Roasted Red Pepper Sauce is a great way to update your weekly pasta night without a lot of extra work! Using store bought/jarred roasted red peppers makes this sauce come together in a flash! Toss it with some cooked pasta and a little cheese and dinner is ready in about 10 minutes!
Why it Works
No roasting, sautéing or baking required to make this sauce. Here is why it works so well:
- The store bought peppers are already roasted and softened for you. Take the kitchen help where you can get it!
- Since they are so soft, the peppers blend up perfectly!
- The basil and garlic add enough aromatics to give it extra layers of flavor.
- Balsamic vinegar is the perfect acid to add, balancing out the sweetness of the roasted red peppers.
Ingredients
You only need 6 ingredients to make Homemade Roasted Red Pepper Sauce. The nice thing is you probably already have half of the ingredients in your pantry!
Uses
Our very favorite way to use this sauce is tossing it with cooked pasta. However you can pour it over cooked chicken or fish, use it as a garnish over a rice bowl, the uses are endless.
Storing
Store your leftover Roasted Red Pepper Sauce in the fridge for up to a week. It may thicken a little in the fridge.
Other Great Sauce Recipes
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Recipe/Copy/Photos updated on August 31, 2021 – Original post November 9, 2017
Easy Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Equipment
- Food Processor or Blender
Ingredients
- 1 -12 oz. to 16 oz. Roasted Red Peppers (in water not oil) Drained
- 1 Large Garlic Clove
- 1 teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar
- 10 Fresh Basil Leaves
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ¼ cup Olive Oil
Serving with Pasta
- ½ up to 1 lb. pasta (rigatoni, penne, spaghetti, or what ever pasta you like)
- ½ cup reserved starchy pasta cooking water
- fresh grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- To a food processor or blender add the drained red peppers, garlic clove, balsamic, basil leaves, salt and olive oil. Process or blend until smooth.
- Give it a taste for more salt, garlic, or balsamic.
- Use immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Using with pasta
- Cook ½ up to 1 lb pasta. Reserve about ½ cup starchy pasta cooking water.
- Toss the drained pasta with the roasted red pepper sauce, thin with the starchy pasta water. Sprinkle in fresh grated parmesan cheese and stir to coat.
- Serve right away!
Notes:
Too thin? Simmer on the stove over medium low heat to evaporate some of the water. You could also add extra Parmesan cheese to thicken. Too thick? Add a little chicken broth or water to thin it out a bit.
If nutrition facts are provided they are calculated as an estimate to the best of our knowledge.
Kathy
Can this be frozen?
Susie Weinrich
You should definitely be able to freeze it, just like marinara!
Carolyn
Do u have to peel the skin off the red peppers
Susie
They should be soft enough to blend or some jarred roasted peppers will already have the skins removed.
John
😋 Great for pasta year-round!