Roasted Pepper Salad with Feta, Pine Nuts & Basil

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Take your summer gatherings to the next level with this colorful, make-ahead roasted red pepper salad—perfect alongside your favorite grilled dishes.

roasted pepper salad in white bowl with basil, pine nuts, olives, and feta cheese.

Next time you’re asked to bring a veggie or salad to a summer gathering or cookout, consider these sweet and smoky bell peppers. With tangy feta, toasted pine nuts, fresh basil, and briny olives, the salad not only looks stunning on a platter but also pairs wonderfully with toasted pita bread, grilled lamb burgers, lamb kofta, or chicken kabobs. A special thanks to Linda Grimes, a South Lake Tahoe restaurateur and one of my wonderful readers, for sharing this delicious recipe.

What You’ll Need To Make Roasted Pepper Salad With Feta, Pine Nuts & Basil

roasted pepper salad ingredients on marble board.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Begin by placing the pepper halves face-down on a foil-lined baking sheet.

halved peppers on foil-lined baking sheet.

Broil until blackened and charred all over.

roasted peppers on foil-lined baking sheet.

Place the cooked peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. This steams the peppers and makes them much easier to peel.

roasted peppers steaming in bowl covered with plastic wrap.

Once the peppers are cool, the skin will peel right off. Cut the peeled roasted peppers into slices.

sliced peppers on wooden cutting board.

Combine the peppers with the olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, basil, oregano, sugar, salt and pepper.

peppers and other ingredients for salad in mixing bowl.

Toss to combine, then refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight.

tossing roasted pepper salad in bowl with spoon.

Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a small skillet to enhance their flavor. Keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn.

pine nuts toasting in small skillet.

Transfer the salad to a serving bowl or platter and top with feta, olives and toasted pine nuts.

roasted pepper salad in white bowl with basil, pine nuts, olives, and feta cheese.

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Roasted Pepper Salad with Feta, Pine Nuts & Basil

Take your summer gatherings to the next level with this colorful, make-ahead roasted red pepper salad—perfect alongside your favorite grilled dishes.

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Total Time: 25 Minutes, plus 1 hour chilling time

Ingredients

  • 4 bell peppers (any combination of red, yellow or orange), halved, seeded and cored
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, divided
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons pine nuts
  • 2 ounces (a scant ½ cup) crumbled Feta
  • ⅓ cup pitted kalamata olives

Instructions

  1. Set an oven rack in the top position and preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the pepper halves on the prepared baking sheet and broil for 5-10 minutes, rotating the pan once, until well charred. Remove the peppers from the oven and place in a bowl; cover tightly with plastic wrap (so they steam) and let cool until luke warm.
  2. Peel the skin from the peppers (do not rinse under water) and cut into ¾-inch strips. Place back in the bowl; add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, 2 tablespoons of the basil, oregano, sugar, salt and pepper. Refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight.
  3. Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add the pine nuts and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 4 minutes. Immediately transfer the nuts to a small bowl to stop the cooking process. (Pay close attention: they go from perfectly golden to burnt quickly.)
  4. Transfer the marinated peppers to a serving dish and top with the feta, olives, toasted pine nuts and remaining tablespoon basil (do not toss). Garnish with whole basil leaves if desired.

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Per serving (4 servings)
  • Calories: 194
  • Fat: 16g
  • Saturated fat: 4g
  • Carbohydrates: 11g
  • Sugar: 7g
  • Fiber: 3g
  • Protein: 4g
  • Sodium: 673mg
  • Cholesterol: 13mg

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

  • Very good. Made for July 4th BBQ and complimented the usual burger/hot dog fare. Pine nuts where I live aren’t always available and expensive my. Substituted toasted slivered almonds and worked well.

    • — Dave on July 4, 2023
    • Reply
  • This recipe is absolutely delicious! My entire family went back for seconds. Great flavor and elegant in its simplicity. This is a keeper. Thank you for this recipe! I made this with your penne, spinach and fontina dish. Both keepers!

    • — Sandra Wheatley on May 24, 2023
    • Reply
  • Arrrrrrg! We are obsessed with you and your recipes. I wish I knew we would have to refrig the salad for 1 hour before serving. Silly me, but I looked at your total time which was 25 minutes. Can’t wait to eat it but dinner is going to be late tonight!!! 🙁 I guess we’ll have it tomorrow with the leftovers from your worlds best grilled chicken! xoxoxox

    • — Dana on May 22, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Dana, I just added it for future reference, but I’m sorry about not mentioning the hour of chilling time in the recipe!! I hope you enjoy it tonight (and so glad you’re a fan of the recipes). 💗

      • — Jenn on May 23, 2023
      • Reply
  • Hi Jen,
    I’m going to make this without the feta. Instead am topping a crostini spread with mild goat cheese. My question is, what do you think about adding currants instead of sugar?

    • — Kathryn Hale on February 5, 2023
    • Reply
    • Sure, Kathryn, that should work — enjoy! 🙂

      • — Jenn on February 6, 2023
      • Reply
  • Besides looking beautiful, this is delicious…lots of flavor.

  • Jen – very interested in making this beautiful dish. Can you serve this with burratta cheese? trying to see about this being an appetizer. welcome any advice. thanks Cynthia

    • — Cynthia Taffet
    • Reply
    • Sure, I think this would be nice with burrata cheese! 🙂

  • I love this dish. It’s delicious.

  • Beautifully presented as well as a delicious salad! Love some of the salads you have introduced into our menu. I substituted ‘Italian parsley’ for basil which the grocery was out of, and it was very good and more of a Mediterranean flare along with the Feta Cheese!

  • Really good

  • We make this delicious salad often. In fact, we are enjoying it for breakfast today! It’s so flavorful. Just super delicious.

    • — Linda Barnhart
    • Reply

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