1 cup tomato puree, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- While the peperonata sauce is simmering, brown the pork chops in oil on both sides in another skillet over medium-high heat. This takes about 3-5 minutes per side.After chops are browned, add the peperonata sauce to the skillet with the chops, cover and simmer over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes or until chops are done (no longer pink). Don’t overcook the pork chops.4 pork chops (thick and bone-in)
- Serve with the pork chops smothered in sauce and place additional sauce in a bowl on the table.
Love your recipes and gardening tips.
ohmygoodness this was so delicious! I used King cut pork chops from a local butcher.
Audrey, I’m so glad you liked it. I bet those chops were quality. It makes a difference doesn’t it? Thank you for commenting.