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    Home » Recipes » Side dishes » Sautéed Onions And Peppers For Fajitas, Pizza, Steak Sides

    Sautéed Onions And Peppers For Fajitas, Pizza, Steak Sides

    Published: Jun 13, 2021 · Modified: Mar 10, 2022 by Jenna Passaro · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    Image collage with text overlay of sauteed onions and peppers with ingredients list chart.

    Learn how to sauté peppers and onions in 15 minutes! Make sautéed veggies just like your favorite Mexican restaurant serves onions and peppers for fajitas. This is a crowd-pleasing vegetable side dish for potlucks, steak dinners, sous vide shrimp, and chicken sandwiches. Even add them to pizza! Let’s sauté…

    Top down shot of blue plate serving the perfect side dish for steaks with tongs.
    Delicious caramelized sauteed peppers and onions are an easy side dish for almost any meal.

    Table of Contents

    • The best sautéed peppers and onions recipe because…
    • Ingredients for this recipe
    • How to sauté peppers and onions
    • FAQs for making this side dish
    • Are you a foodie, too?
    • Meat thermometer recommendations
    • Sautéed Onions And Peppers Recipe | Sip Bite Go

    The best sautéed peppers and onions recipe because…

    • Easy to make ahead. Whip them up during a WFH lunch break or when the kiddos are out of the kitchen during the day. Then quickly reheat sautéed peppers and onions for 3-5 minutes on the stove in a pan to serve on the side of steak dishes, or in fajitas or quesadillas.
    • Restaurant-style onions and peppers side dish. These are exactly the same quality you’d expect out at your favorite Mexican restaurant served in a sizzling hot pan with steak or chicken fajitas.
    • Serve it as a veggie side for a crowd. Sautéed bell peppers and onions are delicious alongside flank steak and sous vide porterhouse.
    • Easy to learn recipe. Even if you always burn onions and peppers on the stove, you’ll be able to confidently cook them with my recipe tips and step by step photos.
    • This recipe won’t burn!! Woohoo!

    Ingredients for this recipe

    You need just a handful of ingredients for this vegetable side dish…

    Use any color bell peppers for this recipe. Green bell peppers are a bit more bitter, orange and yellow and red bell peppers are more sweet. When they become tender, sauteed peppers become even sweeter.
    • olive oil
    • yellow onion
    • red pepper, yellow pepper
    • salt
    • butter

    See tips for cutting peppers.

    How to sauté peppers and onions

    Now I’ll walk you through the step-by-step recipe — it’s literally only 2 steps! — for this perfect side dish.

    Infographic collage of images with captions demonstrating how to cook onions and peppers on the stove with the saute method in a pan with olive oil and butter.

    Step 1. Add all ingredients for the onions and peppers to a large pan or large skillet on the stove, on medium-high heat. Sauté all ingredients (except for the butter) for ~5 minutes, stirring regularly.

    Step 2. Add butter and cook for another 5-10 minutes, stirring regularly. Remove from heat before sautéed onions and peppers brown. They are done cooking when the onions and peppers are roasted on the edges and softened.

    Top down shot serving peppers and onions in a side dish with tongs for steak and chicken and shrimp.

    Other side dishes to check out include these simple roasted beets, easy sauteed carrots and onions, and caramelized shallots.

    FAQs for making this side dish

    What if you burn onions and peppers while sautéing them?

    If you have multiple burners going, it can be easy to forget you’re sautéing onions and peppers. (unless that’s just me, trying to throw dinner on the table during a busy week of recipe testing for Sip Bite Go.).

    If for some reason the onions and peppers begin to burn, I have a trick for saving the recipe. It usually happens because the pan is getting a little too dry. Which can happen if you’re using a very large pan because there is more room to cook and they aren’t layered on top of each other.

    Anyways, to save them, add 1-2 tablespoons of water to the pan, and reduce the heat to medium-low. You can also throw in an extra 1 tablespoons of butter. Cook until the liquid dissolves and the burning taste should mellow out and they’ll become more caramelized.

    What steak dishes taste good with peppers and onions?

    I say — get creative in the kitchen with layers of flavors and ingredients. Start with a protein like this sous vide ribeye or grilled skirt steak recipe.

    Then add a sauce, like this peppercorn sauce, jalapeno ranch dressing, or white pizza sauce. (If you don’t want to make sauce from scratch, use Alfredo pasta sauce).

    Finally, top your dish with this sautéed peppers and onions side steak topping. Serve with Italian stuffed shells, or one of these potato sides or pasta sides.

    What onions go in fajitas?

    You can use any color of onions in fajitas—red, yellow, or white. Each type gives a slight variation in flavor, so try them all out and have the family vote on their favorite! Red onions tend to be sweeter, as do Walla Walla onions (used in this Sip Bite Go recipe demonstration) while white and yellow onions offer a more pungent flavor.

    What cut of meat is best for fajitas?

    Skirt steak is delicious in fajitas, but you can also use rump steak, flank steak, or thinly sliced beef tenderloin. In fact, pretty much whatever meat you have in the house can be made to work in a pinch. They’re also great with smoked shrimp, too.

    To make a quick steak, check out this recipe for air fryer filet mignon. With this onions and peppers side dish, plus this jalapeno ranch dressing, you’ve got a delicious meal.

    What are the best side dishes for fajitas?

    Refried beans, roasted sweet potatoes, and avocado salad all make good side dishes for fajitas. Or try my make ahead Mexican salad — it’s bursting with vegetables, and the vitamin count for this already-healthy meal will begin to skyrocket!

    What can I use instead of peppers in fajitas?

    Although traditional fajita recipes all call for peppers, there’s no reason you can’t break with tradition and try something new! If you don’t like peppers or can’t have them, try using zucchini ribbons or thinly sliced carrots instead. Mushrooms are another option, and will add some wonderful earthy flavor.

    Top down shot of dinner side dish with sauteed onions and peppers on a cutting board.

    Are you a foodie, too?

    Hey home chefs, are you as obsessed with delicious sautéed onions and peppers as I am? I could literally put them on everything! They’re in this recipe for crockpot sausage sandwich recipe, tasty homemade pizza with tri tip steak — aka my Philly Cheesesteak Pizza — and so many more restaurant-style meals here on Sip Bite Go.

    Find me on Instagram @sipbitego so I can see how your cooking went, and see how you’re using your sautéed veggies.

    People message me photos of their finished recipes and ask for tips all the time, so don’t be shy! It’s the highlight of my day to get a message from you.

    For more deliciousness, subscribe to the Sip Bite Go channel.

    New recipes and foodie guides….

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    Meat thermometer recommendations

    Every home chef needs a reliable meat thermometer to cook food perfectly. 

    On Sip Bite Go, you’ll often see me using:

    1. Meater thermometer – a fancy wireless thermometer that connects to a phone app – gifted to me from a Traeger partnership.
    2. ThermoPro digital thermometer – which has a wire that connects the thermometer to a display box outside the oven/grill. 

    It’s like being psychic! The great thing about either of the thermometers above is that I don’t have to take the food out of the oven to know the temperature. 

    How to use ‘em… What I do is stick the digital thermometer in steak, pork, chicken, whatever… Then put the food in the oven, on the smoker, or grill.

    While the meat cooks, it reads the temperature so I know exactly what temp meat is as it’s cooking. Without having to take it out and check. It’s really difficult to overcook food when you know exactly what temp it is inside!

    Top down shot of caramelized Sauteed Onions And Peppers For Fajitas.

    Sautéed Onions And Peppers Recipe | Sip Bite Go

    Learn how to sauté peppers and onions in 15 minutes! Make sautéed veggies just like your favorite Mexican restaurant serves onions and peppers for fajitas. This is a crowd-pleasing vegetable side dish for potlucks, steak dinners, shrimp, and chicken sandwiches. Even add them to pizza! Let’s sauté…
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dinner, Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes
    Servings: 2
    Calories: 63kcal
    Author: Jenna Passaro

    Ingredients

    • ½ tbsp olive oil
    • ½ yellow onion cut in half and sliced in ½” strips
    • ½ red pepper cut in half and sliced in ½” strips
    • ½ yellow pepper cut in half and sliced in ½” strips
    • ½ tbsp salt
    • 1 butter butter

    Instructions

    • Set a large pan or large skillet on the stove to medium-high heat. Add all ingredients (except for the butter) to make the onions and peppers and sauté for ~5 minutes, stirring regularly.
    • Add butter and stir regularly while cooking for another 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat before sautéed onions and peppers burn. They are done cooking when the onions and peppers are roasted on the edges and softened.

    Video

    Notes

    What if you burn onions and peppers while sautéing them?
    If you have multiple burners going, it can be easy to forget you’re sautéing onions and peppers. (unless that’s just me, trying to throw dinner on the table during a busy week of recipe testing for Sip Bite Go.).
     
    If for some reason the onions and peppers begin to burn, I have a trick for saving the recipe. It usually happens because the pan is getting a little too dry. Which can happen if you’re using a very large pan because there is more room to cook and they aren’t layered on top of eachother.
     
    Anyways, to save them, add 1-2 tablespoons of water to the pan, and reduce the heat to medium-low. You can also throw in an extra 1 tablespoons of butter. Cook until the liquid dissolves and the burning taste should mellow out and they’ll become more caramelized.
     
    See the recipe: https://sipbitego.com/sauteed-onions-peppers
    See the recipe video for sauteed peppers and onions on YouTube.
     

    Nutrition

    Calories: 63kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 1751mg | Potassium: 167mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1004IU | Vitamin C: 95mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @SipBiteGo or tag #sipbitego!
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    jenna passaro food blogger from Portland Oregon

    Hey, I’m Jenna Passaro.

    I develop easy recipes that can transform your kitchen into a restaurant – and you into a true home chef.

      

    Where to start?

    Learn the secrets to smoking tasty Traeger recipes and making pizza at home. And cook amazing tri tip steak dinners.

    Or, fall in love with something new to cook with your air fryer, pellet smoker, BBQ grill, sous vide cooker, and more…

    You’ll notice, I kind of geek out over new cooking trends and tools!

    Instagram me @sipbitego & chef hubs @handmodelpatrick

    My story. Growing up, I didn’t learn to cook.

    (I was actually banned from cooking for years)

    And then in my 20’s I didn’t have to cook because my job as an event planner involved a lot of travel and it was easier to eat out. At the time, I was 100% positive that restaurant food would always taste better than cooking at home, and there was nothing I could do about it.

    Until I fell in love with a chef. He would come over and cook me delicious meals right in my own kitchen. My mind was blown.

    Since then, I’ve been on a mission to figure out easy ways to make restaurant style food at home and share it here on Sip Bite Go.

    Love to eat out and travel? I can totally relate. See my guide on where to eat in Portland, OR.

    jenna passaro the home chef's sous vide cookbook

    Never in a million years did I imagine I’d ditch the 9-5 lifestyle in my late 20’s, move across the country on a whim, start a new life, start a food blog, and write a book.

    But here I am!

    See my book on Amazon: The Home Chef’s Sous Vide Cookbook.

     

       

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