published 9/12/2020
With only a few ingredients this Perfectly Imperfect Pasta Sauce packs a lot of wonderful flavor! By using plant-based Milk and Butter, you can enjoy this dish dairy-free as well. If you need to feed especially hungry bellies, add in some chicken or shrimp to have an extra filling and delicious meal!!
PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOK TIME 15 minutes
SERVINGS: 4
ingredients
- 3 Roasted Red Bell Peppers*
- 1-2 lbs Pasta (I used Casarecce)**
- 1 cup Milk***
- 3 Garlic Cloves
- 2 TBSP Butter****
- 3 TBSP Flour
- 3 cups/handfuls Spinach
- Salt and Pepper to taste*****
GARNISH (Optional)
- Grated Parmesan/Pecorino Cheese
- Lemon Zest
- Fresh Basil
*My favorite way to roast peppers is to lay them directly on the gas flames of my stove. Just place them on the flame and turn them until they are completely charred. It’s faster to use multiple flames and/or more than 1 Pepper per flame. Once the outside skin is black all over, place them in a ziplock bag – squeeze the air out and seal it.
If you don’t have a gas stove, place them on a broiler pan covered with aluminum foil and broil as close to the heat source as possible. Rotate them as they char and begin to make popping sounds.
You can also buy jarred Roasted Red Peppers if you don’t want to do them yourself. It can get pricey but will save you time.
**You can use a long or short pasta for this recipe (I have done it both ways and it did not make a difference.) With short noodles you may want to use more than 1 package to feed the same amount of people.
***I use unflavored Oat Milk in all my cooking for health reasons. It is, in my opinion, the closest plant-based milk to cow milk in flavor and consistency (especially Chobani Extra Creamy Oat Milk.) However, use whatever milk you prefer in your home.
****For the same reasons I use Country Crock Avocado Butter for everything requiring butter. It’s the best thing out there as an alternative to real dairy butters.
*****When using plant-based ingredients, I tend to use a bit more Salt than I usually do. Don’t under salt the Sauce because you feel like you are adding too much. TASTE AND TASTE again until it makes you smile…then you’ve seasoned it enough.
instructions
- Boil water for Pasta. Cook 1-2 minutes under the time on the box instructions and drain. (If your pasta is done more than a few minutes before the sauce, make sure to drizzle it with some Olive Oil to prevent sticking.
- While the Pasta is cooking, rub the charred skin off the Peppers, using a paper towel, and discard. Cut off the stems and remove the seeds from the Peppers as well, then place them in a blender or food processor. Add the Milk and Garlic. Puree until smooth.
- Melt the Butter in a medium-large pot. Whisk in Flour and cook for about 1 minute over low heat. Pour in the Pepper puree, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Whisk to remove any clumps of Flour. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3-4 minutes (or until the Pasta is done cooking if it didn’t cook first.)
- Combine the Sauce and Pasta and stir together over medium low heat. Add the Spinach and continue to stir until the Spinach is wilted and the Sauce has thickened (about 3 minutes.)
- To serve, garnish with Lemon Zest, grated Cheese, and chopped Basil. ENJOY!!
Did you try this recipe? Please share any comments or suggestions below!!
