Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Roasted red pepper sauce has the richness of roasted onions, roasted garlic, all seasoned with salt, pepper, and olive oil before going into the oven. The result is a beautiful concentrated pepper flavor on top of the sweetness of the onion and garlic. For this version, I also roasted a tomato separately because I had it for a while and it was still good but I didn’t want it to go bad. So then I added one can of stewed tomatoes.

This sauce is a great vegetarian option and can easily be substituted for tomato-based meat sauce in lasagna, on roasted or breaded eggplant Parmesan, stuffed mushrooms, with pasta and any added veggies, and served on crusty bread. If you are not vegetarian, it pairs nicely with meatballs (served with rice or pasta if you don’t watch your carbs).

Start by preparing a baking sheet with parchment paper and set the oven to 425 degrees.

Core all the peppers, remove ribs and seeds, and place in a single layer. (about 6)

Peel then slice one onion into ~ 4 thick slices.

Cut the top off one garlic head to expose the garlic and set into aluminum foil.

Season everything with salt, pepper, and drizzle with olive oil.  Wrap the foil now to cover the garlic completely so it will steam.

Pop in the preheated oven for ~ 30 min.

After 30 min. take pan out of oven so you can turn over each item using tongs. At this point there should be a nice char and sounds of crackling goodness.

Pop this into the oven for another 10 min. to finish off.

Then set out to cool for ~ 30 min.

You may cover with plastic wrap which will create a steam and make it somewhat easier to remove the skins later. For me, with or without is about the same effort.

Remove the skins as best you can and pop into a food processor or blender. If you don’t have either of these, you could try an immersion blender although I have not done this method so I can’t speak to how effective it would be.

During the processing phase, I add about 1-2 tsp. of balsamic vinegar to add some more depth of flavor. You can certainly omit this. And you could add it to the peppers prior to the roasting phase so it reduces and sweetens more.

Here, you could also add fresh basil or any other herbs and spices to tailor this to your flavor palette.

This does not look glamorous but TRUST ME, it is delicious and a perfect summery light sauce for end of summer to make the best of the most fresh peppers of the season.

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Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: peppers, sauce, vegetarian

Author: maura

Ingredients

• 6-7 assorted peppers
• 1 yellow or red onion, sliced thick
• 1 garlic head, trimmed
• olive oil
• kosher salt
• coarse black pepper
• balsamic vinegar

Instructions

1. Start by preparing a baking sheet with parchment paper and set the oven to 425 degrees. Core all the peppers, remove ribs and seeds, and place in a single layer. (about 6)
2. Peel then slice one onion into ~ 4 thick slices.
3. Cut the top off one garlic head to expose the garlic and set into aluminum foil.
4. Season everything with salt, pepper, and drizzle with olive oil.
5. Pop in the preheated oven for ~ 30 min.
6. After 30 min. take pan out of oven so you can turn over each item using tongs. At this point there should be a nice char and sounds of crackling goodness.
7. Pop this into the oven for another 10 min. to finish off.
8. Then set out to cool for ~ 30 min.
9. You may cover with plastic wrap which will create a steam and make it somewhat easier to remove the skins later. For me, with or without is about the same effort.
10. Remove the skins as best you can and pop into a food processor or blender. If you don’t have either of these, you could try an immersion blender although I have not done this method so I can’t speak to how effective it would be.
11. During the processing phase, I add about 1-2 tsp. of balsamic vinegar to add some more depth of flavor. You can certainly omit this. And you could add it to the peppers prior to the roasting phase so it reduces and sweetens more.
12. Here, you could also add fresh basil or any other herbs and spices to tailor this to your flavor palette.

Recipe Notes

1. freezes well
2. I usually put some into a smaller container to freeze, enough to use as a pizza sauce on a homemade pizza which is delish!!!
3. if making stuffed mushrooms, this is a nice sauce to serve with
4. great for eggplant Parmesan or chicken Parmesan for a lighter meal vs. a heavier meaty tomato sauce