Cooking with Bell Peppers

Bell peppers may not steal the spotlight like some other vegetables do (kale, we’re looking at you!) but this versatile veggie can add color and crunch to some of your favorite dishes such as salads, sandwiches and stir-fries.

 

From sauces to stir-fries and stews to salads, bell peppers add color and crunch. Plus, they’re an excellent source of vitamin C.

While most bell peppers start out green, depending on the variety, they mature into a rainbow of red, orange and yellow. These colorful veggies are slightly sweet, though green bell peppers have a grassy flavor and are less sweet than their red, orange and yellow counterparts. 

When choosing bell peppers, make sure to pick those with deeply colored, blemish-free skin — no wrinkles or soft spots. Their size and shape will vary greatly so don’t use that as an indicator of age or taste.

Have an abundance of bell peppers? Raw bell peppers freeze very well. Simply wash them, core them, and then cut them into pieces. Freeze them in a single layer and transfer to an appropriate freezer container, eliminating as much air as possible to minimize freezer burn. Make sure to use them within eight months.

Whole Trade Guarantee

Peppers with Power

Red, orange, yellow or green, organic or not, raw or cooked, Whole Trade® bell peppers are a versatile tasty staple — and have the power to change lives. When you buy Whole Trade® bell peppers opens in a new tab, you’re helping to make tangible improvements for farmworkers and their communities including:

  • Better wages and working conditions

  • Environmental responsibility that encourages biodiversity and healthy soils

  • Community development projects in Culiacán, Mexico such as scholarships, housing and health clinics

  • Plus, a 1% donation to Whole Planet Foundation® opens in a new tab to help fund poverty alleviation through microcredit in in communities around the world that supply Whole Foods Market stores with products

Learn more about the Whole Trade® Guarantee and see which other Whole Trade products are in our stores now opens in a new tab.

Get Cooking!

Bell peppers can (and should) be added to a variety of dishes to bring both color and flavor to your dishes. Here are five of our favorite ways to use them:

  1. Stuff them. Their shape and sturdiness make them perfect for fillings such as grains, ground beef or cheese. Try our Curried Stuffed Peppers opens in a new tab filled with a mixture of ground turkey, zucchini, cilantro, curry powder and peppers.

  2. Blend them. One word: Romesco opens in a new tab! This delicious mixture of peppers, tomato, garlic, almonds and paprika comes together in minutes in a food processor. Serve over chicken or fish, as a dip or sandwich spread.

  3. Crunch them. Add bell pepper to tuna or chicken salads or try this Honey Mustard Salmon Salad recipe opens in a new tab, a fresh take on tuna salad.

  4. Roast them.Roasted red peppers opens in a new tab are exactly what your sandwich needs. Tip: Save some to purée and stir into hummus for a simple dip for veggies or pita chips.

  5. Dip them. Bell peppers make excellent dippers. Cut wide strips and use for hummus, salsa, baba ghanouj and more.

Still hungry? Here are more bell pepper recipes. 
Beef Stir-Fry with Bell Peppers, Carrots and Snow Peas opens in a new tab
Recipe Rating: 3.53195

Roasted Bell Peppers Stuffed with Quinoa opens in a new tab
Recipe Rating: 3.37268

Roasted Bell Pepper and Asparagus Tofu Frittata opens in a new tab
Recipe Rating: 3.49798

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Sauce opens in a new tab
Recipe Rating: 3.23646

New King Ranch Casserole opens in a new tab
Recipe Rating: 3.38747

Ancient Grain-Stuffed Red Bell Peppers opens in a new tab
Recipe Rating: 3.07454

What’s your favorite recipe with bell peppers? Share it in the comments section. 

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