Marinated Roasted Peppers with Goat’s Cheese
Marinated Roasted Peppers are even more delicious than regular roasted peppers. Here they take up the spicy flavour of the marinade which becomes infused with the peppers’ charred smokiness. Temper that spicy, smoky heat with creamy yet tangy goat’s cheese for a perfect pairing.
Served with good bread, the easy stuffed peppers make a great lunch or starter. I also love to serve them as one of several small dishes to eat meze style.
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Inspired by the fantastic fresh veggies in a recent Moorland Veg Box delivery, I decided to create half a dozen vegetarian dishes to eat meze-style for dinner. I made a multicoloured tomato salad with mozzarella, a roasted carrot salad, roasted aubergine slices with tahini-yogurt dressing, Socca chickpea flour flatbread, plus onion and chive frittata.
I was surprised to find though, among all those tasty dishes, that my absolute favourite was one with green peppers. That was unexpected because, lacking the sweetness of red or yellow peppers, I usually find the green ones a bit of a challenge.
But I discovered that roasting green peppers, skinning then marinating them in a punchy dressing, turns them into something rather special. Filled with tangy goat’s cheese and served on a bed of rocket they were the stars of the show. So good, I knew the peppers deserved a blog post all their own. So here it is. Super-simple and super tasty Marinated Roasted Peppers with Goat’s Cheese.
MARINATED ROASTED PEPPERS
WHICH COLOUR?
I think that the punchy marinade (which also becomes the dressing) goes best with the slight bitterness of green peppers. But there’s no reason you can’t use red, yellow, or even a mixture of colours. I’ve made Marinated Roasted Peppers with red ones, and it was good too. Just different, with a sweeter flavour.
In my experience though, green peppers seem to hold their shape better after roasting. All peppers start off green, so perhaps the reason these go less limp is because they’re unripe at this stage?
ROASTING
The halved peppers are put on a roasting tray and bunged in the oven. We want to get good charring without overcooking them, so this is done at a high temperature. Twenty to twenty-five minutes at 220 C, 200 in a fan oven, or gas 7 should do it.
After cooling the peppers, you should be able to peel the skins right off. Then you’re ready to pop them in the marinade.
MARINADE/DRESSING
For the marinade/dressing you simply whisk the ingredients together or shake them up in a jar. You’ll need chopped fresh garlic, Aleppo pepper or chilli flakes, dried oregano, extra virgin olive oil, Balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. I like a pinch of balancing sugar too. Make sure you taste and adjust until it seems good to you. You may prefer a little more or less vinegar, more oregano, or extra heat.
When it’s just right, pour the marinade over the peppers then very gently toss together. I find it easiest to do this with my hands.
Thirty minutes marinating is the minimum you should aim for. But a longer period of several hours, or even overnight, is better. Not only does the marinade flavour the peppers, but it also takes on their smoky, charred flavour.
If I’m doing a short marinade, then I’ll leave the covered peppers at room temperature. But use your common sense. In hot weather or for longer periods they’re best in the fridge. Bring them out a little while before you want to eat to take the chill off.
SERVING MARINATED ROASTED PEPPERS
When I first made Marinated Roasted Peppers, I happened to have some rocket on hand. But feel free to swap in different greens as a base. Spinach, kale, or a mix of lettuce leaves are all good. Let any excess marinade drip off the peppers before you place them on the plate.
Fill each half with little cubes of tangy goat’s cheese. I prefer a soft, rindless one for this dish. Save your rind-on ones for my luxurious Asparagus Risotto with Grilled Goat’s Cheese.
Finally, give the marinade a quick whisk then drizzle it over the peppers, cheese, and leaves.
I love the combination of lightly bitter, charred peppers and piquant dressing tempered by fresh and creamy yet tangy goat’s cheese. It was fantastic as part of my mini meze-style meal. But the dish also makes a wonderful lunch or easy starter. Just serve with some good crusty bread.
Without the cheese, you can also store the marinated, roasted peppers for longer periods. Make enough of the marinade to completely cover the peppers (left as halves or cut smaller) and store in a jar in the fridge for up to a week. Add pieces of pepper to all manner of salads. Great in a sandwich with salami and/or cheese too.
If you’ve made this lovely, easy dish I’d love to know what you thought. Please leave a comment and rate it.
Marinated Roasted Peppers with Goat's Cheese
Even more delicious than regular roasted peppers, here they take up the spicy flavour of their marinade and give it a charred smokiness. The spicy, smoky flavour is tempered by a filling of creamy yet tangy goat's cheese.
Use green peppers for a pleasant bitterness, red or yellow for a sweeter flavour.
Ingredients
- 2 green peppers see Recipe Notes
- 60 g soft, rindless goat's cheese diced
- rocket or other salad leaves
Marinade/dressing
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
- 1 fat clove garlic finely chopped or grated
- 1 heaped tsp dried oregano
- 1 heaped tsp Aleppo pepper flakes or chilli flakes
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 pinch sugar optional
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 220C / 200C Fan / Gas 7.
Line a small baking tray with foil or baking paper.
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Cut the peppers in half then remove the stems and seeds.
Rinse, then put cut side down on the baking tray.
Put in the oven and cook until the skins are charred (15-20 min). Turn them over and cook for another 5 mins.
Remove from the tray and set aside until cool enough to handle.
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Make the marinade/dressing while the peppers are cooling by whisking all the ingredients together or shaking in a lidded jar. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
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Peel off the skin from the cooled peppers: it should come away easily.
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Transfer the peppers to a lidded container and pour over the marinade. Gently toss with your hands to ensure they're well covered in marinade.
Marinate at room temperature for a minimum of 30 minutes, gently tossing again halfway through.
Tip: You can marinade for longer if liked. Do this in the fridge but bring back to room temperature before serving.
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Line a serving dish with the rocket or other salad leaves.
Let any excess marinade drip from the peppers back into the container, then lay them cut side up on top of the rocket.
Divide the diced goat's cheese between the peppers.
Whisk the marinade, pour over the stuffed peppers, and serve.
Recipe Notes
I think the punchy dressing goes best with slightly bitter green peppers, but you can make this recipe with red or yellow: it's still good, just sweeter. If you can find (or you grow) large, mild chillies they should work too.
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