Story
One day, like many days I was craving pasta. Truth be told it’s probably my go to dish to make for my family. Who does not love a bowl of saucy creamy pasta? It is pure comfort food at its best and topped with garlicky shrimp, yum.
I had been daydreaming about a creamy roasted bell pepper sauce and decided to take a shortcut and purchase jarred roasted bell peppers. This dish made for a quick weeknight supper during a very busy week, it was surprisingly elegant and would be perfect to serve for dinner guests or even a lovely romantic dinner entree.
My husband is a meat eater and likes to have some type of protein with his meal, so I cooked some garlicky shrimp in a separate skillet and added it to the sauce a couple of minutes before serving. It’s very easy to overcook shrimp and gummy shrimp are not appealing in the slightest. The dish is perfect on its own and is also superb without meat.
Mise en place
Ingredients(For the sauce)
- 1 16 oz. jar or 2 8 oz jars of fire roasted bell peppers
- 1 Tbsp of Olive oil
- 2 Tbsp of Butter
- 1 whole onion small diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 cup of salty pasta water
- 1⁄2 cup of heavy cream
- 1⁄4 cup of grated parmesan
- 2 heaping Tbsp of chopped parsley
- 1 lb. of spaghetti, linguine or any pasta you choose
Method
In a heavy pot, bring 6 quarts of water to a roaring boil, be sure to add kosher salt to the water, it is your only chance to flavor the pasta noodles itself. Cook pasta according to package directions.
Cook until Al Dente. (Al Dente means cook until firm when you bite it).
In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, add the roasted bell peppers and puree until smooth.
Place a sauté pan 12 inch on the stove and set to medium heat, add butter and olive oil to the pan. Once it is nice and hot, add diced onion to the pan. Saute till translucent about 6 min. Then add minced garlic. Be sure not to burn the garlic. Next, add pureed bell pepper sauce. Let simmer for 15 minutes on low heat. Stir often, give it some love. Add seasonings (salt and pepper to taste) parmesan and heavy cream. Inhale the aroma, it is almost time to eat.
This dish comes together rather quickly. Before draining the pasta, reserve the 1⁄2 cup of pasta water. If the sauce seems too thick add some pasta water a little at a time. You may not need that much, so add it slowly. It is a beautiful sauce and should be thick, rich and creamy.
Add drained pasta to the pan with the sauce. Toss together and add chopped parsley. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Additional toppings
Sauteed shrimp or chicken
Serves 4-6 people