Roasted red peppers in a creamy garlic and cheese sauce are the ultimate side dish! Whether you use bull's horn or bell peppers, their rich, tender flavor pairs flawlessly with the luxurious creaminess of this recipe. Shall we?
Jump to:
Background
Today's recipe is truly a side from heaven for a pepper lover!
Roasted, then thrown into a creamy cheese sauce these red peppers are the perfect blend of indulgence and simplicity. Whether you use bull's horn (which we recommend!) or bell peppers, the result is irresistibly flavorful.
Versatility is another reason why you'll make this cheesy pepper sauce again and again. The sauce pairs beautifully with roasted chicken, grilled meats, or even simple pasta dishes. (We love it most scooped up with a slice of warm, crusty bread!)
Best of all, we know you'll appreciate that it's easy to prepare! The longest part of the process is roasting the peppers - the rest of the sauce comes together in less than 15 on the stovetop.
Want to do it even quicker? Roast peppers the night before!
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients for today's recipe.
- Butter. Regular is best. Substitute with lard.
- Heavy cream.
- Garlic. Fresh or powder is fine. The amount we put in the recipe is a mere suggestion. You can put as much as you want!
- Salt.
- Red peppers. Red bull horn's peppers are best. Red bell peppers are second best. Avoid using yellow or green peppers.
Instructions
Here are simple instructions for how to make these garlicky, buttery, and cheesy peppers.
Step 1: Roast peppers. Hold them. Peel them. Cut them.
Step 2. Heat butter. Add garlic. Add heavy cream. Add cheese.
Step 3. Add peppers. Mix. Serve.
Handling
Here are some handling suggestions for this garlic, cheese, roasted red peppers sauce.
Serving: serve pepper sauce hot to warm as a side with something like chicken and rice bake, with mini fried breads uštipci, on top of homemade bread, or by itself.
Storing: store in the fridge for up to 24 hours in an airtight container.
Reheating: reheat (preferably) on a stovetop, or in a microwave. As the sauce thickens in the fridge, add a few tablespoons of milk or heavy cream when reheating, and stir well. Do not freeze.
Red Pepper Recipes We 💙
Here are a few more recipes you can do with red peppers.
Thoughts?
If you made roasted red peppers cheese and garlic sauce and liked them, please consider giving it a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5-star) rating. This helps others find the recipe more easily!
Also, feel free to leave a comment (I read each one!), and don't forget to tag a photo #balkanlunchbox, or us @balkanlunchbox, on IG.
Prijatno, Dobar Tek, and Bon Appetit!
Roasted Red Peppers Cheese and Garlic Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 red bull horn's peppers (about 1.5 lbs / 600 g) large; or red bell peppers
- 1-2 tablespoons butter
- 2 garlic cloves minced, or ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 3.5 ounces heavy cream
- 1.5 ounces Edam cheese minced or (preferably) grated; or Trappist, or another mild hard cheese
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 430°F (220°C).
- Place peppers on a baking sheet or a pan, leaving some space in between each. Roast for about 25 minutes, then turn them around. Continue roasting for another 20 minutes, checking on them once or twice, and flipping them on different sides so they are evenly roasted. Take them out after about 40-50 minutes of total roasting.
- Place roasted peppers in a plastic bag and tie it tightly. Let the peppers rest for about 15-20 minutes. (This will make them easy to peel.) Take them out, peel them, and discard seeds and stems. Cut into 1-2 inch strips.
- In a deep pan, heat butter over medium temperature. Add garlic. Simmer and stir for a minute. Add heavy cream and salt. Continue simmering and stirring for another minute. Add cheese. Again simmer and stir for an additional few minutes. Finally, add peppers, stir, simmer, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat.
- Serve pepper sauce hot to warm as a side, with bread, or by itself.Store in the fridge for up to 24 hours in an airtight container.Reheat (preferably) on a stovetop, or in a microwave. As the sauce thickens in the fridge, add a few tablespoons of milk or heavy cream when reheating, and stir well. Do not freeze.
Video
Notes
- Time
mjskitchen says
You just reached out and grabbed the heart of a roasted red pepper lover!!!! OMG! I have to make this. There is a bag of roasted red New Mexico chiles in the freezer just waiting for this dish. Thank you!!
Aida says
Aahaha. We're in good company then!
I've never had NM chilies, but please do come back and let us know how it turned out. Everyone complains about spiciness here but I love it.
Marwah says
Hi Aida! I was sooooo excited when I saw the video for this recipe on facebook. I have a Bosnian friend who made this dish at a dinner party a few years back and I absolutely loved it. As soon as I saw the recipe, I went to the grocery store for some red peppers and heavy cream. I used regular red bell peppers as red bull horn peppers are not available here. I followed the recipe but left out the cheese because I didn't have Edam and wasn't sure if mozzerella would have been a suitable substitute. Even without the cheese, the dish turned out amazing!
Aida says
Hi Marwah!
How are you doing? I bet you got your hands even more full. 🙂
We're crazy about peppers in our family. Bell peppers are just fine, as long as they're red. They're the sweetest.
I think other yellow hard cheeses would be fine too. I am curious to try it with cheddar but I haven't run into it here. Not sure about Mozzarella either, worth a try though.
Glad you're cooking up a storm again, and we look forward to seeing you again in Sarajevo!
Sabrina says
I never had anything like this but it looks really delicious! Anything with cheese and peppers is good in my book!
Aida says
Thanks Sabrina! It's easy, and one of those things you can do to impress guests with and only you'll know how simple it really is. 😉
Suzie says
I am an American currently living in Kosovo, where I have had delicious peppers in a sauce that sounds just like this, and I've been looking for a recipe. I keep running into this problem though, of where/how to find heavy cream. In one store I was able to find something called "Vrhnje" (I think from Macedonia though I'm not sure) -- it has a fat content of 20% which makes it equivalent to US "light cream," and it lacks the thickness of heavy cream and also does not "whip," I have found in recipes calling for whipping the cream. Would "light cream/vrhnje" work in this recipe? Is there a product on the shelves that I just haven't seen that's equivalent to heavy cream? Even the Vrhnje is hard to find, I've only seen it in one store regularly. Most "cream" products are imported from Italy and made from vegetable fat instead of milk and that just...does not sound appetizing!
Aida says
Suzie,
Look for something called "vrhnje za kuhanje" - it translates to cream for cooking. Here are some examples what it looks like: https://www.google.com/search?q=vrhnje+za+kuhanje&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj1v6np8PzqAhUmAhAIHWlmAjwQ_AUoAXoECBYQAw&biw=1335&bih=670
Jacob says
Grew some Bull's Horn Peppers without a plan on what to make with them and tried this recipe. It is amazing. Such a rich cheesy sauce that goes wonderfully with these peppers. Excellent recipe!
Aida says
Thanks, Jacob, we appreciate your feedback! Red peppers seem to be a love or hate thing, and we're happy you're in the former category. Cheers!
Kiwigirl says
My neighbor left on holiday and begged us to harvest their veggies, which we have (gleefully) done! However, we didn't know what these peppers were, so we picked them green, only to learn later they are red bull horn peppers and we picked them to soon. 🙁 Now we have a bunch of green bull horn peppers. Would this recipe still work for them?
Aida says
Kiwigirl,
You can, but you're better off making a salad with them. They're fully sweet only when they ripen, so the sauce might be on the sour side.