Red Pepper Pasta

Tomato season is over but that doesn’t mean homemade pasta sauce season is over. Enter, red pepper pasta. This recipe is nothing complicated but it took me quite a few tries to strike the perfect balance of flavors for this sauce. I wanted the roasted pepper flavor to be punchy and big but also wanted there to be a creaminess to the sauce. 

The recipe I have published is my favorite version of the sauce although it does call for ricotta cheese and parmesan. As you know if you’ve followed along or know me, I’m a big proponent that everything is okay in moderation and for me, a small amount of ricotta to take a pasta over the edge is worth it. If you prefer to not consume dairy, I have a couple options for you. One of them is the obvious substitution of store bought ricotta. Another, is to use my recipe for plant-based ricotta to make your own. And the easiest and less obvious option is to use ½ cup of white beans which results in a protein boosted creamy sauce. It was honestly my second favorite version of this recipe.

To make the sauce, the red bell peppers and garlic are roasted in a high heat oven for 30-45 minutes until the skins of the bell peppers are charred and the garlic is soft. Then the roasted peppers, garlic, salt, red pepper flakes, white wine vinegar, parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese, and olive oil are all tossed into a food processor and blend until smooth. That’s it. The sauce is then tossed with freshly cooked pasta, topped with more ricotta and parmesan cheese, flaky sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and fresh basil.

Red Pepper Pasta

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• Author: kindrootsfood
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings 1x
• Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

Tons of roasted red peppers packed into this zesty, creamy sauce that couldn’t be simpler or more comforting!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 4 red bell peppers, quartered and seeds and stem removed
• 1 bulb of garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup Parmesan
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese (see notes for non-dairy subs)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 12 oz. pasta such as linguine prepared according to package instructions

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place quartered bell peppers skin side up on the baking sheet.
3. Cut off the very top of the garlic bulb to expose a cross section of the insides of the garlic cloves. Remove the outermost papery skin. Put the clove in a square of foil. Drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil and wrap up tightly in the foil. Place on the same baking sheet.
4. Place in the oven for 30-45 minutes until the skins are black and the peppers are soft.
5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool until cool enough to touch. Using your hands, remove the skin from the peppers. The skins should have separated from the flesh and be easy to remove.
6. While the peppers are cooling, prepare your pasta.
7. Place the roasted peppers into the food processor with the remaining ingredients and blend 2-3 minutes until smooth.
8. Toss the prepared pasta with the sauce.
9. To serve, top with ricotta, a drizzle of olive oil, flaky sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and fresh basil.

Notes

Vegan ricotta substitute: store bought cheese alternative, my homemade vegan ricotta, or my favorite alternative 1/2 cup of white beans (may need to add a splash of non-dairy milk to thin slightly).

• Prep Time: 5
• Cook Time: 45
• Category: Main, pasta

Keywords: roasted red pepper pasta, roasted red peppers, vegetarian pasta