Creamy Red Pepper Sauce
This creamy red pepper sauce is seriously delicious. The vibrant, sweet flavor of the roasted pepper puree is a major burst of yum in your mouth.
Every bite has serious goodness: roasted pepper puree, shallots, garlic, red onion, heavy cream, and porky sausage. Garnish with fresh basil and freshly grated parmesan; you’ll want to take a bow when serving to your peeps.
There’s nothing like big, plump red bell peppers at the end of August, but they are indeed a favorite all year round. I really encourage you to roast your own peppers for this recipe. It’s easy, dramatically cheaper than jarred, and will produce a fresher, more vibrant dish. But if you are truly pressed for time, jarred peppers will work, too.
This pasta dish is a star on its own! Serve it with some crusty warm bread and a simple side salad, and you have an easy and impressive meal. Don’t forget the wine!!!!
Ingredients for Creamy Red Pepper Sauce
- Red Bell Peppers – roasted and julienned.
- Sweet Sausage – casings removed. Spicy sausage works well too.
- Red onion – julienned.
- Heavy cream – light cream can be substituted, but it won’t make the sauce as creamy or thick.
- Garlic – freshly minced.
- Shallot – freshly minced, too.
- Olive Oil– I always like to use high-quality olive oil when cooking.
- White wine – dry white, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc.
- Basil – fresh PLEASE.
- Parmesan Cheese – a block of freshly grated parmesan cheese is always suggested, especially on a pasta dish.
- Pasta – rigatoni works exceptionally well with this sauce, but just about any pasta will do. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water to add the sauce at the end.
How to Make Creamy Red Pepper Sauce
First, roast the peppers. Quarter four peppers, remove seeds and white veins, and lay them on a lightly oiled sheet pan, skin side down. Roast in a preheated oven at 450 degrees for 30-40 minutes until the skin is blistered, turning once halfway. Place the charred peppers in a zip-lock or paper bag and let rest for about 20 minutes. When cool, remove the skin from the pepper.
Next, puree the roasted, peeled peppers in a food processor. Set aside.
Now, let’s start the sauce. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove the sausage from its casings and add it to the pan; break it up with a wooden spoon, cook until slightly browned, then remove from the pan and set aside.
Next, add 1/4 cup of olive oil; when hot, add garlic, shallots, julienned peppers, and red onions. Saute for 1 minute, and then add the white wine.
Next, turn the heat to medium-high and simmer until the wine reduces, 3-5 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and add heavy cream, red pepper puree, cooked sausage, and salt. Simmer for about 2-3 minutes, add parmesan cheese.
Finally, toss the sauce with cooked pasta. Add reserved pasta water 1/4 cup at a time until desired consistency. Garnish with fresh basil and grated parmesan cheese. And unlock the gluttony.
Recipe Variations
- Make it vegetarian-friendly and omit the sausage.
- Substitute chicken or shrimp for the sausage.
- If pressed for time, you can use jarred roasted red peppers instead of roasting them. Just be sure they are drained of all liquids in the jar.
Make Ahead & Storing
- This sauce can absolutely be made ahead of the company’s arrival. Just don’t toss with the pasta until ready to serve.
- Store the sauce in an air-tight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. However, I don’t recommend freezing.
- Once tossed with the pasta, it can be stored in an air-tight container for 1-2 days. Reheat in the microwave for about 2 minutes. The sauce isn’t as creamy, but my boys love this quick reheat option as a late-night snack. I wish… to be young again.
Helpful Pasta Tips
- Use a big enough pot. Pasta needs room to move—don’t crowd it!
- Salt like you mean it. Add at least 1 tablespoon of salt per pound of pasta to the boiling water. It’s your one shot at seasoning the pasta itself.
- No oil in the water. It might sound helpful, but it actually keeps sauce from sticking. Hard pass.
- Wait for a rolling boil. Adding pasta too early = gummy, sticky noodles. Be patient.
- Stir right away. The moment the pasta hits the water, give it a stir. Keeps everything from clumping.
- Al dente is the goal. Start checking around the 3-minute mark. You want that perfect bite—not mush.
- Save that starchy water! Before draining, scoop out a cup. It’s liquid gold for thinning or emulsifying sauces.
- Never rinse. You’ll wash away all that glorious starch that helps the sauce cling.
- Toss pasta with the sauce. Don’t plop pasta on top—mix it right in so the sauce can soak into every bite.
Creamy Red Pepper Sauce
Equipment
- sauce pan
- Large Pot for boiling water
- Food Processor
- baking pan
Ingredients
Red Bell Pepper Puree
- 3 large red bell peppers
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
- 1/2 pound sweet pork sausage about 3 links, casings removed
- 1 red bell pepper julienned
- 1/2 cup red onion julienned
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- 1 tbsp shallots minced
- 1/4 cup olive oil plus 1 tablespoon
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 3 tbsp fresh basil chopped
- 1 pound rigatoni or penne
- 1 cup reserved pasta water
Instructions
Red Pepper Puree
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Brush the baking pan with olive oil.
- Cut bell pepper into 4 quarters. Remove seeds and white veins from the peppers. Lay on the pan skin side down without touching.
- Bake until skins are blistered and charred. About 30-40 minutes, turning halfway. Place peppers in a zip lock bag or airtight container for about 20 minutes.
- Once cooled, remove skins and place in in a food processor. Process until peppers have turned into a puree. Set aside.
Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
- Heat the saucepan with 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Remove sausage from casing, add the sausage to the hot pan and break up with a wooden spoon, saute until browned. About 5-7 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Once it becomes hot, add red bell pepper, onions, shallots, and garlic, and saute for about 1 minute. Add wine.
- Simmer on medium-high heat until the wine starts to reduce., 3-5 minutes. Turn the heat to medium, and add the cream, red pepper puree mixture, sausage, and salt. Simmer for about 1 minute, and then add the cheese.
- Toss cooked pasta into the sauce. Add reserved pasta water 1/4 cup at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
- Garnish with chopped basil and extra-grated parmesan cheese.
