Try and say that 5x’s fast. (Go ahead, I’ll wait.) This versatile sauce is a great change of pace if you’re tired of plain old spaghetti marinara. You all should know by now that I have a fondness for Italian food, and you might be tired of it, but at least I'm not an im-pasta. (Let’s agree to not talk about that one, OK?) The best part of this sauce is how differently it approaches the Italian comfort food classic we know and love while adding a much-needed change to your pasta night. Don’t let this recipe pasta you by!
It’s time we stop being cute and get down to business because I know you really came here to read what my gourmet food critic Chloe thought of this particular sauce. Since it wasn’t my first time making it, Chloe anxiously awaited her serving of pasta. I didn’t even finish putting the plate down before she started to eat both pieces of linguini coated with sauce. She really loves how the sweetness of the basil compliments the roasted peppers and is balanced by the acid in the balsamic vinegar and onion. We’ll give it a 10/10 for her eagerness.
Recipe Notes
Using the Sauce:
If you love it as much as I do, you can put this sauce to good use. For example, I’ve roasted chicken breast in the leftover sauce, and I’ve sautéed vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower in it; both are delicious! I’ve seen some recipes that use the roasted red pepper sauce in a lasagna instead of its usual marinara, and it’s totally going on my “Must Try” list.
Making it Vegan:
All you've gotta do is leave out the parmesan cheese, baby. Easy peasy.
Adding Protein:
As I mentioned before, this sauce pairs well with vegetables and chicken. This week when making dinner for my family, I added some andouille sausage. (Or rather, my dad added andouille sausage. He was very adamant about it. Therefore, the culinary creation pictured here is courtesy of my father.)
Picking a Noodle:
This sauce is very thick, so I recommend using a large flat noodle, like linguini. Or, if you’d prefer a shaped pasta, I suggest farfalle or penne—try and pick something with ridges so it can soak up the sauce. Lastly, but most certainly not least, cheese tortellini or ravioli would be ah-mazing with this!
Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 cups
Ingredients:
1 lb pasta of your choosing
2 12 oz jars of roasted red peppers
1/3 cup reserved pepper water form the jar
6 garlic cloves
1 onion
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
15-20 fresh basil leaves
1 ¼ cup chicken or vegetable broth
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add your pasta, and cook until al dente.
In the meantime, roughly chop your onion and peel your garlic.
Then, heat a saucepan to medium and add your olive oil and butter. Once your butter has melted and your olive oil is heated, add the onions and garlic to the pot. Cook the onions and garlic for 8-10 minutes, or until they’ve softened.
Then add the roasted red peppers to the pot with the reserved pepper water and cook for another 8-10 minutes.
Depending on your choice of hardware, you’ll either turn off the heat and add all of the remaining ingredients to the sauce pot and use an immersion blender to combine your ingredients into a smooth sauce. OR you’ll add the remaining ingredients to a blender along with your sauteed vegetables and blend until smooth.
Note: This recipe will make a lot of sauce and, depending on what you want to do with it, or how saucy you like your pasta, you’ll want to pour some into a jar and save it in the refrigerator for later use.
Return your remaining sauce to the pot and heat it on medium while adding your cooked pasta and toss until combined.
Optionally garnish with more fresh basil and enjoy!
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