red pepper pasta

by Rachel McCarthy
 I am so obsessed with this pasta. Not only is it a quick dinner, but it’s surprisingly healthy {doesn’t it look like a high-calorie pink sauce?!} I love the idea of taking different vegetables and blending them to make a sauce. But most of the time, jarred peppers are packed in oil, which means more calories. I recently discovered these grilled piquillo peppers at the store that are packed in water! What a concept!! This is so much healthier than the roasted red peppers that are packed in a ton of oil. If you can’t find the peppers packed in water, I would suggest draining and rinsing the peppers before adding them to the onion and garlic 🙂 As for the type of pepper to look for, anything will work! The piquillo pepper has a sweet flavor with no heat, but experiment with different peppers if you are looking for more spice! 

 Happy Friday everyone and enjoy the weekend!

Stay tuned, a big surprise is coming to A Blonde’s Moment in a few days!! Thanks for reading!

red-pepper-pasta

Red Pepper Pasta

1 12 ounce jar red peppers, roughly chopped (I used piquillo peppers packed in water)
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound pasta (I used Barilotti, but any short pasta will work)
7-8 basil leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (more for garnish)
Salt and pepper to taste

Begin by cooking pasta according to package instructions; drain pasta well. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the onion and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Sauté for about 3-4 minutes until soft. Add the piquillo peppers and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Place the onion, garlic and pepper mixture plus 1 tablespoons Parmesan cheese in a food processor; blend until smooth. Place the red pepper sauce back in the same large skillet and turn off the heat. Transfer cooked pasta to the large skillet and toss with red pepper sauce to evenly coat. Stir in the basil and 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese. Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.

2 thoughts on “red pepper pasta”

  1. Yummy!!!! Since I could eat pasta every day of the week, this will be a dish made OFTEN:))))

    Thank you, Rach

Comments are closed.