Roasted Red Pepper Sauce Over Pasta - vegan & gluten free

Look at this! Two posts in a week after being absent for several. I'm kind of patting myself on my back here, not gonna lie.

Somehow it's gone from Spring to Summer and it's really confusing. It's been in the 80s here lately, and occasionally in the 90s, so our apartment heats up quite a bit by 4 or 5'oclock in the afternoon and doesn't cool down till late. It's primo napping weather, but thus far I've (mostly) resisted. However, it's just barely May, and this is what's confusing: it's not really summer even though it feels like it. And by summer, I really mean the time of year when I can eat raspberries and tomatoes and watermelon with abandon. Mr Official Taster and I are having some people over tomorrow night, and when we were deciding on a menu, he suggested corn. I had to break it to him that, really, it's still spring even though it's hot and light out past 8pm, so it's asparagus and strawberries that are actually in season. And, yes, we could buy corn, but I don't think it will taste as delicious as we want.

This sauce provides a nice bridge from spring. It has the lightness and flavors of summer, but it doesn't rely on fresh, just-picked ingredients to sing, much like my basic tomato sauce. Also, sometimes I get really sick of peppers. But they're good for you and kind of a vegetarian staple, yadda yadda, so roasted and sauced is a nice change.

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce Over Pasta - vegan & gluten free

inspired by The Pioneer Woman

First of all, I made this for two people, so I only used half of a one-pound bag of pasta, which served us (along with a green salad) and left a tiny bit of pasta for leftovers. To serve more people, I'd probably just add some more liquid (either broth or pasta water) to thin it out a little more. Or, of course, just double the whole recipe. Next, jars of roasted red peppers come in varying sizes, but are generally in the 12-15 oz range. I just used the whole jar because it seemed easiest. There wasn't a huge amount of sauce left over, and some of it went on the left over pasta and some of it's destined to dress up some leftover farro that's sitting in the fridge. I think it would be a fun addition to pizza, as well. I can also see this sauce as a great canvas for adding seasonal veggies, post-pureeing step. In the summer I'm thinking sweet corn, peas in the spring, and squash in the winter. Finally, if you want to make this creamy, head over to PW's page for this sauce plus butter & heavy cream.

8 ounces (half a bag) pasta of your choice
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 an onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jar roasted red peppers, drained & roughly chopped
1/2 C vegetable broth or pasta cooking water
salt

freshly ground black pepper
Chopped fresh herbs- parsley, basil, chives, cilantro, etc

Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions.

While that's happening, heat olive oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute for 3-4 minutes or until starting to soften. Add the chopped red peppers and cook for another 2 or 3 minutes, until hot.

Remove skillet from heat. Carefully transfer the contents of the skillet to a food processor or blender. Puree the pepper mixture until totally blended (don't worry, it'll still have some texture).

Pour the pepper puree back into the skillet. Add the broth or water, salt and pepper to taste, and stir until heated.

At this point, you can either drain the pasta, portion out, and top with sauce OR you can add the pasta to the sauce and stir to really coat the pasta. Either way, garnish with fresh herbs and enjoy. Parmesan or Romano cheese would also be delicious sprinkled on top.