COOK: Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Sauce with Rigatoni

• Rigatoni & Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce Ingredients
• Meal Prep and Make-ahead Tips

This creamy roasted red pepper sauce is fantastic on rigatoni (and plenty of other pasta shapes). But what you’ll really love is how easy and fast it is to get on the table. It’s a rich vegetarian sauce that’s luscious and flavorful and coats the rigatoni without being overwhelming… and you can make it with common pantry ingredients!

If you want a heartier meal than just the pasta and sauce, you can add in roasted diced zucchini, fresh washed baby spinach, or sauteed mushrooms. Or bulk up the protein with some cooked and crumbled or sliced Italian sausage (or veggie sausage), or diced rotisserie chicken.

But it’s not just a pasta sauce!

This roasted red pepper cream sauce is also great on roasted cauliflower, diced summer squash and zucchini, or potatoes, or pair it with meat to make an even more substantial meal. Try it as a simmer sauce for chicken (add the cream at the end of cooking for this). Brown the chicken before adding the sauce to the pan, then cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked through. Add the cream to the sauce at the end if you want to make sure the sauce doesn’t break before the chicken is done, and serve over pasta or with rice pilaf or couscous. Or, for an even easier meal, jazz up your next rotisserie chicken. You can even use it instead of tomato sauce on a homemade pizza.

Rigatoni & Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce Ingredients

Red Peppers:

To make the simplest version of this sauce, you’ll need a large jar of roasted red peppers. Puree these with the liquid in the jar, and pour it into the sauce. You can also roughly chop them, and then puree the whole sauce once it’s simmered and before adding the cream. An immersion blender makes this a snap, although you can also use a regular blender or food processor (or a food mill, though that’s much less convenient). Or, make a rustic chunky version, and just chop the peppers (you may want to reduce the liquid added if you go this route).

To make the sauce with fresh red peppers, roast 3-5 red sweet bell peppers or other sweet pepper on a gas stovetop, grill, or under your broiler until the skin is charred and the peppers are soft. Place the peppers in a covered container or plastic bag to steam while they cool enough to handle. The skins should slip right off! Remove the stems and seeds, and chop the peppers.

You’ll need about a cup and a half of pepper puree (it’s ok if it’s not exact, just adjust your other ingredients slightly or to taste). If you use fresh peppers, you’ll need to add additional liquid to the sauce to make the puree. Vegetable stock, chicken stock, or even water will work. Start with about a half cup, and thin the sauce with more liquid if it’s thicker than you want (or add more cream at the end for an even richer sauce).

Alliums:

Medium diced onions (1/2″ cubes) and sliced or chopped garlic if you want to puree the sauce, otherwise, small dice (1/4″) your onions and mince your garlic. I use yellow onions in this sauce, though you could also use sweet or white onions, or even red. I add a bit more garlic flavor and depth with a small amount of dried garlic powder (not garlic salt).

Fat:

I like to use butter in this sauce, but you can also use a good quality olive oil if you prefer that to saute the onions and garlic. I also like to toss my hot pasta with a tablespoon or two of butter or oil after draining so it doesn’t stick together before adding the sauce, and also to give a little extra richness.

Tomato:

Just a touch of tomato paste is all you’ll need for this recipe. It adds vibrant color, but most importantly, sweetness and a depth of flavor. It also helps add body and thickness to the sauce. You can use tomato concentrate in a tube (which stays fresh longer in the fridge once opened) or part of a can of tomato paste.

Whenever I open a can of tomato paste, I freeze any unused portions. Scoop out one tablespoon dollops (in a sealed plastic container, or freeze flat on a sheet pan lined with a silpat or plastic wrap, and peel off once they freeze). Store these in a small airtight container or ziploc bag in your freezer for easy portioning into recipes!

Dairy:

Fresh heavy cream is best. In a pinch, you can use half and half, or even evaporated milk or shelf-stable canned or tetra-pak cream, if you are making a meal with just pantry-stable ingredients. It will be a little less rich, and changes the flavor a bit, but it’s still better than a commercial jarred sauce.

Seasonings:

As always, you can adjust these to taste. I use a small amount of sugar (about two teaspoons) to balance the acidity of the peppers and the tomato paste and round out the flavor of the sauce. A bit of fresh or dried oregano, thyme, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes, and salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. That’s it! It’s simple, but tastes great.

Pasta:

You’ll get the best results with a good quality Italian pasta. We like this sauce on rigatoni (we call them, “fat noods” in our house), but you can put it on just about any shape you like! The sauce has a thick texture that sticks well to most pasta, though I think ones with ridges (like penne or rigatoni) or twists (like cassarecce, gemelli, or fusilli) are particularly nice for grabbing the sauce.

Meal Prep and Make-ahead Tips

You can make this creamy roasted red pepper sauce ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat it gently in the microwave or on the stove top, or eat it cold as a veggie dip or sandwich spread! The sauced pasta is best served hot from the stove, but you can refrigerate leftovers in a tightly covered container for three to four days.

Because it contains cream, it won’t freeze well (it will be safe to eat if you have to freeze it, but the texture won’t be as nice as the cream will probably “break” in the sauce and separate). You can freeze the sauce without the cream, and add the cream after you heat it back up.

Liked This Recipe? Try These:

• Penne Pasta Puttanesca

• Assassin’s Spaghetti with Fresh Mozzarella Crema

• Italian Sausage, Mushroom, and Parmesan Ravioli with Spicy Tomato Ragu

• How to Make Fresh Pasta from Scratch