25 Bell Pepper Recipes That Make the Most of This Colorful Veg

In Season: Bell peppers are available year-round, but they're most abundant -- and least expensive -- from July through November.

What to Look For: All red, yellow, and orange peppers start out green. The color and taste change depending on how long they're allowed to ripen on the vine. Choose peppers that feel heavy for their size and have glossy, smooth skin. Buy organic whenever possible -- bell peppers are among the vegetables grown with the most pesticides. When shopping for peppers to stuff, pick ones that are uniform in size and shape for even cooking.

How to Store: Refrigerate in a ventilated bag in the crisper, up to 5 days.

Sprinkle bell pepper halves with slivers of garlic and dried oregano, then pop them in the oven until charred and sweet. Serve alongside London broil, lamb burgers, or grilled chicken.

Store-bought dough and a hot grill means you can get pizza on the dinner table in just 35 minutes. Top each with creamy goat cheese, charred bell peppers and red onions, and lemony arugula.

Anchovies, capers, onions, and red-wine vinegar transform simple spaghetti into a briny, umami-packed filling for a rainbow of roasted peppers. Top with fresh oregano leaves just before serving.

Kalamata olives, capers, and red-pepper flakes add zing to the yellow bell pepper-and-tomato sauce that accompanies this quick and tasty pork dish.

We love our greens, but in this salad, they're more of an accent to the tender white beans and sweet, meaty roasted red peppers.

A flavor-packed relish made with roasted yellow bell peppers, toasted almonds, garlic, smoked paprika, white-wine vinegar, and olive oil is the perfect partner for succulent scallops in this summery dish.

Browning Italian sausage, bell peppers, and onions before stewing them with tomato paste and chicken broth gives the resulting ragu tons of flavor. Serve atop creamy polenta and finish with Parmesan and fresh parsley.

You can make this quick condiment up to four days in advance. It goes great in chicken or tuna salad, grilled cheese sandwiches, pasta, and so much more.

Smoky charred bell peppers get the Mediterranean treatment with a lemony, caper-kissed vinaigrette and a scattering of Kalamata olives and fresh basil leaves.

Sweet yellow bell peppers, yellow cherry tomatoes, and crookneck squash make for a striking golden pasta dish.

For a fast, flavorful side, try this saute of summer staples and fragrant store-bought curry paste.

Vinegar, sugar, salt, and a bevy of spices -- black peppercorns, coriander seeds, allspice berries, and bay leaves -- make a spectacular brine for bell peppers, red onions, and jalapeno. These irresistible pickles will last up to three months in the fridge.

Roasted red peppers, raisins, and capers bring a complex, smoky-sweet flavor to this easy dip.

Sear pork chops in a cast-iron skillet for a beautifully browned crust, then heap on a platter with Soft, Cheesy Polenta and Shredded, Sauteed Collard Greens.

Watch Lucinda Scala Quinn prepare this recipe.