Low Carb Burger with an Italian Peperonata Topping

This low carb bun-less burger becomes a flavor bomb when topped with an Italian stewed pepper sauce known as peperonata.  Peperonata is a rich vegetable sauce or condiment made of colorful sweet peppers stewed with onions and garlic. It is an Italian classic that is popular as a side dish to meat, poultry or fish, as an addition to pasta sauce, or as a topping on crusty bread like bruschetta.

Jump to: RECIPE | What is Classic Peperonata? | Best Peppers for Peperonata | Best Method for Bun-less Burgers | How to Serve Peperonata

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What is Classic 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 Peperonata 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. Season with salt and pepper.

Add 5 bell peppers that are quartered and of different colors and cook for 10-15 minutes, until the bell peppers are soft.

In the recipe below I have added mushrooms and some vinegar as I thought it would pair well with the bunless burger.

What Kind of Peppers are Best?

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.

The bottom line, however is to go with what you have available. Jarred peppers from the store can stand in nicely in the Winter months when fresh peppers are not readily available.

Best Method for Bun-less Burgers:

If you want the “tastiest” burger, buy some with at least 20 percent fat.  If I buy hamburger from the grocery store I look for “chuck” burger that is an 80-20% burger to fat ratio.  

My mom cooked in a time when all fat was considered bad and meat was to be cooked a long time for safety, so she will still make burgers with very lean meat and cook them to well done (aka overcook them!).

There is an abundance of evidence-based studies out there around good fats/bad fats/animal fats/etc.  It is really difficult to make good health decisions because for every study that tells you about a particular nutritional fact, there is another study that will refute that fact.  

Whatever your sentiments are about fat, I can tell you one thing……a hamburger patty has a whole lot more flavor with more fat in it.  And the pepperonata topping on a bunless burger takes flavor a big step further.

Tip: If you do want to use lean ground beef, consider adding an egg to help the burger stay together

Fattier ground beef probably won’t need the addition of an egg.

Ways to Serve

Peperonata is sometimes served on crusty bread as a bruschetta, as side dish to meat or fish proteins, or added to pasta.

I have had great reviews when using it in smothered pork chops, or served over Winter squash, both of which are considered low carb dinners.

It is also frequently served cold as part of antipasti. Today’s recipe is using pepperonata as topping for a simple low carb bunless burger.