Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Stop eating jarred tomato pasta sauce, make this instead. This roasted red pepper sauce is naturally sweet, velvety, with rich deep flavor.

Jarred tomato sauce, you love to hate them, but love them anyways because of the convenience. If you told me 10 years ago that I would be making my own tomato sauce I would have laugh at you. For one because I LOVE jarred tomato sauce and two because I always pictured an Italian grandmother in the kitchen stewing tomatoes for hours to get deep rich flavor. Yes, making your own tomato sauce is a lengthy process even when starting with canned or crushed tomatoes.

This creamy roasted red pepper sauce starts with your basic ingredients, and in only an hour you are left with a velvety and sweet tomato sauce perfect for pasta. The best part it’s 8 ingredients you can pronounce and there is no extra sugar or preservatives. At first taste you are amazed that this sauce developed SO much flavor so fast. Let it sit overnight and it might just become your new favorite sauce.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED FOR ROASTED RED PEPPER SAUCE

• Tomatoes – Roma tomatoes work best because they have low water content and a firm, fleshy texture. However, if you can only find generic ‘plum’ tomatoes, those will work too! Roma is simply one variety of plum tomato. What you want to avoid are overly watery tomatoes, such as vine or slicing varieties. The higher the water content in the tomato, the thinner and waterier your sauce will be—another reason plum or Roma tomatoes are ideal.
• Red Bell Pepper
• Yellow Onions
• Garlic – Fresh only, in the bulb. We will roast the full bulbs while roasting the other ingredients then squeeze out the sweet garlic.
• Fresh Basil
• Red Pepper Flakes – Don’t worry this sauce isn’t spicy. The chili flakes balance out the natural sweetness you get from the roasted tomatoes, bell pepper, and onions.
• Olive Oil – A good extra virgin olive oil will impart a ton of flavor here.
• Salt

TOOLS NEEDED

Blender or Immersion Blender – A blender will give you a smoother sauce, but honestly, I make this sauce for its rustic texture. An immersion blender works well too and saves you the hassle of cleaning a traditional blender.

HOW TO MAKE ROASTED RED PEPPER SAUCE

Roast the Vegetables – On a sheet pan, toss tomatoes, red bell peppers, onions, and garlic generously in olive oil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Don’t worry about how everything is cut; it will all get blended later. I roughly chopped everything and kept the garlic in the skin to prevent over-browning or burning.

Roast at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 35-40 minutes. The tomatoes and onions will shrivel, the bell peppers will char, and the garlic will become super soft and sweet. Let the roasted vegetables cool for 10 minutes.

Optional but recommended: remove the skins from the tomatoes and roasted red peppers before blending. This is a rustic sauce, meant to have a slightly chunky texture. However, if you prefer a smoother consistency, removing the skins will help.

Blend – Once cooled, transfer the roasted vegetables, and chopped basil to a blender. For an easier option, simply dump the tray into the pot you’ll use for stewing and blend with an immersion blender. Be sure to include all the residual juices, but remove the garlic cloves from their skins first. This can easily be done by squeeing the base of the bulb and working the cloves out.

Blend until you reach your desired consistency. If the mixture isn’t already in a pot, transfer it now. Stir in a pinch of red pepper flakes and season with salt to taste if needed.

Simmer to Perfection – Simmer the sauce with the lid on for 5–7 minutes. From here, you can either store it in the fridge or enjoy it right away. See below for recommendations.

WAYS TO ENJOY ROSTED RED PEPPER SAUCE

Pasta – Place the desired amount of sauce in a skillet over low heat. Add the cooked pasta along with a splash of pasta water, and toss everything together. Cook for 1–2 minutes, until the sauce clings to the pasta. Finish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Pizza – Swap this sauce out for tomato sauce on homemade pizza or flatbread.

Crusty Bread – Treat this sauce like an appetizer and serve arm with some crusty bread.

Chicken or Pork – Top grilled chicken or pork with some of this sauce. This sauce would also be a great substitute for chicken Parmesan for a sweeter twist on a classic.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

CAN I JAR THIS SAUCE?

Yes, however I am not an expert in canning. I suggest you searching up basic canning instructions.

IS THIS A ROMESCO SAUCE?

No. While both sauces use roasted red peppers as a base, this one is more of a roasted red pepper pasta sauce, with tomatoes, roasted garlic, and onions added in.

STORING/REHEATING

Store in an airtight container / sealable jar in the fridge for 5-6 days. This sauce can also be frozen. If opting to freeze let the sauce cool to room temperature then section out as you please in a freezer-safe container. Soup cubes works well for this that way it is already pre-portioned out. This can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Looking for another homemade sauce? Try my Roasted Tomato Pasta Sauce … this one has a kick.