This crimson pepper pasta sauce is one in every of my favourite home made recipes full of candy and smoky grilled piquillo peppers, onion, garlic, and herbs. Serve this straightforward pasta sauce tossed with fettuccine, spinach, and feta cheese for a fast, satisfying vegetarian dinner!
Sometimes, I like to interrupt up a stint of meaty pasta sauces like my family-favorite home made Bolognese and sluggish cooker spaghetti sauce with a recent and straightforward, vegetarian quantity. This crimson pepper sauce with pasta by no means disappoints.
This recipe blends the flavors of Macedonia (actually) into one deliciously mild and creamy crimson pepper pasta sauce. It’s so easy. I take a jar of my favourite gentle piquillo peppers and blitz them with seasoned sautéed onions, garlic, and olive oil. The result’s a silky, flavor-packed sauce that I instantly toss with sautéed spinach, then feta, and at last, fettuccine pasta. HOLY MOLY. Let’s simply say, it’s a really silent dinner. Not as a result of we have now nothing to say, however as a result of nobody needs to return up for air!
What Makes This Crimson Pepper Pasta Sauce So Nice
- Recent Mediterranean flavors. This crimson pepper sauce is creamy and garlicky, and a bit smoky from candy however gentle jarred peppers. As soon as I wilted in some recent child spinach and sprinkled over salty feta, it instantly jogged my memory of Macedonia. From shakshuka to sausage and peppers and chopped salad, Macedonians are at all times discovering a method to work peppers and feta right into a recipe!
- Prepared in beneath half-hour. My crimson pepper pasta sauce has a super-quick 15-minute cooking time. With a bit little bit of prep in and round that, the entire recipe takes about half-hour. It’s a straightforward meatless meal, excellent for weeknights.
- Versatile. This wealthy crimson pepper pasta sauce tastes scrumptious on any pasta. I add spinach and feta to maintain issues vegetarian (it’s one in every of my favourite straightforward Meatless Monday meals). On different days, I’ll whip up a batch of air fryer meatballs to toss within the sauce when serving. It’s tremendous versatile!
Sauce Substances
These are the elements you’ll must make this mild, straightforward, and flavorful crimson pepper sauce pasta. Remember to scroll right down to the recipe card after the publish for the total checklist and printable recipe particulars.
- Crimson Peppers – I like making this sauce with grilled piquillo peppers, that are marinated crimson peppers with a candy, smoky taste. I merely drain off the oil and mix them up.
- Olive Oil – Further virgin olive oil or one other high quality cooking oil.
- Yellow Onion – Or shallot, thinly sliced.
- Garlic – In pasta recipes, in my eyes, the extra recent garlic, the higher! Be at liberty to adapt the quantity of garlic to style. In the event you don’t have garlic cloves to mince, you’ll be able to substitute ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder per clove.
- Thyme – You should use dried or recent thyme when you’ve got it (you’ll must triple the quantity should you’re utilizing recent). Different herbs like basil, oregano, and rosemary additionally go properly with this sauce, or you should utilize a mixture of herbs, like Italian seasoning.
For Serving
- Pasta – You should use any pasta you want. I like serving this crimson pepper pasta sauce over fettuccine. Different good choices are linguine, spaghetti, penne, rigatoni, fusilli, or bowtie pasta.
- Child Spinach – Recent or frozen child spinach is a good way so as to add greens. There’s no must thaw frozen spinach first, you’ll be able to sauté it as-is.
- Feta Cheese – Rounding out the Mediterranean-inspired flavors is creamy, crumbly feta. You may as well end this crimson pepper pasta with goat cheese or freshly grated parmesan.
Use Roasted Crimson Peppers
If I’m making a batch of Macedonian ajvar (crimson pepper relish), I’ll roast a double batch of recent crimson peppers and use the leftovers for this pasta sauce! Professional tip: The ready relish additionally makes an amazing base for this sauce.
How one can Make Crimson Pepper Pasta Sauce
Like my spinach fettuccine and sun-dried tomato pasta, this crimson pepper sauce is a speedy vegetarian recipe with little or no hands-on time. For now, set the drained piquillo peppers apart within the blender. In the meantime, get your alternative of pasta boiling in accordance with the bundle instructions and comply with these steps to make your sauce:
- Sauté the onions. In a skillet, season the onions and garlic with thyme, salt, and pepper, and sauté in olive oil till softened.
- Mix the sauce. Add the onions and garlic to the blender with the peppers. Pour in a bit water, and mix till you attain your required consistency.
To Serve
Together with your crimson pepper sauce blended, you’ll be able to retailer it for later (see the storing part additional on for particulars). Or, flip it into dinner with a few of my favourite straightforward elements:
- Put all of it collectively. Wilt the spinach in your skillet from earlier, then add the cooked pasta and crumble within the feta cheese. Lastly, spoon the crimson pepper sauce into the skillet (add as a lot as you’d like) and toss every thing collectively to coat.
Suggestions and Variations
- Salt and save the pasta water. It is a useful trick when cooking pasta and sauces. Season the pasta water with a few heaping spoonfuls of salt earlier than you add the pasta. Afterward, reserve a cup of starchy pasta water, simply in case. It’s a good way to skinny out the sauce (if wanted) whereas making it smoother and extra flavorful.
- Regulate the consistency. If, after mixing, the sauce is simply too chunky on your liking, you’ll be able to add a bit extra water, pasta water, or olive oil and mix once more to skinny it out. If you have to thicken up crimson pepper sauce that’s too skinny, your finest wager is to simmer it in a pan over low warmth in order that it reduces.
- Make it creamy. For a creamy crimson pepper pasta sauce, mix in heavy cream or cream cheese to style. You may as well combine in a bit béchamel sauce.
- Extra add-ins. As a substitute of seasoning with salt, prepare dinner an anchovy alongside the onions to mix up into the sauce for a pleasant trace of umami. You may as well sauté add-ins like olives, capers, and sun-dried tomatoes with the spinach to stir in on the finish.
How one can Retailer, Reheat, and Freeze
- Refrigerate. In the event you’re not utilizing the crimson pepper sauce straight away, switch it from the blender to an hermetic container. Retailer leftovers within the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Reheat. Heat the sauce (with or with out pasta) in a saucepan on the stovetop till it’s scorching all through. You may as well use the microwave.
- Freeze. Freeze leftover crimson pepper sauce by itself, with out the pasta, for as much as 3 months. Thaw the sauce within the fridge earlier than reheating.
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Boil the pasta. Prepare dinner pasta in accordance with the instructions on the bundle.
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Sauté. Place drained piquillo peppers in a blender and put aside. In the meantime, warmth 2 tablespoons further virgin olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Add sliced onions, smashed garlic, thyme, salt, and floor pepper. Prepare dinner for 4 minutes, stirring regularly, till tender.
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Mix. Take away from the warmth and switch the onion combination to the blender with the peppers. Add water and mix till utterly clean. If too thick, add a tablespoon or two of additional virgin olive oil or water and proceed to mix till the specified consistency is reached. Style for seasonings and modify accordingly, then put aside.
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Prepare dinner the spinach. Warmth the remaining further virgin olive oil in a skillet. Add spinach and prepare dinner for two minutes, or till wilted.
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Put all of it collectively. Drain the cooked pasta and add it to the skillet with the spinach. Stir in feta cheese, and add as a lot pepper sauce as you would like. Toss round to mix, then take away from warmth and serve.
Serving: 1cup | Energy: 391kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 13g | Fats: 15g | Saturated Fats: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 2g | Monounsaturated Fats: 7g | Trans Fats: 0.03g | Ldl cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 513mg | Potassium: 352mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 3503IU | Vitamin C: 52mg | Calcium: 184mg | Iron: 4mg
Dietary data is an estimate and supplied as courtesy. Values might range in accordance with the elements and instruments used. Please use your most well-liked dietary calculator for extra detailed data.
