All About Bell Peppers

All about bell peppers including shopping & storage tips, nutrition facts, health benefits, fun facts, and recipe ideas

Bell peppers aren't just great sautéed, roasted, stuffed, pureed, or tossed in casseroles, soups, and salads. They are also delicious raw and eaten as snacks. I love slicing bell peppers and using them to dip.

Bell peppers are great because they have lots of color options and like I said before, they're versatile. I like to buy big bags of bell peppers and slice some to keep in the fridge for snacking, dice some to freeze for adding in soups, sauces, stir-fry, etc. later, and keep some whole to use in recipes later in the week.

Bell Pepper Nutrition

*1 green bell pepper {about 1 cup chopped} has 30 calories, 0.3g fat (0.1g saturated fat), 4.5mg sodium, 6.9g carbohydrates, 2.5g fiber, 1.3g protein, 11% Vitamin A, 200% Vitamin C, 14% Vitamin K, 17% Vitamin B6, 7% Potassium

*1 red bell pepper {about 1 cup chopped} has 46 calories, 0.4g fat (0g saturated fat), 6mg sodium, 9.4g carbohydrates, 3.1g fiber, 1.5g protein, 93% Vitamin A, 317% Vitamin C, 12% Vitamin E, 9% Vitamin K, 22% Vitamin B6, 17% Folate, 9% Potassium

Bell Pepper Fun Facts

*Bell peppers are available year round, especially green bell peppers; red, yellow, and orange are more readily available in summer months and early fall.

*Red bell peppers are ripened green bell peppers; they are sweeter {since they've vine-ripened for longer than the green ones}

*Bell peppers are not spicy. Red, yellow, and orange bell peppers are sweeter. Green and purple are more bitter.

*Bell peppers are members of the nightshade family, like eggplant and tomatoes.

*Bell peppers are packed with antioxidants like flavonoids, carotenoids, and more. The riper the bell pepper, the more vitamins & antioxidants the bell pepper likely has.

*To best absorb all the beneficial nutrients in bell peppers, consume with a source of healthy fat. Your body needs fat to absorb the fat-soluble vitamins in bell peppers {Vitamins A, E, and K}

*Paprika is dried pimentos or red bell peppers.

*High, prolonged heat can decrease some of the beneficial nutrients in bell peppers.

Bell Pepper Tips

*When shopping for bell peppers, buy vibrantly colored bell peppers that are firm. Avoid shriveled, bruised, or bell peppers with spots.

*Store bell peppers in the fridge in a plastic bag for a week or so.

*One medium bell pepper = 1 to 1.25 cups diced

Bell Pepper Recipes

Crock-Pot Chicken, Sweet Potatoes, and Peppers

Breakfast Stuffed Peppers

Egg Stuffed Portobellos with Crawfish

Italian Stuffed Bell Peppers

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

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