ROASTED RED PEPPER PASTA

And when I say easy I mean good, realllllly good (AU stamped and approved).

This fun dinner is made with jarred roasted red peppers. If you love the hummus there is not doubt you will love this pasta dish. It’s simple with minimal ingredients and a cooking time of about 15 minutes. Yes that is right.

The flavors in this come from the roasted black bits on the peppers with a little garlic and of course sweet yellow onion. Have you tried these jarred peppers before? I used Mt. Olive’s but there are plenty of brands to choose from. This was my first adventure with these delectable red slimy things but listen up; they were the bomb. And the ingredients listed weren’t terrible, oh and lets not forget it is a vegetable ;).

I saw this recipe on the Pioneer Women one morning on Food Network but this version is slightly lightened up for the healthier folks out there who love food as much as Ambs does.

I received an awesome Christmas present from my sister and brother-in-law this year, a handheld blender. Man that thing is powerful. It completely blended the red pepper sauce and it was so fast. It has 5 speed settings and multiple attachments, a kitchen lovers dream. You can see my blended sauce above and how well the handheld blender handled it.

A great thing about this recipe is ways to play up it’s healthiness or if you’re having a cheat night add more cheese of course. Mushrooms would be a great addition, as well as asparagus, tomatoes, and even zucchini. Just saute the veggies separately to the pepper sauce and toss in with the pasta at the very end. I would of enjoyed some extra crunchy greenery.

Go ahead, elevate yo healthiness.

If you’re feeling the protein craving coming along, simply saute a chicken breast or even grill it with a little s&p, slice it up and toss it in with the rest. I love to toss all the ingredients right in the pan so I always choose to use a bigger pan to start, even if my sauce is smaller (remember you need room to toss).

We stayed simple with Parmesan on top and just pennette from Trader Joes (thought it was penne but it’s a little smaller and completely flat).

This makes plenty so AU and I had leftovers afterwards, basically we had 4 servings out of it. It would also work as a side pasta dish to any meat you’re in the mood for.

I loved this versatile meal lightened up, hope you do too.