Peppers and eggs, a simple Italian meal for lunch or dinner. One of my husbands favorite memories, is of his mother standing at the stove making peppers and eggs for lunch. It was a quick and tasty meal that everyone in his family loved.
My husband’s grandfather used to grow frying peppers in his backyard along with his beautiful heirloom tomatoes. Now my husband and I have continued the tradition. Every year we grow Italian sweet frying peppers, also known as Italianelies. In many local markets you will find them called Cubanels. They are a long, conical shaped pepper with a thin skin and a sweet taste. They can grow to 10 or 12 inches long and picked green or left to fully ripen to a bright red color.
To make this simple dish, you don’t really need a recipe. I will just give you the technique and you can go from there. You can experiment with different herbs or spices if you wish.
Italian Peppers and Eggs
From the photo you can see that there are very few ingredients. If you can’t find Italian frying peppers at your market you can use bell pepper. If so, I suggest that you only use red ones as they are sweeter and a little more tender.
Slice about three medium sized peppers lengthwise into small strips. Peel and cut one large onion in half and slice the same thickness as your peppers. Thinly slice about three cloves of garlic. Scramble five large eggs with a touch of milk. Season the eggs with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.
Put olive oil in a frying pan and heat to medium. Add sliced garlic to the pan and cook to a slight gold color; remove and save. Turn the heat up, add the peppers and onions and sauté until the desired doneness. (If you cover the peppers and onions for the first few minutes, it speeds up the softening process).
Add egg mixture and reserved garlic to the pan. Continuously stir from the outside, flipping the egg mixture so that it will not brown, stick or dry out. I like to use a silicon spatula for this procedure.
When cooked to your liking, serve immediately. I enjoy this with a nice piece of crusty toasted bread drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and sea salt.
If you have never prepared this dish, you a in for a real treat that your family is sure to like. It will transport you to a simple farmhouse lunch in the south of Italy.
I love the combination of peppers and eggs. What a great meal!
Mom? Is that you? I absolutely love this dish and all of the memories it evokes. Thanks for the blast from the past.
Hi John, This is a meal from the past that we still enjoy. So many meals do bring us good memories and I am glad I brought some back to you.
This looks like the perfect Saturday morning breakfast! Oh, so good!
Dad? is that you?? Karen, my father made this for me for lunch all the time!! And your photo looks exactly how I remember it!! My kids never got into this, so I’ve only made it for myself every now and then. But you are so right on, this is what Italians had for lunch!!! Thanks for posting this, you brought back some wonderful memories AND inspired me to make it again very soon!! Have a wonderful weekend Karen.
Hi Linda, I am bringing back memories today. It is such a simple meal that went on the table of so many Italian families at lunch time. Thanks, I hope your weekend is lovely.
Simple and delicious.
How funny – we had this for lunch today…and very good it was too!
That looks fabulous, so simple so country. i WILL try it.. we have similiar peppers in the garden that would be just right.. thank you c
The perfect breakfast!
I have only known these as “Cubanels” – they are often sold on sale in big bags and then we eat them on everything to use them up – I have even put them on nachos!
The “pepper and egg” sub is a popular menu item at the mom/pop sub shops here in the Boston area – something I rarely saw growing up in NH. Another delicious post – thanks!
Thanks for always leaving such a nice comment. I think you are right, most markets here in New England refer to them as Cubanels.
Awesome! Thanks for such a delicious, yet simple recipe 😀
This is delicious and your recipe is very like the Basque dish of piperade which I love. Fabulous post.
Oh ….full of protein…(so important) and so colorful..Love the grandad story..
Thanks for this recipe..It sounds terrific..Happy Weekend~
Hi Monique, My husband always talks about his grandfather’s garden. I hope you enjoy the recipe. Have a lovely weekend as well.
Love the photography AND the recipe. It’s been a long time since I’ve done any peppers… thanks for the nudge. 🙂
Hello Karen! You have a lovely blog! I’m originally from New England and you make me long to be back again. Sometimes the simplest dishes are truly the best! I will have to look for Italian frying peppers. This is such a perfect and easy breakfast or brunch! : )
Oh, this IS a perfect breakfast! I like peppers, onions and eggs….but I’m willing to pretty much have it any way!
Looks like a tasty dish! And does evoke fond memories for me as well. I too am from an Italian/American family and this reminds me of something my dad would whip up on a Saturday morning. Even though I hate eggs he would always offer me some and I would always remind him that I don’t like eggs and then he would say that I should just try “these”… I would always try a little to be nice and I actually did like his eggs, but not enough to turn me into an egg lover though. I think my tastes must have changed because I could totally see myself eating a plate of your pepper eggs right now! Yum!
Laura
BG, Germany
Hi Laura, I totally know where you are coming from. For years I didn’t eat scrambled eggs but tastes do change. It’s always good to keep an open mind with food and always give something a try. So many times we are pleasantly surprised.
It’s morning here and my stomach is rumbling… wish I had the ingredients for this, it looks so good!
Simple, yet incredibly delicious 🙂 So much so, I think you’ve inspired me to get off the couch and root around in the fridge! Yum!
I’m going to have to try this! I always have a ton of eggs since I have chickens. I might try growing those types of peppers next year in the garden too.
I am so glad you came up with a simple dish, with great flavors such as peppers and eggs! Simple and high quality ingredients are the basics to Italian cuisine. Brava!!
The “before” is as beautiful as the “after”! Mmmm… love the idea and the photos!
Curious – I’ve never heard of Italian frying peppers… what are they like? Regardless though, this dish has everything I like! My wife sometimes makes something a bit similar for breakfasts and it’s so wonderful. Simple, satisfying and good food!
Hi Charles, Having readers around the world can sometimes be problematic. I tried to describe the peppers as being a long (6- 12 inch) conical shape pepper that is sweet, tender, and thin skinned. I have seen them called Marconi, Padron, Corno de Torro, Cubanelle, Italianelles, Friggitalli, and Friarelle to name a few. They are used in peperonata and piperada. They are often seen stuffed with a little meat, rice or breadcrumbs. Perhaps some of my readers can give us some other names for these peppers.
Aah, thanks – come to think about it I think I might have seen them here, although they’re just called “poivron douce” (sweet pepper). If it’s those then I *love* those, although they’re pretty expensive compared to regular bell peppers 😦
Hi Charles, It is so interesting sharing recipes with bloggers from all over the world. Our ingredients can be the same, it’s just that they go by different names and that can be confusing. Here, regular bell peppers can sometimes be more expensive…especially red ones.
It’s interesting that you mentioned Italian frying peppers because we had pizza out last night at a pretty authentic italian restaurant and I was thinking that the peppers just tasted different (and wonderful.) I couldn’t really figure out what it was – just thought maybe the were cooked in some good EVOO. I bet they were Italian frying peppers. I will have to be on the lookout for them. Love some peppers and eggs – yum!
Hi Becki, it does sound like your pizza had Italian frying peppers on it. They are often seen on an antipasto platter as well. They have a much milder and sweeter taste than a green bell pepper. People that don’t care for the strong taste of a green bell pepper usually like the taste of the Italian frying or sweet pepper.
I see the cubanelles all the time in the market and never thought of pairing them with eggs. I love to add bell peppers to my omelets so I know that I would love this dish. Thanks for opening my eyes to something new to try!
Hi Candace, I’m so happy that you now know of a way to use Cubanelles. They are wonderful as prepared in my recipe. You can saute them in olive oil and use for sausage and peppers or as a delicious addition to an antipasto.
Yum, I could eat this delicious concoction any meal of the day. With farm fresh eggs and homegrown onions and pepper it doesn’t get any better. Your lovely photos have inspired me to get into the kitchen.
My ‘Nonno’ fried me his garden peppers and it was a real treat…especially with a crusty slice of Italian bread on the side. Thanks for bringing back such a cherished memory.
Karen, your last visit was truly a pleasure. Nice to discover your place as well ;o)
Flavourful wishes,
Claudia
Hello Claudia, Thank you for taking the time to stop by my blog for a visit. I am so happy to have brought back memories of your “Nonno” frying peppers that he had grown in his garden. Food has a wonderful way of making memories in our lives.
Love the bright, cheerful colors! 🙂 Looks great.
Ah, one of the many things I love about reading food blogs : sweet reminders of meals enjoyed years ago. My first job at an Italian restaurant served us this every day for lunch; I can’t wait to make it again!
I agree that so many memories are revived through the food blogs. Happy to have brought back one for you. I hope that you enjoy making the dish.
Karen, What a great recipe for breakfast or breakfast for dinner which we often have at our home.
Very yummy.
*sends over empty plate* YUM!
This is what I like with Italian dishes, they may look simple but they pack a lot of flavours
Who wouldn’t love to have this morning, noon or night? I know I would. Thanks for your suggestion of trying the Black Kirm tomato. I’ve not heard of it, but I’ve made a note for next year.
Sam
Hi Sam, The recipe is good any time of the day. If you can find the Black Krim tomato plant, please plant it. Outstanding flavor, loaded with tomatoes and was one of the first of my plants to have ripe tomatoes.
Hi Karen, you live in such a beautiful part of the world. It must be really stunning right now with the Fall colours in the trees. Lovely dish. I will probably cook this for a lazy Sunday brunch very soon!
Hi Hester, Thank you for visiting. Fall in New England is gorgeous. The leaves just have a touch of color at the present time. The peak color usually occurs around the 10th of October. Peppers and eggs makes a great brunch item.
This reminds me of my grandparents as well. My grandma was always fixing up egg dishes for my grandpa. I can still smell it!
Food gives us memories of times past. My husband always talks about his family every time we prepare peppers and eggs. I think that eggs made a satisfying dish that wasn’t too expensive back then. Now we prepare it because we love it.
I often cook vegetables with eggs at home, healthy and delicious!
That dish sounds like Italy on a plate!
Your recipe brought tears to my eyes. I could almost see my Nona Provdenza at the stove frying them up for my lunch. Antonietta
What a lovely comment, Antonietta. This dish is such a part of my husband’s memories as well. I’m glad you enjoyed the post.
That sounds so savory and delicious. 🙂
Hi Krista, This is such a simple dish and very delicious. Thank you for your nice compliment.
Simple or not, I love this for breakfast. Nice way to start the day
Hi Raymund, Breakfast, lunch or dinner…this is a nice meal. Thank you for your compliment.
I have discovered these peppers just a few years ago. The first time I used them I stuffed them with an Italian Sausage concoction. Delicious. Now I need to find them again so I can make this for breakfast. Sounds delicious. And why the heck didn’t I plant any this year??? 🙂
Hi Lea Ann, I usually plant Italian frying peppers in my garden but this year I didn’t have room. If you can’t find them, your market will probably have cubanelles which as very similar and would be great in the peppers and eggs.
My mother was Italian she made this dish but put sweet sausage in it, She called it cokachil not sure of the spelling anybody out there know?
Hi Gail, I haven’t heard of this name but perhaps one of my readers will get back to me about it. Thank you for stopping by and leaving your comment.
Simple, satisfying, and tasty! This breakfast is a great way to rise & shine Karen 🙂
Thank you Karen, This is one of my husband’s favorite meals when we have fresh Italian frying peppers.
Coincidentally, we had pepper and egg sandwiches on homemade bread (what I like to call retro Italian restaurant bread) last night. One of my very favorite combinations.
Oh Karen, this is really ‘funny’ – I am nursing a really heavy cold for the last 2 days, headrest too, and my husband made me one of “his” special eggs for me – and it’s just like yours here, only Indian peppers and not Italian😉😉 delicious nevertheless.
It truly is a small world isn’t it. 😀 Hope you feel better soon.