This rich, decadent 5 ingredient Creamy Italian Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Sauce recipe works great as a sauce for pasta or fish, and is one of the main ingredients in my Crab Topped Cod with Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce. This creamy pasta sauce is super easy to make, and a great go to for busy weeknights or special occasions!
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A balanced and versatile Italian roasted red pepper sauce
This creamy pasta sauce is a weeknight hero and a pantry staple wonder. With the help of your trusty food processor or blender, you can enjoy a velvety smooth sauce any day of the week. Not only is this sauce great tossed with your favorite pasta- it's also great served with baked fish, chicken or even steak!
What goes into the Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Sauce?
To make this easy Italian roasted red pepper sauce you will need:
- Butter.
- Fresh garlic.
- Jarred marinated roasted red peppers (include liquid and garlic cloves from jar for extra flavor!).
- Heavy cream.
- Dried basil (and fresh for serving too, if desired).
Making the red pepper sauce
This sauce is ready to go in about 25 minutes, making it a great weeknight dinner hero.
This sauce can be customized to suite your tastes, or easily doubled or tripled if needed! Toss this creamy pasta sauce with any of your favorite noodles, add some grated parmesan and fresh torn basil and dinner is served!
Cooking the sauce
First, you'll start by blending the jarred roasted red peppers in a food processor or blender, until smooth. It helps if you use some of the marinating liquid from the jar- both for a smooth puree, and a flavor boost.
Once you have your peppers pureed, you'll melt the butter, and briefly cook the minced fresh garlic until it's just starting to smell delicious.
Next, add the pureed peppers, and salt and pepper. Cook the peppers a few minutes, until they thicken a bit, and most of the liquid is evaporated.
To finish the sauce, add the dry basil and cream, and cook, stirring occasionally for 6-10 minutes, until the sauce is thickened a bit and velvety.
Serving the Italian roasted red pepper sauce
When finished, it's ready to serve alongside your favorite protein, or tossed into your favorite pasta!
A great red pepper sauce for fish!
When I wanted a great, rich sauce for my Crab Topped Cod, I reached for the roasted red peppers in my fridge. The sweet, tangy flavor of the marinated roasted red peppers cuts through the richness of the butter and cream for a perfectly balanced flavor! This red pepper cream sauce goes great with any fish! I love it with my Crab Topped Cod with Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce.
Additional Serving Suggestions
Whether you're serving this sauce over a big bowl of penne, of with a great baked cod, you can't lose.
Serve this sauce over pasta, or with your favorite protein (it's a great cream sauce for fish!). Add a side salad, a glass of wine, and some good crusty bread. Perfection.
Want to give this recipe a try?
If you make my Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Sauce, please be sure to leave me a comment! I would love to hear from you, and value your feedback! Lastly, if you make the recipe and love it, please tag me on Instagram! I love to see your photos!
Roasted Red Pepper Creamy Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup marinated roasted red peppers, (include some liquid from marinade too)
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed/minced
- salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Puree peppers/garlic and juices from jar in a food processor or blender until smooth. 2. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter. 3. Once butter is melted, add fresh crushed garlic and sauté until fragrant, 1 minute. 4. Add puréed peppers and salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. 5. Add the dried basil and cream, and cook sauce 6-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened. Notes:Serve with your favorite pasta, or as a dip or sauce for fish and other proteins! If serving with pasta, transfer cooked pasta into sauce and allow to finish cooking in sauce for best results. Add any pasta water as needed, and finish with plenty of grated parmesan cheese! This recipe makes enough sauce for ½ lb pasta.
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Gilynn says
This sauce has good flavor profiles and becomes even more delicious by adding garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and Parmesan cheese.
The best part is that the flavors come together very quickly and gives the feeling that the sauce has been simmering all day.
I added chicken that I had previously marinated to make the dish a complete meal.
This roasted red pepper cream sauce would also make for an excellent dipping sauce with meatball appetizers!
Christine says
This was such an easy peasy recipe! As a full-time teacher I struggle to find the time to prepare a good home-cooked meal after a long day of dealing with teenagers. Thank the heavens I have a husband who is a former chef who takes care of dinner most nights. But...at least once a week I like to do a nice meal for him. This was the perfect recipe! It took so little time and so few dishes and used such simple ingredients that I actually enjoyed cooking again! I will add this to my rotation for weekly meals!
Sharon Farnell says
Thanks for taking the time to let me know, Christine! So happy you enjoyed the recipe!
Sarah says
Doubled this recipe so I used the whole jar of peppers. YUM. I will be looking for a recipe to marinate my own peppers to can for the winter so that I can make this again and again!
Sharon Farnell says
so happy you enjoyed it!