Last year, at around this time, I posted a blog about the health benefits of portobello mushrooms and how I marinate and roast them to delicious tenderness. This simple little story and recipe has become wildly popular and, by “wildly,” I mean it has gotten over 10,000 views in the last month, alone—it’s wonderful that the nutritional superpowers of mushrooms are spreading far and wide!
Well, I recently made a serving platter of marinated and roasted veggies for a potluck luncheon. I make this assortment often when I am called on to bring a home cooked dish to a gathering—it seems to go with everything, it looks beautiful, it can be made a bit ahead, can be served at room temperature and everyone seems to like it! At least, I can deduce that from the great reviews and the empty platter I take home with me. I usually include broccoli, cauliflower, the now famous portobello mushrooms and… sweet mini peppers in red, yellow and orange.
You have probably seen them in the market, about 3 inches long, so adorably cute and colorful in a resealable plastic bag. The first time I bought them, I was scratching my head wondering, as I was in the midst of preparation, ‘why am I spending so much time cutting, de-seeding and trimming all these little peppers when the net effect is the same and would be so much quicker with the larger bell pepper variety?’
Then, I got this light bulb moment—‘hey, maybe they can be cooked and eaten whole, seeds and all, if they were softened a bit with a delicious marinade and roasted along with the rest of the my colorful collection of veggies.” Forget all this cutting, trimming and deseeding! A meal staple in my house was born! The skins of the these mini peppers are thinner than the larger variety so they absorb the marinade really nicely. A bowl of sweet mini peppers can always be found in my fridge. These savory little babies are sooo versatile and easy to make—
- great hot or cold or room temperature
- with salad dressing or balsamic vinegar
- toss in pasta
- mix into a stir fry
- as a side dish with an entree
- chopped into salsa
- on top of quinoa or rice
- layer on sandwiches
The nutritional value of the sweet mini peppers is quite high so putting them into your diet regularly will reap major health benefits:
Serving Size of 3 Sweet Mini Peppers:
Serving Size of 3 Sweet Mini Peppers:- 25 Calories
- Zero fat
- zero cholesterol
- zero sodium
- Carbohydrates 5 gm (2%)
- Protein 1 gram
- Potassium 180 mg.
- Vitamin A 25%
- Vitamin C 270%
- Iron 2%
- Capsaicin: raises endorphins and improves mood, enhances circulation, raises metabolism, reduces pain
- Lycopene: protects against prostate cancer
- Beta-Cryptoxanthin: may lower the risk of lung cancer
Easy Marinated and Roasted/Grilled Sweet Mini Peppers
Ingredients:
- 1 bag of Sweet Mini Peppers (about 18-20 per bag)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon of powdered garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 chopped shallot
- salt and pepper to taste
- chopped fresh herbs if you have and if not, dried is fine: thyme, basil, rosemary
Instructions:
- In plastic bag, combine all ingredients, except the peppers, and swirl around to mix
- Place washed peppers in the bag and distribute the marinade well
- Lay flat for about 30 minutes and flip it over several times over the time period. Marinating them for an hour or 2 is fine too!
- Remove the peppers from the bag, reserving the marinade for later as a delicious dressing.
- Lay the peppers on a oil-sprayed baking sheet and roast in an oven of 400 degrees F or directly on the BBQ grill.
- Roasting or grilling for about 10 minutes is usually enough. The skins will brown and even blacken a bit but you don’t want them cooking beyond that. Watch it carefully so they don’t over cook
- Serve hot, warm or cold with a drizzle of the marinade on top.
Notes: I use the stem as a little handle to just pop them and have never eaten the stem so I wouldn’t recommend it.
If you love this recipe, you’ll go crazy over my Multigrain Veggie Stuffed Red Peppers with Avocado-Sriracha Sauce
Check out my Easy Marinated & Roasted Portobello Mushrooms for a wonderful companion recipe to the Sweet Mini Peppers
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Enjoy!!
xox Ellen
Would these mini pepper be good with goat or feta cheese on them?
Kristy
We are vegans here, and we don’t eat cheese. We strongly believe that cheese is not needed on them since they are roasted to deliciousness without it.
Kristy,
Also we have a wonderful post about making your own vegan stile host cheese….https://www.veganamericanprincess.com/2-recipes-for-smooth-crumbly-vegan-goat-cheese/
Check it out–2 different ways to make it. One is smooth and one crumbly. That would pair nicely!