Piperade Recipe

Piperade is a tomato-pepper sauce spiced with piment d'Espelette from the Basque region, comforting, versatile, and easy to make.

We're heading to the Basque region situated between France and Spain today, my friends, for a recipe you're going to love.

Basque cuisine is known for its wonderful flavors, influenced by both French and Spanish cooking, and for their use of Espelette peppers, which are hugely popular in the region.

Basque peppers are pungent red peppers roughly as hot as an average jalapeno pepper. They are typically dried then ground into a powder, or piment d'Espelette, and used to season a myriad of dishes.

This particular recipe we're making today is famous from the area, called Piperade, made extra delicious with piment d'Espelette.

What is Piperade?

Piperade is a flavorful sauce of tomatoes, peppers, onions and spices, particularly piment d'Esplette. It is a versatile sauce from the Basque region between France and Spain, served in many different ways.

Learn more about Espelette Peppers.

Let's talk about how to make piperade, shall we?

Piperade Ingredients

• Olive Oil. Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil if you can.
• Bell Peppers. Use both a red and a green bell pepper, but you can realistically make this recipe with any bell peppers of your choosing. Consider adding an Espelette pepper or 2 if you have them.
• Onion.
• Garlic.
• Tomatoes. Use fresh or canned. You can peel the tomatoes if you'd like, though I usually do not.
• Piment d'Espelette. Piment d'Espelette is a chili powder made from Espelette peppers from the Basque region. You can use paprika as a substitute.
• Other Seasonings. Sugar, salt, black pepper.

How to Make Piperade - the Recipe Method

Cook the Onions and Peppers. Heat the oil in a large pan to medium heat. Add the peppers and onion with a bit of salt to taste. Cook for 5 minutes to soften, stirring a bit.

Add the Garlic. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, or until the garlic becomes fragrant.

Tomatoes and Spices. Add the tomatoes, piment d’Espelette (or paprika), sugar, and salt and pepper to taste.

Simmer the Sauce. Stir, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the peppers soften up to your preference.

Simmer longer for a “saucier” sauce.

Boom! Done! Your piperade is ready to serve. It smells wonderful, doesn't it? So saucy and delicious. You're definitely going to love this recipe.

Serving Ideas for Piperade

Piperade is a versatile sauce that can be served in many different ways. It is known for dishes like "Eggs Piperade", which is a shakshuka style egg dish, or "Poulet Basquaise" (Basque-style chicken).

You can serve it with ribbons of pasta, or use it to either braise meats or spoon over grilled meats.

Serve it as-is for spreading over toasted crusty bread.

I greatly enjoy this dish by adding thick sausages and simmering them until done, for a Basque-style Sausage and Peppers dish.

Storage

Piperade will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator in a sealed container. You can easily reheat it gently in a pan for serving later.

You can also freeze it for 2-3 months, though freezing may affect the consistency a bit.

That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy this aloo gobi recipe. Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you, and if you decided to spice it up!

Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes

• Peperonata
• Ajvar
• Sweet Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
• Romesco Sauce
• Muhammara

Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.

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Piperade Recipe

Piperade is a tomato-pepper sauce spiced with piment d'Espelette from the Basque region, comforting, versatile, and easy to make. Here is the recipe.

Course: Main Course, sauce

Cuisine: French, Spanish

Keyword: espelette, piment d'espelette

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Calories: 176kcal

Author: Mike Hultquist

Servings: 4

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5 from 1 vote

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Ingredients

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper sliced into strips
• 1 green bell pepper sliced into strips
• 1 medium yellow onion sliced
• 6 cloves garlic minced
• 3 medium tomatoes chopped (peeled, if desired – for canned, use 15 ounce canned diced)
• 1 tablespoon piment d’Espelette use paprika as a substitute
• 1 teaspoon sugar optional
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a large pan to medium heat. Add the peppers and onion with a bit of salt to taste. Cook for 5 minutes to soften, stirring a bit.
• Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, or until the garlic becomes fragrant.
• Add the tomatoes, piment d’Espelette (or paprika), sugar, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Stir, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the peppers soften up to your preference. Simmer longer for a “saucier” sauce.

Notes

Add fresh chopped herbs for a flavorful addition before simmering, such as thyme, basil, or oregano.
Try a splash of white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar before serving for an acidic flavor pop.
Serve the sauce as-is, or chop or blend it for a more sauce-like consistency, if desired.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 176kcal   Carbohydrates: 13g   Protein: 2g   Fat: 14g   Saturated Fat: 2g   Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g   Monounsaturated Fat: 10g   Sodium: 10mg   Potassium: 432mg   Fiber: 3g   Sugar: 7g   Vitamin A: 2673IU   Vitamin C: 78mg   Calcium: 33mg   Iron: 1mg

Did You Enjoy This Recipe?I love hearing how you like it and how you made it your own. Leave a comment below and tag @ChiliPepperMadness on social media.