Last week was an incredibly busy week for our household. I get very frustrated when I am not able to cook dinner for my family. I like to plan ahead and be ready for those weeknights when you get home from a long day at work and still have to feed your family, well that did not happen! No time to plan ahead equals frustrated me in the kitchen. Anyone relates to that??? :/ Then you start thinking: should we order take out? Or maybe go somewhere and avoid the cleaning? Then you realize doing any of the above will take more time, effort and money than you are willing to spend. Believe me, it’s specially hard when you have two little ones telling you every 2 minutes “mama I’m hungry!” That’s when I decide I’ll just make something quick and guarantee that the kids are fed, bathed and in pajamas at bed time.
This recipe is very easy and comes together in less than 30 minutes with few ingredients that are budget friendly. Peperonata is an Italian side dish that consists of a mixed of peppers and onions. There are a variety of recipes out there, I don’t necessarily follow any specific recipe, I just throw in what I already have in the fridge. Here I’ll share this version in case you are looking for inspiration to make a quick yet healthy and tasty dinner for your family. Enjoy! 🙂
Ingredients (serves 4)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion
A pinch of red pepper flakes
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1/4 cup chicken stock (or water)
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
Salt & pepper
Cut the steak, onion and peppers in strips, about the same size. Season the steak with salt & pepper to taste. In a medium sauté pan heat the olive oil and add the onions, season with salt & pepper; at this point I like to also add the red pepper flakes, cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the peppers, chicken stock (or water), Worcestershire sauce, spices and stir. Cover the pan and cook over medium heat for about 8 minutes. Add the steak strips and cook for another 8 to 10 minutes until the steak is cooked and the sauce has reduced. Serve with white rice and a salad.
Note: here is my advice when you are serving something with rice, start cooking the rice first, it takes about 20 minutes to cook and once it’s on the stove you only have to check it once. While the rice cooks you can get the main dish done, and if it’s a quick one like this, you can have dinner ready in 30 minutes!