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.
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.
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
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, peppers, salt and pepper.
- 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.
- 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
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- 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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Made this tonight for a burger. Outstanding! Thank you!
Very enjoyable! I found I needed to cook it for more than the time period suggested, but maybe I cut the peppers and onions too thickly. Covering might also help accelerate cooking time within the parameters originally proposed in this recipe.
Separately:
1. I found, in relation to quantity of peppers and onions in this recipe, that I needed more salt, but that’s just me.
2. Consider making this recipe with a lot more pepper than prescribed. I did so, almost by accident since I used nearly the prescribed quantity of pepper for only 1 pepper and 1 onion, but it was terrific nonetheless and very (but no excessively – almost though) spicy.
I had some peppers that were not crunchy enough for salads so I sliced them up and then wondered what to do with them. I use a few for chicken tacos, but not enough to use up 8 peppers.
Searched for a recipe and found this one. Tried it out with baked salmon.
It was amazing, and my 13 yr old who still doesn’t like vegetables ate it without a word. My husband and I loved it and there was almost none left from a very large batch and only 3 people.
Good idea with salmon, will try it tonight, thank you
Aloha
I’ve tried other recipes for this dish that were overly complicated and stuck with them because they were delicious…not anymore. This dish pulls off complex flavors with very few ingredients. It’s delicious and easy. The balsamic vinegar is a great choice! Replacing my old recipe as we speak…
Hi Jenn
I cooked this tonight to go with spare ribs – delicious.
I used two white onions, and mini peppers, two each, red, orange and yellow, and served with brown rice and mange-tout. A very pretty meal.
Thank you, Val (UK)
Was very good for my 1st time. will do again tomorrow. can I use butter instead of balsamic vinegar and which do you think will taste better?
Glad you enjoyed this! I’d stick with the balsamic vinegar as it adds a nice depth of flavor.
I made this recipe and found it a gem! I typically use some sugar, like turbinado for the richness and sweeter taste Now balsamic is my go to ingredient for extra flavor!!
I made this the other night to have with your middle eastern chicken and it was fabulous! I used breasts as opposed to kebabs and per your suggestion added 1.5 the amt of lemon zest and no juice. I also saved some of the marinade for dipping, yummy! The peppers and onion provided just the right amt of crunch and sweetness! Thank-you again for yet another dinner!!!
Had these last night with turkey burgers. So delicious! Added so much flavour to the burgers. Will be making often.
Perfect with Prime Rib Roast. I opted not to add the balsamic vinegar and we really enjoyed the flavor. This is a simple and easy side that would compliment any barbecued meal.
Has anyone tried freezing recipe for future use? Thanks in advance.