This Roasted Bell Pepper Salad with Basil, Ricotta, and Pine Nuts is a perfect late-summer side dish. It’s so easy to put together and pairs well with roasted or grilled meats, other vegetables, fermented sourdough or fruit.
For this salad, you can roast the bell peppers yourself or purchase them. Many roasted and jarred bell peppers contain preservatives and additives that are best to avoid if possible.
If you do purchase roasted bell peppers, just keep in mind that most contain citric acid which is usually derived from GMO corn. So, if you need to avoid corn, you might want to roast the peppers yourself.
Making roasted bell peppers at home is another small change you can make to move towards a clean diet!
Here’s how you roast bell peppers:
- Cut bell pepper in half and remove seeds. Place cut-side down on a baking sheet.
- Place under the broiler, and cook until the skin starts to blister, about 3-5 minutes.
- Remove from oven and immediately place bell pepper in a bowl and cover tightly with an airtight lid or plastic wrap.
- After 10 minutes, remove the plastic wrap or lid. When pepper is cool enough to handle, peel skin off.
- Store bell pepper in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
I love a fresh ricotta, and a good variety is essential for this recipe! You can make homemade ricotta – it only requires 3 ingredients!
When it comes to olive oil, it’s important that you choose one that you know is pure and organic. Many olive oils on the market are actually cut with lesser quality oils such as canola. So, knowing the brand you are purchasing from makes a difference!
A few of my favorite olive oils are: La Tourangelle, Bariani, and Braggs.
I hope you enjoy this roasted bell pepper salad as much as we did!
Bell Pepper, Basil and Pine Nut Salad
- Prep Time: 10
- Total Time: 10
- Yield: Serves 6
- Category: salad
- Diet: Gluten Free
6 roasted bell peppers, cut into 2” pieces
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 bunch basil chiffonade
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
Instructions
Place the peppers on a serving dish. Top with spoonfuls of ricotta and then the basil and parsley. Drizzle olive oil over top and season with sea salt and black pepper. Sprinkle pine nuts on top. Serve.
