Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Sauce

I haven’t made “red pepper pasta” for several years. The last time I served it, we were having one of my husband’s new colleagues and her family for dinner. We didn’t ask them about their food preferences until after they arrived at our home…. (What were we thinking?) When asked, they said that they ate EVERYTHING except for red bell peppers. Everyone felt pretty terrible when I told them what I had prepared for dinner!

I have had long red peppers from my CSA share piling up in the refrigerator – I decided it was time to make “red pepper pasta” again. When searching for my old favorite recipe, I came across this one on Pioneer Woman.com. It sounded so delicious I tried it instead. I doubled the recipe to use one pound of pasta, added basil, and substituted half & half for heavy cream. The sauce was silky and flavorful with beautiful color. GREAT!

• 7 Long Red Peppers, or 6 Red Bell Peppers
• 1/4 cup Pine Nuts
• 2 T Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
• 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• coarse salt
• 1 cup Half & Half or Heavy Cream
• Flat Leaf Parsley, Finely Minced
• Fresh Basil, Finely Minced, optional
• Fresh Parmesan, Shaved Or Grated
• 1 Pound Pasta: Orecchiette, Penne, Fusilli, Rotini (I used whole wheat rotini)

1. Roast red peppers, and then place in a glass bowl covered with saran wrap to allow to sweat. Peel the charred skins from the peppers, then remove the stems and seeds. Set aside.
2. Lightly toast pine nuts in a skillet. Set aside.
3. Puree peppers with pine nuts. Set aside.
4. Cook pasta according to package directions.
5. Meanwhile, in a skillet or pot over medium heat, drizzle in olive oil. Add diced onions and garlic and cook until soft. Pour in pepper puree and stir together. Add plenty of salt.
6. Pour in half & half (or cream) and stir to combine. Taste and add more salt, if necessary. Add cooked pasta, and then stir together.
7. Place pasta into a bowl, top with chopped parsley, basil, and plenty of shaved Parmesan.

One Year Ago:

• Butternut Squash and Sage Risotto
• Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta

About Josette@thebrookcook

I live in Stony Brook, New York on Long Island. I love garlic and baking. My hobby (and love) is to try new recipes. My favorite recipe resources include The New York Times, Food and Wine, Bon Appetit, and Martha Stewart Living. Enjoy!

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