The red bell pepper is a seasonal favorite for its bright vibrant color and fresh flavors. Not only is this vegetable eye catching, making it a beautiful accent for dinner parties and Thanksgiving tables, but it’s also packed with hidden health benefits!

Red peppers contain more than 200% of your daily vitamin C intake, and they’re an excellent source of vitamin B6 and folate. Furthermore, red bell peppers are full of antioxidants, which support eye and cell health and fight against free radicals.

While red bell peppers are commonly used as a side or filler vegetable, they’re often overlooked as a main dish item. However, we’re going to show you just how beautiful and delicious red peppers can be as the star of your dinner course!

Check out these three ways to use red peppers for dinner this month.

1. Fire-Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Use red peppers for dinner this week with this fire-roasted red pepper soup! With the cold of winter creeping in, your guests will love warming up with this bright, hearty dish.   

Ingredients

• 28 ounces whole tomatoes, canned
• 3 cloves garlic
• 9 ounces onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 16 ounces roasted red peppers
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. In a large pot over medium high heat, sauté onions until tender. Add garlic and continue to cook for 2 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, roasted red peppers, and broth.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover with a lid.
4. Cook for 30 more minutes.
5. Use an immersion blender (or pour into a blender) to puree the soup ingredients until soup is smooth.
6. Add salt to taste.

2. Red Pepper Dip

This Thanksgiving, use red peppers as an appetizer to tie over your guests before the big meal! This dip goes great with just about anything, but it’s particularly tasty with pita chips or pretzels. It’s the perfect accent to any dinner dish, or just as a healthy late-night snack to curb the munchies!

Ingredients

• 4 red peppers
• 1 large onion, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 ½ teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425°. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Cut the peppers into quarters, removing the seeds and ribs. Place on the tray with the onions and garlic, and toss with the remaining ingredients.
2. Bake the tray and its contents for 45-50 minutes, tossing halfway through until the tops of the peppers are starting to brown.
3. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
4. Place all the ingredients into a food processor, including the oil. Blend for a couple of minutes until totally smooth.

This can store in the fridge for a few days, and you can freeze it as well!

3. Roasted Pepper Stuffed with Spaghetti

Your dinner guests will love these fun, spaghetti-stuffed red peppers for dinner! The pasta itself is light and refreshing and acts as the perfect compliment to the assortment of the blackened, roasted peppers. The final product is so beautiful, you might just have to snap a picture first!

Ingredients

• 6 red bell peppers
• 8 ounces thin spaghetti noodles
• 2 anchovy fillets
• 2 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh oregano leaves

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Place the bell peppers directly over the flame of a gas-stove burner and roast, turning with tongs, until the outsides of the pepper is blackened. If you do not have a gas stove, you can broil the peppers until blackened. Transfer the peppers to a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let them stand for 15 minutes. Then, peel off the skins, slice off the tops, and remove the ribs and seeds.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add salt to taste. Cook pasta for 2 minutes less than instructed on the box. Drain.
3. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Coat the pan with the olive oil, then add the anchovies. With the back of a spoon, break up the anchovies until they are dissolved. Add the onion and capers and cook, stirring occasionally, just until the onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Pour in the vinegar and cook until almost evaporated, stirring frequently. Add the pasta to the pan, toss, and coat with the mixture.
4. Season each pepper with salt, then fill the peppers with the mixture so that each pepper is heaping. Use a fork to twirl the pasta in the pepper so that you can fit more. Place the peppers side by side in a baking dish, and bake until the pasta starts to brown on top, about 10 to 15 minutes. Top with oregano and serve warm.

Freedom Foods is a family-owned and family-operated farm located in Wolcott, Indiana.

With 250+ years of generational farm experience and a passionate interest in gardening and growing delicious, high-quality produce, the Schleman family offers a fresh produce delivery service. Freedom Foods serves Battle Ground, Brookston, Lafayette, Monticello, Montmorenci, Remington, Reynolds, West Lafayette, and Wolcott, Indiana.  

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