Piperade Recipe

Piperade sauce in a pan, a wooden spoon is in the pan, some bell peppers are in the upper right corner.

Course: Sauces

Cuisine: Basque, French

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: piperade, piperade recipe, piperade sauce

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 30

Servings: people

Calories: 163kcal

This piperade recipe is a Basque sauce made with just a few ingredients including bell peppers and piment d'Espelette, serve with eggs, grilled or roasted meats, in omelettes, and more!

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Equipment

Ingredients

3 bell peppers mix of red, yellow and green, or just one color
1 yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon piment d'Espelette or smoked paprika, see note
28 ounces canned San Marzano tomatoes
½ teaspoon kosher salt

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Instructions

Slice the peppers and onions into strips. Grate the garlic with a microplane grater, or mince it finely.
Add the olive oil to a wide, deep skillet over medium-high heat, once it's shimmering add the peppers and onions. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent and just beginning to take on some color, the peppers will probably be lightly blistered.
Add the grated garlic and piment d'Espelette and stir to coat the vegetables. Keep stirring for 1-2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant and the spice has bloomed. Add a pinch of salt.
Pour the can of tomatoes into a bowl and crush them by hand. Fill the can about ⅓ full of water and swish around to get the remaining sauce out of it. Add the tomatoes and the water from the can to the skillet and bring to a low simmer over medium heat.
Cook for about 10-15 minutes until the piperade sauce has reduced slightly. Season with kosher salt.

Notes

- Wait to season the sauce with salt: The piperade has to cook down a bit once you add the tomatoes, and if you season it right away, it might turn out too salty. Wait until it's reduced, then stir in the salt, taste, and adjust if necessary.

- You can cook longer for softer vegetables: I like the bell peppers to retain some of their texture, but if you prefer softer peppers, simply turn the heat down to low, cover the skillet with a lid and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes until they are the softness you're looking for.

- Add a pinch of sugar: If you find that the sauce is too spicy, or maybe your canned tomatoes were meh, add a pinch of sugar to sweeten things up.
- Although piment d'Espelette has its own unique flavor, it can be harder to find and on the expensive side, so if you'd prefer to make a substitution try these ideas.
  - - Use smoked paprika: Smoked paprika will give you the light sweetness and earthiness of piment d'Espelette, with a little less heat.
  - - Try hot paprika (but be careful!): If you like your piperade spicy, swap in hot paprika 1:1, but this could be pretty hot! Taste your paprika (different brands have different heat levels) and adjust the amount downward if it's really spicy.
  - - Mix it up with smoked and hot paprika, or add other spices for heat: Use mostly smoked paprika with a pinch of hot paprika, cayenne pepper, or crushed red pepper flakes.

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