Pepper Sauce for Pasta
World's Best Pasta Sauce
Easy and Delicious Pasta Sauce
Allow me to apologize in advance. Why am I apologizing? Because, after you taste this sauce, the world will change forever. You will crave it, dream about it and do anything to eat more of it. You may become an addict, forsaking all other foods. You might start ignoring your family, choosing instead to spend time with the sauce. This is why I begin with an apology. You have been warned. Keep reading for the greatest taste sensation you will ever experience.
This recipe will make enough wonder-sauce for two people, depending upon how much sauce they like on their pasta.
PS - this photo is not of the actual sauce. I didn't have a camera on me when i made it, but this is pretty much what it looks like.
Did You Know?
Did you know that Paprika is dried bell pepper (capsicum) that is ground up? Neither did I. Learning this little factoid is what inspired this sauce.
The Concept
I’ve been working a lot on blending, balancing and high-lighting flavors when something interesting wormed it’s way into my brain. That worm was a simple question, “What if you just made a sauce that was only made out of different kinds of peppers?” Such a simple thought. My first reaction was probably the same as yours i.e. would it be balanced? would it be over powering? There was only one way to find out, so I started dreaming up the sauce.
Originally I was going to use coconut milk as a base for this sauce but, since I didn’t have any and it was raining, I decided to use the tomato sauce I already had.
Simple Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 x 16 oz can Tomato Sauce
- 2 Bell Peppers, Red
- Black Pepper
- Salt
- Paprika, Hungarian
- Garlic Oil
- Onion (optional)
Notes
Bell peppers: You can use yellow bell peppers or even green if you prefer or, for a real treat, go to the grocery store and buy one of those jars of pickled red bell peppers. They come in pickle juice and deliver an amazing amount of taste. Plus there's no need to roast them. They are squishy and soft and help make a velvety smooth sauce.
Tomato Sauce: You can use either a tomato puree or a can of diced tomatoes (or even whole plum tomatoes) if you want your sauce a little chunkier. Diced and whole plums will deliver chunkier yet thinner and more watery sauce while puree will be silky smooth but thicker.
Paprika: Hungarian paprika is considered the most flavorful spend a few pennies more and get the best. I like smoked paprika but sweet paprika also works really well in this sauce.
Canned Food
Canned tomatoes are a great, versatile ingredient but need to be cooked until the 'canned' taste goes away. The longer you simmer them on a low heat, the better the flavor that you will get out of them.
Cooking Instructions
- Roast the two, red bell peppers, over an open flame or in a fry pan, until the skin is black and comes off easily. You can leave the skin on, if you prefer, I often do. Cooking the peppers in this way makes them sweeter. To remove the skins, seal the still warm peppers inside a ziplock bag and leave them for 15-20 minutes. When you open the back the skins should scrape off with the help of a butter knife, spoon, fork or even your hands.
- Once cooked, put the bell peppers into a blender along with the can of tomato sauce and blend until smooth.
- Pour the tomato sauce / bell pepper mix into a pan and bring it to a simmer.
- Add black pepper and Paprika to taste. Remember that sauce always tastes stronger until you pour it over the pasta so you will want to make it a little stronger than you want the final result to be. The longer the sauce simmers, the more the flavor it develops but this sauce is very flavorful immediately, making this a very fast and easy recipe.
- Pour over pasta and send me a thank you note ;)
Best Pasta Sauce Recipe
Options
On it's own, this sauce is delightful but it can also serve as a wonderful base on which to build other flavors. See below for some of the different versions of this sauce I and my loved ones have enjoyed.
Adding Onion: You can also add an onion to this sauce which gives it a wonderful sweetness that accents the other flavors. Just dice the onion, sweat it in a saucepan and then throw it in the blender with the bell peppers and tomato sauce. Blend until smooth.
Adding Mushrooms: Mushrooms are a food that I try to work into every dish and this one was no different. Salt them to draw some of the moisture out and leave them in a strainer in the sink. After about 30 minutes, heat a pan with a little oil in it (garlic vinaigrette is what I use). Cut the mushrooms into bite sized pieces and then throw them in the hot oil to sear, just like you would a steak. Pour the mushrooms and the oil right into the sauce. Fantastic!
Garlic Oil: Garlic Oil. I always have garlic vinaigrette because I always have garlic and, when it starts to get a little old, I throw it into a container of oil. This keeps me from wasting garlic and gives me a steady supply of tasty oil to use for cooking. If you want to add some to this sauce, it works beautifully.
Congratulations!
You have now made the world's greatest pasta sauce. Remember, with great power comes great responsibility, so use this sauce wisely and never use it for evil. It's worth noting that, the longer this sauce sits around before it is used, the more the flavors will mature so, if you can let it rest for a few days before using it, the more tasty it will be.
