Asadillo Manchego is an easy and refreshing Spanish salad made with roasted red peppers and tomatoes. Enjoy as a side, or serve with some crusty bread for an easy, healthy and delicious lunch.
Asadillo Manchego is a classic Spanish dish from the region of La Mancha, in central Spain. Roasted red peppers (capsicums) are blended until chunky with tomatoes, garlic, ground cumin and olive oil. It is served chilled and often traditionally topped with a boiled egg.
Grilling the tomatoes with the peppers/capsicum gives a lovely extra depth of flavour to the dish. It also means that if you are unable to get ripe and fragrant tomatoes, not to worry – heating them under the grill gives them an extra depth of flavour.
We ordered this dish during our first visit to Spain, seeing the word ‘Manchego’ and assuming that meant it would be a cheese dish. However this dish does not contain cheese. But once we’d tasted this salad, we were glad we had made the mistake. The last of the tomato and pepper juices in the dish were mopped up with slices of fresh bread, and we knew to look out for – and order – asadillo manchego whenever we saw it.
Tips and FAQ
Tip for roasting the pepper:
The skin thickness and flesh vary in peppers, so the roasting time will vary slightly. You are wanting the pepper/capsicum to be dark and charred, and them to be soft to the point of collapse.
Can I use jar roasted peppers?
Whilst I believe that roasting your own peppers/capsicums gives this dish a better flavour and texture, you can use jarred roast peppers if you prefer. That would make it a very quick dish, ready in 5 minutes!
Can I use green peppers/capsicum in this dish?
No, I wouldn’t recommend using green peppers/capsicum. They aren’t as sweet as red peppers, and once blended with the tomatoes, the salad would be brown rather than a lovely vibrant red.
How long does this salad keep?
Keep the roast pepper salad in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days. Top with the boiled egg just before serving.
I don’t like boiled egg, what else can I top this Asadillo Manchego with?
You can leave as is, or top with some tinned tuna, roughly chopped ham, or for a vegetarian/vegan addition, some tinned chickpeas
Ideas for leftovers:
- I love this roasted red pepper and tomato salad cold straight from the fridge spooned over hot buttered toast!
- Stir into pasta.
- Spoon over a poached or scrambled egg. I love the combination of sweet peppers and egg – if you do too then check out this Basque Eggs Piperade which is a super simple lunch!
To make this dish vegan: leave out the egg. Serve the salad on it’s own, or topped with tinned chickpeas.
Why not try…
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Asadillo Manchego
Ingredients
- 1 red pepper/capsicum
- 2 medium tomatoes halved
- 2 cloves garlic skin left on
- 1 tsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tbsp olive oil
- sea salt
- 1 boiled egg optional
Instructions
- Half and deseed the pepper/capsicum, cutting them from the stalk to the bottom.
- Place garlic cloves (in their skin) on a baking sheet together with the halved peppers (skin side up), and the halved tomatoes (cut side facing up).
- Drizzle 1 tsp olive oil over the peppers/capsicum halves and tomato halves.
- Roast until skin on peppers starts to go black and blistered (approx.. 8 minutes). Place peppers in bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave half an hour until cool enough to handle.
- Peel the peppers/capsicum and place them into a blender bowl (or bowl if using a hand blender) with the tomatoes. Slide garlic cloves out of their skins and add them with a pinch of cumin and a generous pinch of salt and blend until chunky.
- Pour into serving dish and drizzle over ½ tbsp olive oil and hardboiled egg. Serve with crusty bread.
Notes
Nutrition
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Alex says
The flavours in this are amazing –
And it is so much more simple to prepare than I could have imagined! So pleased to be able to create this dish at home now.
Robyn says
I’m so glad to hear this Alex 🙂
Sally says
Yum! This would be delicious as an easy lunch with crusty bread. Can’t wait to try!
Robyn says
It certainly is Sally, thanks!
Sylvie says
The roasting of the veggies must bring such a delicious smoky flavour to the dish! Love how easy yet delicious this dip is, it would be great for a party!
Robyn says
Thanks Sylvie! 🙂
Sarah says
Oh yum we have a gas stove so this would be easy to make, I imagine you could do it on a BBQ to. Perfect with some crusty bread and garlic mushrooms 🙂
Robyn says
Yes you could totally roast the capsicum on a bbq