Bell pepper · raw

The bell pepper is a fruit-vegetable from the nightshade family, like the tomato and the eggplant. Raw, it provides only 26 kcal per 100 g, with 1 g of protein, 4.6 g of carbohydrates, 0.3 g of fat and 2 g of fibre. Around 92% of its weight is water, which explains its crunch and its very low calorie impact, even when you eat a large portion.

Its real strength lies in its micronutrients. A single raw red pepper covers several times your daily vitamin C needs, far more than an orange of the same weight. It also contains provitamin A (beta-carotene), vitamin B6, vitamin E and carotenoids such as capsanthin. These compounds support immunity, skin health and recovery after training.

Colour depends on ripeness rather than variety. The green pepper is picked early: it is more bitter, slightly less sweet and lower in carotenoids. As it ripens it turns yellow, orange and then red, becoming sweeter and richer in vitamin C and beta-carotene. For macros the gap is small, so the values on this page remain a good baseline for every colour.

To add variety, mix colours on the same plate: red for sweetness and vitamin C, yellow for a fresh taste, green for a more vegetal note and often a lower price. Pick firm fruits with smooth, glossy skin, heavy for their size, with a fresh green stem. Avoid wrinkled, soft or spotted ones.

Raw, the pepper keeps the most vitamin C, which is sensitive to heat and cooking water. Cut it into strips to dip into hummus, herbed fromage blanc or skyr, or add it diced to a salad such as the chickpea and tuna salad. It is a very filling snack for almost no calories.

In a pan, sauté it over high heat for 5 to 8 minutes with a little oil: it stays firm and slightly crunchy, as in the chicken and crunchy vegetable skillet or the beef and egg fried rice. Roasted in the oven or under the grill until the skin blackens, then peeled, it turns soft and sweet. Use little oil: the oil, not the vegetable, is what raises the calories.

When cutting, the pepper is a bulk ally: 200 g of raw pepper is roughly 52 kcal, 9 g of carbohydrates and 4 g of fibre. You fill the plate, slow the absorption of the meal and limit hunger without breaking your deficit. Its fibre and water also boost fullness, which helps when starch portions shrink.

When bulking, it supplies little protein or energy, but it completes rich meals: the iron from meat and legumes is better absorbed thanks to the vitamin C, as in the beef and red kidney bean chili con carne. For digestion, the skin can bother sensitive guts: peel it after roasting or cook it longer.

Keep whole, unwashed peppers in the fridge crisper drawer: they last 1 to 2 weeks. Once cut, put them in an airtight box and eat them within 3 to 4 days. Avoid leaving them at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Wash them just before use under clear water, since moisture speeds up mould.

For batch cooking, freeze raw or roasted strips flat on a tray, then bag them: they suit stews but lose their crunch. Discard any mouldy fruit. If you prepare the salmon and vegetable en papillote or a vegetarian bean chili, add the pepper near the end of cooking to preserve texture and nutrients.

The first mistake is drowning it in oil: a few extra spoons add more calories than the pepper itself. The second is cooking it too long in plenty of water, which destroys vitamin C. The third is throwing away the flesh near the ribs: it is perfectly edible.

Do not count on it for protein either: with 1 g per 100 g, pair it with chicken, eggs, tofu or legumes. Finally, judging it by eye skews your tracking: weigh it raw, without stem or seeds, and log it in your diary to keep reliable numbers.

For a quick lunch, sauté pepper strips with chicken breast, add whole-grain rice and a pinch of paprika: you get a complete meal with around 35 g of protein. In the evening, an omelette with peppers and onions delivers protein, fibre and plenty of flavour for under 350 kcal depending on the number of eggs.

You can also stuff pepper halves with quinoa, lentils, tuna or fromage blanc, then bake them for 25 minutes at 190 °C. It is an excellent batch-cooking dish: it reheats well, travels easily and can be varied endlessly. A cold soup or a roasted red pepper sauce also completes your summer menus.

The sweet pepper is not a chilli: it does not contain capsaicin in spicy amounts. There are elongated varieties, such as the pointed or horn pepper, sweeter and more tender, perfect roasted. The mini pepper, eaten whole, is handy as a snack. Their macros stay close to 26 kcal per 100 g.

If you have none at hand, replace it with zucchini, tomato or cucumber depending on the recipe, knowing you will lose part of the vitamin C. Canned or jarred pepper often contains salt and oil: read the label and rinse it. Plain frozen ones are a good practical option.

Favour seasonal peppers, from May to October in France, which taste better and are often cheaper. Organic limits pesticide residues, but wash the skin in every case. A very heavy pepper with thick flesh will be juicier. Off-season greenhouse fruits are often blander and pricier.

To cut it, remove the stem, open the fruit, take out the seeds and white membranes, then slice into strips or even dice for uniform cooking. Use a sharp knife: the skin is slippery. A pepper baked at 220 °C for 30 to 35 minutes peels very easily after resting under a cover.