Roasted Pepper Salad

This Roasted Pepper Salad is made with tender oven-roasted bell peppers and bits of diced red onion, drizzled with olive oil and flecked with parsley and salty, creamy feta.

It’s a simple, easy salad with the most amazing flavor – and the vibrant colors of this Roasted Bell Pepper Salad?! I can’t even. So pretty.

The Story Behind the Recipe

I love, love, love a good grocery store. Overflowing rainbow displays of fresh produce are the first to greet you, and then there are the wonderful bulk bins with infinite possibilities and always a mysterious legume or grain. Organic is the rule, not the exception. Going grocery shopping feels like an event, an escape – never a chore.

My favorites in the Pacific Northwest include PCC Natural Markets, Town & Country Markets, and, more nationwide but still great, Whole Foods. Whole Foods is where we found ourselves meandering a couple of Saturdays ago, as we picked up a few groceries for the week.

And it’s also where we found ourselves inhaling a sample of this simple salad of roasted peppers, olive oil, parsley, and feta cheese.

I usually roast my red peppers under the broiler, but this recipe calls for roasting them in a baking dish along with a good amount of olive oil. The peppers soften, wither, and brown a little, all the while infusing the olive oil with their peppery goodness. The oil is then used to dress the salad. Kind of genius, right?

The original recipe includes the option of using preserved lemon, which I didn’t have. So I just perked it up with a little lemon zest.

Why You’ll Love Roasted Pepper Salad

• Unbelievably simple! Just 6 ingredients are all you need to make the most delicious roasted pepper feta salad.
• SO colorful. With red, yellow, and orange bell peppers flecked with red onion, this roasted bell pepper salad looks like the most vibrant sunset.
• Absolutely delicious. Tender, smoky-sweet roasted peppers; fruity olive oil; salty feta; bright lemon zest; a nip of herbaceous flavor in the form of parsley. It’s the BEST combo.
• Travels and keeps well. This roasted bell pepper salad is great for parties and potlucks, or for just making and having on hand for meal prep or to add to larger meals such as a Mediterranean mezze platter.

Roasted Pepper Salad Recipe Ingredients

• Bell peppers – I like to use a combination of red, yellow, and orange bell peppers for a super colorful roasted pepper salad.
• Olive oil – Extra virgin olive oil is your best bet here for the most flavor.
• Red onion – For specks of color (and flavor). So pretty!
• Parsley – I use flat-leaf parsley, but curly will work just as well too.
• Feta cheese – Grab your favorite brand. You can get it already crumbled or crumble it yourself.
• Lemon zest – From one fresh lemon. I like to use a Microplane zester to easily get the topmost layer of zest off of the lemon.

Adaptations/Variations

• Roasted Red Pepper Salad – Swap out the yellow and orange peppers for more red bell peppers. That’s it!
• Vegan/Dairy-Free Roasted Bell Pepper Salad – Swap in vegan feta.

How to Make It

1. Roast the bell peppers in the oven by laying them in a baking dish or on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil over the top and bake until they’re wilted and brown/black in spots.
2. Cover the peppers with foil or a towel to help them steam and cool. I suggest letting them cool for about 30 minutes. Do not pour any of the oil out – you’ll use this to dress the salad!
3. Carefully remove as much peel as you can from the peppers. Remove the centers and seeds, too, but don’t rinse them – that rinses away the flavor.
4. Chop the peppers into 1-inch pieces and add them to a large bowl along with the parsley, feta, and lemon zest. Pour the oil out of the baking pan/dish and over the salad.
5. Toss until well-combined.

Jump to the full, printable recipe

Fresh, salty, and bright. We’ve enjoyed this roasted pepper & feta salad by itself, as a side dish, and – especially great – stuffed into grilled whole wheat pitas along with salt and pepper tofu for me and chicken for him.

5 from 1 vote

Roasted Bell Pepper Salad Recipe

Prep: 40 minutes mins

Cook: 35 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Author: Kare

Yield: 6

This colorful salad combines smoky roasted bell peppers with salty feta, bright lemon zest, and pepper-infused olive oil. Eat by itself or stuffed in a grilled pita for a perfect light lunch.

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Ingredients

• 4 bell peppers (red, yellow, and/or orange)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 small red onion (diced [about 1/2 cup])
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley (one handful)
• 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese (about 3/4 cup)
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest (from one medium fresh lemon)

Instructions

Roast the bell peppers

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Wash peppers and lay them in a baking dish. Pour the olive oil over the peppers and bake for about 35 minutes, until wilted and beginning to turn brown. Remove peppers from oven and cover with foil or a towel. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes. Carefully remove as much peel as you can from the peppers; discard. Some peel may be stubborn and remain – that’s ok. Remove the centers and seeds also.

Prepare the salad

• Cut peppers into 1-inch pieces and add to a large bowl. Add parsley, feta, lemon zest, and the oil that the peppers cooked in. Toss and serve.
• Keeps refrigerated for about two days. I think the salad tastes best served closer to room temperature.

Notes

Cooking time includes 30 minutes cooling time for the peppers after roasting.

Vegan/Dairy-Free Option:

Swap in vegan feta.

Storage notes:

Keeps refrigerated for about two days. I think the salad tastes best served closer to room temperature.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 155kcal, Carbohydrates: 7g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 17mg, Sodium: 221mg, Potassium: 207mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 2775IU, Vitamin C: 106mg, Calcium: 105mg, Iron: 1mg

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