Spaghetti in roasted pepper sauce

Many pasta dishes are truly very simple in that they involve a few simple ingredients. Choosing a roasted pepper sauce as a base for your pasta dish will delight everyone.

When bell peppers are in season, Italians are doing all sorts of things to them. For example, roasting, grilling, pickling, stuffing and chopping them to create wonderful dishes. This recipe shows off the humble pepper at it’s best. Sweet, simple and amazingly pleasing to gaze upon.

The whole dish is suitable for a vegan diet, if you choose a suitable cheese. There are many vegan alternatives available in some supermarkets. You could tweak this recipe by replacing the almond milk with cream, and that will work beautifully too.

Spaghetti in roasted pepper sauce is light, healthy and simply satisfying.

Suitable for those following a vegan diet.

2 medium red, yellow or orange bell pepper (120 grams each)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 medium shallots (finely chopped)
4 medium cloves of fresh garlic (finely chopped)
1 tsp fine sea salt (to taste)
½ tsp ground black pepper (to taste)
1 ½ cups almond milk
1 ½ tbsp cornstarch (mixed in a little cold water)
12 ounces spaghetti
1 tbsp fresh Italian parsley (finely chopped)
1 tbsp fresh basil (finely chopped)

Prep the peppers

Heat the grill (broiler) on high and place the peppers on a baking sheet. Turn until the skins are charred.
Cover them in foil to allow them to steam, for 20 minutes. During this time they will cool enough for you to peel away and discard the outer skins. Remove and discard the seeds and stems, then set the peppers to one side.

Start the sauce

While the peppers are cooling, in a large frying pan over a medium heat, saute the onion and garlic in olive oil. Cook only until they are soft and not browned – about 3 – 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper – taste to check the seasoning.
Transfer the mix to a blender adding the roasted pepper and almond milk. Blend until creamy and place the mixture back into the large frying pan.
Check the seasoning and simmer over a very low heat.

Prep the pasta

Cook the pasta according to the instructions. When it is cooked, (don’t drain it), lift it out and into the large frying pan.
Toss the pasta in the sauce.

To serve

Sprinkle with the parsley and basil. At the table, have some more extra virgin olive oil for your guests to drizzle over their dish. OH, and don’t forget the grated cheese. If you are keeping this vegan, then use vegan parmesan cheese.

You can prepare the roasted pepper sauce ahead of time and even freeze batches of it. A great thing to do when peppers are in season and in abundance.