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Ditch the jars and whip up this flavorful and veggie-packed Roasted Red Pepper Sauce. Made from whole red peppers and tomatoes, this sauce is sure to be a winner with the whole family!
The BEST Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
It’s the summer of sauce around here and I’m not at all sorry about it. Yes, this is another recipe inspired by my garden. What can I say? When you have an abundance of peppers, tomatoes and tomatillos growing and ready for harvest, you get creative!
I also love making sauce using our fresh summer produce and then freezing it for the winter. That way I don’t have to reach for the jarred stuff and can use my homemade versions instead. Sure, I could start canning but we go through our sauces so quickly that there really isn’t a point. The freezer does the trick!
I love this roasted red pepper sauce for when you need a break from the taste of your usual tomato sauce and are craving the sweetness of red bell peppers (my favorite!). Roasting the bell peppers and tomatoes amplifies the flavor and makes the cooking process so much easier.
You roast and then blend and you’ve got yourself a delicious sauce recipe ready for your next meal!
Ingredients in Red Pepper Sauce
- Red Bell Peppers – I prefer to use roasted red peppers in this recipe as they provide the most flavor and sweetness.
- Vine tomatoes – Yes, we’re also including tomatoes in this red pepper sauce. They help to build-out the depth of flavor and work to keep the sauce extra “saucy”.
- Garlic cloves – It isn’t sauce without garlic!
- Olive oil – For roasting.
- Fresh basil – Roughly 1/2-1 cup but you can eye ball it!
- Italian seasoning – You could also use oregano if that’s all you have.
- Salt + Pepper – I made suggestions for amounts but feel free to reduce if watching sodium levels.
How to Make Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
STEP 1: ROAST
In a 9 x 13 inch dish place whole red peppers (pull off stems but keep whole), halved tomatoes (skin side up) and garlic cloves and drizzle with olive oil and a 1/4 tsp of sea salt. Bake for 40 minutes.
STEP 2: STEAM
Remove from oven and cover with a piece of tinfoil to steam for 10 minutes. Remove foil and let sit for 20 minutes. Peel off skin from red peppers and remove seeds.
STEP 3: BLEND
Place all baked ingredients into a food processor or blender and pulse several times. Add in fresh basil, italian seasoning, 1 tsp of sea salt and black pepper. Pulse several more times until desired consistency is reached. You can enjoy your sauce smooth or chunky.
How to Use Red Pepper Sauce
- Pasta – My go-to! Top onto your pasta of choice or gluten-free noodles.
- Pizza – Use in place of regular marinara sauce on your pizza.
- Sandwiches – add as a spread to your sandwiches or wraps.
- Add to veggie noodles – for a low carb option add your red pepper sauce to spiralized zucchini noodles or other veggie noodles of choice.
Easy Swaps + Substitutions
Add Veggies – Add veggies directly to your sauce and allow to cook on a simmer for 10-20 minutes. Asparagus, green beans or fresh herbs all work great.
Add Meat – Pre-cook your steak, chicken or Italian sausage and mix right into the sauce.
Add cheese – If you’re not vegan or dairy-free, I highly recommend adding some parmesan cheese directly to your sauce. You could also use nutritional yeast instead of you are vegan.
Make it creamy – add 1/2-1 cup of heavy cream for a creamier sauce. Just stir right into food processor or blender.
Make it spicy – add 1-2 tsp of red pepper flakes for an arrabbiata twist on roasted red pepper sauce.
Storage Instructions
Fridge – you can store this red pepper pasta sauce recipe in an airtight container the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Reheat on stovetop or in microwave.
Freezer – freeze your red pepper sauce in an airtight, freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 6 months. Allow to thaw on countertop. Reheat on stovetop or in microwave.
More Pasta Sauce Recipes
- Homemade Tomato Sauce
- Kale Pesto Sauce
- Sun Dried Tomato Sauce
- Tofu Bolognese Sauce
- Hidden Veggie Pasta Sauce
Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Ditch the jars and whip up this flavorful and veggie-packed Roasted Red Pepper Sauce. Made from whole red peppers and tomatoes, this sauce is sure to be a winner with the whole family!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Cook
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 3 red bell peppers, stems removed
- 1 lb vine tomatoes (roughly 5), halved
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled + kept whole
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- handful of fresh basil
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a 9 x 13 inch dish place whole red peppers (pull off stems but keep whole),halved tomatoes (skin side up) and garlic cloves and drizzle with olive oil and a 1/4 tsp of sea salt.
- Bake for 40 minutes.
- Remove from oven and cover with a piece of tinfoil to steam for 10 minutes.
- Remove foil and let sit for 20 minutes to cool.
- Peel off skin from red peppers and remove seeds.
- Place all baked ingredients into a food processor or blender and pulse several times.
- Add in fresh basil, Italian seasoning, 1 tsp of sea salt and black pepper. Pulse several more times until desired consistency is reached. You can enjoy your sauce smooth or chunky.
- Serve over pasta, spiralized noodles or base of choice (see notes above)
*I like to double this recipe and freeze half of the batch for later use. See notes above for storage instructions.
I hear ya! Last weekend we did a spontaneous grocery trip while our car was in the shop and spent almost $200 on groceries we didn’t even know we needed. I totally DIY as much as I can – cheaper, better tasting, and healthier for sure, but even good quality raw ingredients really add up! I’m with you on the food hoarding…2 fridges + chest freezer 🙂 At least if the zombies come, we’ll be good for months.
Seriously, grocery stores are a curse and blessing both. Always go with good intentions, leave with anything but.
Crushing on that fork standing up like the CT tower.
Lee asked me yesterday what “that tall weird looking building” was. My mouth dropped when she’d never heard of the CN tower. It’s like the only thing we’re famous for…now I feel worthless!
Welcome to my world. 🙂
You can get a fantastic deep freezer from Craig’s List for a decent price, and beans freeze just fine. Don’t let anyone tell you different.
Although I will say, you buying canned beans and sauces in no way makes you lazy. In fact, I’d be willing to bet you work your ass off. Sometimes you gotta compromise. For me, it’s almond milk. Sure I could make it, but ain’t nobody got time for that.
Girl, the out-of-control grocery bill is a real struggle. I shop like I’m feeding a family of four. I should probably reel that in a bit. Anyways, this sauce looks so good! I love the roasted tomato idea…I’ll definitely be putting this over some zoodles soon!
I’m a sucker for homemade tomato sauce!! I could seriously eat sauce with a spoon by itself… or even better, with a hunk of fresh bread!
I struggle so much with saving at the grocery store too. My grocery bills are always insanely high thanks to my love for fish, Greek yogurt, and cheese. And then there’s also the $200 I spend yearly on Barney Butter lol! Yeah I’m thinking I’m going to have to reign things in a bit when I move out next month. Some meatless dinners are definitely going to be in order, although I’m not sure how well that’s going to go over with JZ.
This pasta sauce looks fabulous though. Pinning it! 🙂
I swear the grocery is the only place I buy ANYTHING these days. I’ve slowed down my meat consumption some so that helped but it can definitely get expensive.
Also, lack of freezer space is a serious issue with me. Meal prep is hard when you have nowhere to store all the things you make cuz your 4 roommates are doing the same thing…
Love the before and after picture of the roasted veggies! I definitely need to start a grocery budget, I spend waaaay too much on groceries!
The smell of tomatoes and peppers roasting is the best! I would totally make this. I’m currently saving for our next vacation and the grocery budget always tends to pop up when I’m wondering why I haven’t saved more!
I spend A LOT of money on food. Trying not to live off of Easy Mac and Ramen is not cheap! I’m also a big traveler, so I’m trying to save for the dream Europe and/or New Zealand trip.