Roasted Pepper Pasta Sauce

Silky smooth pasta sauce made from roasted bell peppers, plenty of sautéed shallots and garlic, and just a touch of half-and-half for creaminess.

I know, I know. It’s amazing. I nearly fell over from shock, too.

All kidding aside, I am so grateful to Stef and Julia for guest posting for me last week while I spent much-needed time with my family. If you missed their posts, make sure to check out the outstanding Creamy Chicken Enchilada Pasta Salad from Stef and the to-die-for Tomato Stack Salad with Corn and Avocado from Julia.

Aren’t my friends the most talented people you’ve ever met? One of the best parts of having friends who happen to be food bloggers is knowing you will be well fed wherever you go.

I hardly looked at the recipe before dashing to the store for ingredients to make my own version, which features roasted bell peppers (any color or mixture of colors will do), plenty of shallots, garlic, and a (large) splash of white wine, all pureed down to silky perfection.

A bit of half-and-half adds just enough creaminess and richness to the sauce without making it heavy, but feel free to use cream if you prefer an even richer sauce.

While this sauce is perfect for a vegetarian dinner, meat-eaters can easily add to it by serving the pasta alongside some roasted shrimp, or stirring some cooked and crumbled Italian sausage directly into the sauce. Any way you go, cook plenty of pasta and share with friends; after all, isn’t that the best way to serve pasta?

Roasted Pepper Pasta Sauce

Silky smooth pasta sauce made from roasted bell peppers, plenty of sautéed shallots and garlic, and just a touch of half-and-half for creaminess.

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Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Servings6

Ingredients

  

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• ▢ 5 colored bell peppers
• ▢ 2 shallots chopped
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 1/2 cup white wine
• ▢ 2 cups chicken stock divided
• ▢ Salt and pepper
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ 1/2 cup half-and-half

Instructions

 

• Place each pepper over a medium-high flame on a gas stove, turning as the skin blackens on each side. When the skin is thoroughly blackened, remove from the flame and place in a plastic zip-top bag. Seal the bag and repeat with the remaining peppers, adding each to the bag and resealing it. Allow peppers to steam inside the plastic bag for 15-20 minutes.
• If you do not have a gas stove, place peppers on a foil-lined baking sheet and place under the broiler for about 20 minutes, turning as needed. Remove from the oven and place in the plastic bag to steam.
• Remove steamed peppers from the bag. Remove the stems, seeds and skins. Roughly chop and set aside.
• In a medium dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until soft and fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Add the peppers and the white wine; cook until most of the wine has cooked off. Add 1 1/2 cups of the chicken stock, 1 teaspoon of salt and the dried oregano. Simmer for about 20 minutes, or until peppers are soft.
• Remove sauce from the heat. Using a traditional or stick blender, carefully blend the sauce until smooth. Return to heat and add the half-and-half. If the sauce is too thick, add some of the remaining chicken stock to reach your desired consistency. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
• Toss with cooked pasta and serve warm.

Notes

Half-and-half is a mixture of whole milk and cream. You may also use all cream for a richer sauce.
For a meaty dish, serve pasta with roasted shrimp or stir cooked and crumbled Italian sausage directly into the sauce.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!