Caramelized Onions and Peppers

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Need a fast and flavorful side dish? Sautéed onions and peppers are perfect with grilled meats, spicy sausage, or spooned over creamy polenta.

Fork grabbing caramelized onions and bell peppers.

There’s something kind of magical that happens when you sauté onions and bell peppers. Bell peppers, normally sweet and crunchy when raw, turn soft, silky, and slightly charred in the pan, while onions go from sharp and pungent to sweet and caramelized. The combination is simple but so satisfying. This dish makes the perfect accompaniment to steak, spicy Italian sausage, a bowl of hot, creamy polenta.

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Caramelized Onions and Peppers

Need a fast and flavorful side dish? Sautéed onions and peppers are perfect with grilled meats, spicy sausage, or spooned over creamy polenta.

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Total Time: 25 Minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, peeled and sliced into ¼-inch strips
  • 4 bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and cut into ¼-inch strips
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped (or ½ teaspoon dried thyme)

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, peppers, salt and pepper.
  2. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are caramelized and the peppers are tender and slightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes. If a brown coating forms on the bottom of the pan during the cooking process, add a few tablespoons of water and stir; repeat as necessary.
  3. Add balsamic vinegar and thyme and turn the heat down to low. Cook for a few more minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Per serving (4 servings)
  • Calories: 108
  • Fat: 7 g
  • Saturated fat: 1 g
  • Carbohydrates: 11 g
  • Sugar: 7 g
  • Fiber: 3 g
  • Protein: 2 g
  • Sodium: 298 mg
  • Cholesterol: 9 mg

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

Gluten-Free Adaptable Note

To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.

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Comments

  • Hi Jenn – I made these and they were fanrastic. I have a wood fired pizza oven and used these as a topping with fontina cheese and my homemade pizza sauce. I made three different pizzas that night and my guests all agreed that the one with the onions and peppers was the best.

    • — Fabrizio on July 3, 2023
    • Reply
  • Made it last night and it was the best peppers and onion recipe I have found.

    • — Jerry Mercola on June 18, 2023
    • Reply
  • Making this for the second time to go with the Moroccan chicken tangine. They are great together.

    • — Elizabeth on November 25, 2022
    • Reply
  • Made this for dinner tonight and it came out delicious! Made it exactly how the recipe calls for . Will be making more of your dishes . A+

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