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Roasted Red Pepper Sauce and Homemade Pasta

This Roasted Red Pepper Sauce has an incredible velvety texture with complex and robust flavors! It’s bursting with savory notes from the smoky roasted bell peppers, sweet onions, garlic, and aromatic seasonings, while the nutty pecorino or parmesan cheese and rich heavy cream gives an additional depth that elevates the sauce.
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Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 3 large sweet red bell peppers
  • 1 large sweet onion
  • 4-6 cloves peeled garlic
  • 2 tbsp roasted garlic olive oil
  • ½ cup dry red wind
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • ¼-½ tsp red pepper flakes
  • ¾ tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 6 oz. can tomato paste
  • 2 cup chicken or vegetable stock, divided
  • 1 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
  • 1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
  • 8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • ⅓ cup Freshly Grated Pecorino Cheese (or Parmesan)
  • salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
  • Optional garnish: Fresh herbs (oregano, flat-leaf parsley, thyme, chives)

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean up. Add peppers, onions and peeled garlic to prepared baking sheet, laying then on their sides. Roast for 25-30 minutes, or until the outsides are charred. Allow peppers to cool and then peel peppers, roughly chop and set aside.
    2. Give the roasted onions and garlic a rough chop, add 2 tablespoons roasted garlic olive oil to pot and add chopped onions and garlic. Cook on medium-low for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    3. Heat roasted garlic olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the chopped roasted onions and garlic. Season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, about 2 minutes. Add red wine and balsamic vinegar and cook until almost all the red wine has been absorbed into the onions and garlic.
    4. Add the Italian seasoning, paprika and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute, stirring until combined. Add the roasted red peppers to the pot, along with any juices that have collected. Stir, using the moisture from the peppers to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
    5. Add in the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until paste coats the vegetables, about 2 minutes. Add all of the freshly chopped herbs, basil, chives and rosemary, stir until combined. Add 1 cup of stock, stir and lower heat to a simmer. Stirring occasionally, allow to simmer 10-15 minutes, adding additional stock if needed.
    6. Use an immersion blender, or transfer vegetable mixture to a high-speed blender or food processor. Add in 2 tablespoons of the stock if needed. Puree until creamy and smooth. Taste and adjust for seasoning as needed, adding more salt and pepper for flavor.
    7. With the roasted red pepper mixture back to the pot and place over medium-low heat. Bring mixture to a gentle simmer and stir in the remaining ¼ cup of stock. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes, or until the sauce is slightly thickened. Stir in the heavy cream and cook for 2 minutes or until warm throughout. Add grated cheese. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes and fresh herbs.
    Serve: Ladle or toss the sauce with warm pasta or use in your favorite recipe! Enjoy

Notes

Store it: Stash the sauce in the freezer. Homemade red pepper sauce will keep up to 3 months.