Roasted Pepper Pasta

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Creamy, savory, and with a hint of smokiness this roasted pepper pasta sauce uses red and yellow bell peppers along with garlic, herbs, and cream to create the perfect roasted pepper pasta sauce!

Ever notice that simple recipes can be completely transformed just by creating a unique sauce? Homemade raspberry sauce can transform old fashioned pancakes, chocolate peanut butter pancakes, or it can be drizzled over chocolate cake to create a new depth of flavor with a burst of fruit.

You can revive tacos, quesadillas, steak, and rice with a tropical kick by adding in a super tasty homemade chimichurri sauce!

A bowl of pasta with chicken and vegetables on a plate, with Sauce and Bell pepper

Take a break from a heavy tomato sauce on your next Italian night! This roasted pepper sauce is just as simple to make as our 3 meat Ragu sauce, yet it’s creamy enough for all the Alfredo pasta lovers too!

What is roasted pepper sauce?

Roasted pepper sauce is a sauce that is made up of peppers, typically red, that have been oven roasted to perfection, then it’s blended in a food processor along with garlic and herbs until it’s creamy.

We’ve chosen to add in cream to the roasted pepper sauce for balance and richness.

Can I use jarred roasted peppers for pepper sauce?

Yes, you can use jarred roasted peppers for roasted pepper sauce. If you do, you can completely skip the oven part and just add in whole garlic cloves when blending the sauce together.

Also, taste for seasonings before adding in any salt, since the jarred peppers may already have salt in it.

Do I have to use red peppers for pepper sauce?

Traditionally red peppers are used for roasted pepper sauce. I’d say you should use at least one red bell pepper. We’ve chosen to use red, orange, and yellow which left us with a mildly sweet roasted pepper sauce that the family loves!

Kinds of peppers to use for roasted pepper sauce:

  • Red bell peppers – #1 widely used, perfect base option and as the solo option.
  • Orange bell peppers – perfect base option.
  • Yellow bell peppers -perfect base option.
  • Purple bell peppers – yes, it’s real! Now if you can find it, that’s the true question!
  • Cubanelle peppers – also known as Italian frying peppers.
  • Cherry peppers – be careful, they hold a little kick. For sure make sure you have some bell peppers to balance it.
  • Roasting pimento peppers – think of the pimento cheese spread, but in pasta form!

How To Roast Peppers

To make the perfect roasted pepper pasta sauce, you need to first rinse and dry your bell peppers. Once they’re dried, you’re going to cut the bell peppers in half and remove the stem, seeds, and veins.

Next, you’re going to place the bell peppers cut side down on a roasting pan, drizzle good quality olive oil over the peppers and generously season the peppers with salt and pepper. We also roast our garlic, you add them in whole, but in its skin to keep the garlic moist and from burning. The garlic will pop right out!

Place them in a preheated oven (400 degrees Fahrenheit) and roast the peppers for 20-25 minutes or until the skin is all wrinkled. If your skin does not have that beautiful char on top, you can turn on the broiler and keep it under it up to a minute or until the skin slightly chars.

roasted peppers on baking sheet

How To Make Roasted Pepper Pasta Sauce

Now that your peppers and garlic have been roasted, it’s time to let them cool slightly and add it to a food processor. Add the roasted peppers along with the remaining sauce ingredients. You can choose to leave the cream out and add it when you’re heating up the sauce instead.

Pulse the roasted pepper mixture to create the perfect sauce! Taste for seasonings and adjust to your liking.

roasted peppers in food processor

Do I need to use cream for roasted pepper pasta sauce?

To make a creamy roasted pepper pasta sauce, we find it is best to use cream, but you can substitute cream with coconut milk, evaporated milk, whole milk, or just leave it out!

blended peppers in food processor

For this roasted pepper pasta dish, we’re adding in chopped chicken to our pasta for a high protein pasta dish. You can use rotisserie chicken, shrimp, or leave it as is to keep the dish vegetarian.

cut chicken on cutting board

Here are some more commonly asked questions regarding roasted pepper sauce!

Is pepper sauce spicy?

If you’re only using sweet peppers, such as bell peppers, your roasted pepper sauce will not be spicy! This can change by adding in a jalapeno or poblano pepper.

Is roasted pepper sauce healthy?

Yes! Roasted pepper sauce is a very healthy sauce to make! It is sugar-free and naturally sweet. If you’re using red bell peppers, red bell peppers are very high in vitamin c and are used for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits.

Can you freeze homemade pepper sauce?

You can freeze roasted pepper sauce in an airtight container or freezer Ziploc bag as long as it’s the sauce alone, not with add-ins or pasta. You should be able to freeze it, if stored properly, in the freezer up to one month. I would suggest not adding cream until you’re ready to reheat it and serve it if you know you will be freezing a portion of the roasted pepper sauce.

pasta on a fork in a bowl

Other Pasta Recipes You May Like:

To make this blended homemade sauce, we used our Ninja Kitchen System Blender. We love this and use it daily! See it here.

Roasted Pepper Pasta Sauce in a bowl
Roasted Pepper Pasta Sauce in a bowl

Roasted Pepper Pasta Bake

4.84 from 6 votes
Creamy, savory, and with a hint of smokiness this roasted pepper pasta sauce uses red and yellow bell peppers along with garlic, herbs, and cream to create the perfect roasted pepper pasta sauce!
Servings 4
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes

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Ingredients
 

For the Roasted Pepper Sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 red bell pepper (chopped)
  • 1 orange pepper (chopped)
  • 1 yellow pepper (chopped)
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon ground thyme
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder

For the Pasta:

  • 2 chicken breast (cooked and cut into chunks)
  • 8 ounces spaghetti (cooked)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • In a large bowl, toss together peppers, garlic cloves, olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place into a baking dish and cook for 25-30 minutes, or until peppers are roasted.
  • Once peppers are roasted, allow peppers to slightly cool before adding it into a food processor with the remaining sauce ingredients.
  • Add sauce to a pot, warm through it and toss together in a large bowl with warmed pasta and warm chicken. Top with shredded cheese or parmesan and serve.

Notes

The calories shown are based on the recipe serving 4 people. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**

Nutrition

Calories: 532kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 113mg | Sodium: 149mg | Potassium: 755mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 2395IU | Vitamin C: 131.9mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 1.9mg
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Calories 532
Keyword easy dinner idea, homemade pasta sauce, roasted peppers

overhead view of bowl of pasta with chicken

About JulieJulie Clark

About Julie Clark

I'm Julie Clark, CEO and recipe developer of Tastes of Lizzy T. With my B.A. in Education and over 30 years of cooking and baking, I want to teach YOU the best of our family recipes.

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Andrew Brooks
11 months ago

5 stars
Outstanding. Wish I’d known a couple decades ago! I left out the garlic (for mother) and used BtB Sauteed Onions first time and BtB Soffrito for 2nd. Both were so delicious I used them for other things: Goes BEAUTIFULLY as a topping sauce over frittata, casseroles, & meatloaf!!

Sue
3 years ago

I notice that the picture has halved cherry or grape tomatoes, but they are not listed in the ingredients. Is there any other thing that is not mentioned? I am in the process of making this for the first time to serve to my visiting family ….

Susan
4 years ago

I noticed you mention garlic but I don’t see it listed – do you use it and how much? Thanks,