Skip to Content
Recipes

Puglia-inspired Baby Bell Peppers From The Mediterranean Dish

This excerpt from The Mediterranean Dish: Simply Dinner showcases a simple vegetarian side (or main) that comes together in minutes.

Suzy Karadsheh is the queen of the Mediterranean diet — and she’s come out with a new cookbook: The Mediterranean Dish: Simply Dinner.

Karadsheh, who is author of the blog The Mediterranean Dish, has been sharing her intel on a Mediterranean-style of eating for a decade now and has garnered a following of nearly 650,000 on Instagram

Suzy Karadsheh of The Mediterranean Dish in a kitchen wearing a black dress
Suzy Karadsheh, author of the blog The Mediterranean Dish. Photo: Caitlin Bensel

In celebration of the release of her cookbook, Karadsheh has shared a newly published recipe with Appetito: Puglia-Inspired Baby Bell Peppers and Tomato with Toasted Almonds.

“This is the meal I first made in Puglia, Italy while on tour with a group of the Mediterranean Dish audience,” says Karadsheh. “It was lovely to make in just a few minutes with a few simple ingredients we bought from the market that same day.”

Mediterranean Dish cover

In the dish, she said, bell peppers and tomatoes act as main characters.

The recipe proves “making a simple meal that is entirely vegetarian can be satisfying and absolutely delicious,” says Karadsheh.

The Mediterranean Dish: Simply Dinner is available on Amazon.

Puglia-Inspired Baby Bell Peppers and Tomato

Puglia-Inspired Baby Bell Peppers and Tomato

Recipe by The Mediterranean Dish
0.0 from 0 votes
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

20

minutes
Cooking time

15

minutes

Ingredients

  • Extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 cup 1 whole blanched almonds

  • 1 pound 1 red, yellow, and orange baby bell peppers, cored, seeded, and cut crosswise into ½-inch-wide rings

  • 4 4 or 5 Roma (plum) tomatoes (about 14 ounces), roughly chopped

  • ¼ cup roughly chopped sun-dried tomatoes

  • 3 large 3 garlic cloves, crushed

  • 2 teaspoons 2 fresh thyme leaves

  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

  • Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

  • 1 1 loaf hearty Italian bread, for serving

Directions

  • Line a small plate with a paper towel. Place a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 2 teaspoons of the olive oil. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the almonds and toast, stirring regularly with a wooden spoon, until golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer the toasted almonds to the paper towel–lined plate to drain.
  • Add about 3 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and raise the heat to medium-high. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the peppers, Roma tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and thyme.
  • Season with a big pinch of salt and black pepper (about ½ teaspoon each).
  • Cook, stirring occasionally, until the peppers are tender and the tomatoes have fully collapsed, creating a bit of a sauce, 10 to 12 minutes.
  • Stir in the lemon zest, 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice, and cup of the toasted almonds. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle the remaining almonds on top. Serve with Italian bread to sop up all the juices.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @appetitomagazine on Instagram and hashtag it with #italianfoodanddrink

Like this recipe?

Follow @Appetitomagazine on Pinterest

Follow us on Facebook!

Follow us on Facebook

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Appetito

Sunday Shop: Ellis Brooklyn, Zwiesel Glas, Piccola Cucina Osteria

Morgan Hines seeks out the best in not only food and drink but style, housewares, and more. Welcome to Appetito’s Sunday Shop!

September 14, 2025

How to Make Scungilli Fra Diavolo Pasta

Fra Diavolo pasta gets a fresh twist with canned scungilli for tender seafood flavor.

September 11, 2025

Francesco Redi on Why the World Needs a Tiramisù World Cup

The Tiramisù World Cup returns to Treviso October 10–12, 2025, with 240 desserts competing. Founder Francesco Redi shares why this event has become a global celebration of Italy’s most iconic spoon dessert.

September 10, 2025

The Quiet Amalfi Coast Allows for a Much Different Experience

Discover the quieter side of the Amalfi Coast where Antonio Erra serves award-winning pies under lemon groves at Agriturismo Da Regina.

September 10, 2025
See all posts