These Roasted Mini Peppers Crostini with Olives and Caramelized Onions are the perfect appetizer for a party! Go ahead, serve at room temperature, easy!
This recipe is brought to you in partnership with the California Olive Committee.
Oh my. You know a recipe from the park is hitting when a certain octogenarian in the family (my dad) comes over during the party prep and can’t stop eating it.
These roasted pepper crostini are made with halved sweet mini peppers stuffed with salty capers, sweet cherry tomatoes and buttery California ripe olives and roasted on a bed of sliced red onions tossed in balsamic.
When the peppers are done, top the roasted baguette slices with the caramelized onions first, then the stuffed roasted peppers.
Every bite results in a crispy, juicy taste explosion! California ripe olives are perfect for this dish, as their mild, buttery, and meaty flavor balances the acidity of tomatoes, capers, and onions. The olives are also like sponges – they soak up the flavors of the peppers, tomatoes and capers during the cooking process.
Why Ripe California Olives? Forgive me for being a little proud of my home state. The answer is quality.
In fact, California produces 95% of the olives grown in the United States.
Most of the mature olive farms are owned and operated by families who have been growing the olives for generations. In order to achieve the high quality standards for canned olives, the fruit must be carefully hand-picked without touching the ground. Every step of the processing of the olives is regulated by the USDA to ensure quality.
Back to our crostini! You can easily prep the peppers and toast the bread ahead of time. You can even assemble the crostini an hour or two in advance. This appetizer is served warm or at room temperature. My only advice? Do extra.
Roasted mini pepper crostini stuffed with olives and topped with caramelized onions
If you want to go ahead, you can arrange the onions and peppers in the casserole dish a day in advance. You can roast the peppers and toast the baguette slices a few hours before serving and assemble the crostini an hour or two before serving.
This appetizer is best served at room temperature.
ingredients
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24 (1/4 inch thick) slices of baguette
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2 small red onions, peeled, thinly sliced (2 to 3 cups)
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3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
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1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
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1/4 teaspoon salt
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1 cup of water or broth
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12 small (2 to 3 inch) red, yellow, and orange bell peppers
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1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
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12 cherry tomatoes, halved
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24 black or green California Ripe olives, drained and halved
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Several sprigs of fresh thyme
method
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Preheat oven to 450°F:
Place an oven rack in the top third of the oven and another rack in the bottom third.
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Toast the bread:
Spread the baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place on the top shelf of the oven and roast in the oven for 4 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature.
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Line the casserole dish with onions:
Place the thinly sliced onions in a 9×13-inch baking dish and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil.
Scatter the onions over the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar and 1/4 tsp salt.
Pour 1 cup of water or broth over the onions in the casserole dish.
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Prepare the mini peppers:
Halve the peppers lengthwise through the stalk. Pull out the seeds and discard them.
Place the pepper halves, hollow side up, on top of the sliced onions in the baking dish.
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Fill peppers:
Sprinkle 3 to 4 capers in each half of the pepper. Scatter the olive halves and cherry tomato halves over the bell pepper cavities.
Place a few sprigs of thyme between the peppers.
Drizzle the peppers with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.
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Roast peppers:
Cover the pan with aluminum foil. Bake in the oven at 450°F on the bottom rack of the oven for about 30 minutes or until the peppers are tender.
Remove the foil and place the peppers on the top rack of the oven for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until the peppers begin to brown around the edges.
If at any point the bottom of the pan becomes dry, add a little more water. Remove the pan from the oven and remove the thyme sprigs.
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Assemble crostini:
Push one of the peppers aside in the roasting pan to reveal the caramelized onions underneath. Place a fork of onions on a toasted slice of bread. Top with the pepper. Repeat until all crostini are topped with peppers.
Serve warm or at room temperature. Garnish the plate with a few sprigs of fresh thyme.
