Okay, so this recipe is pretty expensive. I’ll admit that up front. BUT I had almost an entire jar of roasted red peppers leftover. Yes, I could have frozen them for later use, but I decided to just go ahead and use them up on the spot and not risk losing them to the depths of my freezer. And I think it’s important to show ways you can repurpose leftover ingredients to make sure they don’t go to waste. So, I made this ultra simple, yet totally decadent Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, which can be used several different ways.
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“I’m allergic to tomatoes and have a dairy sensitivity so this was amazing substituting coconut cream and using it as a pizza sauce on my cauliflower crust!”
SUZETTE
I’ve always loved the sweet, smoky flavor of roasted red peppers, so when I had extra on hand after making hummus four ways, I figured it was the perfect excuse to try something new. This Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Sauce came together so easily, and the result was rich, velvety, and packed with flavor.
It’s one of those sauces that feels fancy but is actually super simple—perfect for using as a tomato-free alternative to marinara. But I think my favorite way to consume this sauce is just as a dip for some really good bread. Just break off a chunk of your favorite bread and start sopping up the delicious sauce, or slice it, brush it with olive oil, and toast it up in your oven for a little crunch. Either way, this sauce makes a great appetizer or addition to a party tray (try sprinkling a little crumbled feta on there, too!).
Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Servings 4Ingredients
- 1 16oz. jar roasted red peppers ($4.49)
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.27)
- 4 cloves garlic ($0.32)
- 1/2 tsp dried basil ($0.05)
- Freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream ($0.87)
Instructions
- Add the roasted red peppers to a blender along with about 2 Tbsp of the liquid from the jar. Purée the peppers until smooth, adding a tablespoon or two of water if needed to help it blend (avoid adding too much liquid from the jar as it can be very acidic).
- Mince the garlic and add it to a skillet with the butter. Sauté the garlic in the butter over medium-low heat for 1-2 minutes, or just until the garlic has softened and becomes very fragrant (but not browned). Pour in the puréed peppers, and add the dried basil and some freshly cracked pepper. Stir to combine.
- Allow the sauce to come up to a simmer. Turn the heat down to low and let the sauce simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring often, or until the mixture is thick (see photos below).
- Add the heavy cream to the skillet, stir until the sauce is smooth, and allow to heat through. Taste the sauce ad add salt if needed (I found the liquid from the jar added enough salt for me). Serve warm.
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Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Roasted Red Pepper Sauce Step-by-Step Photos
These are the roasted red peppers that I had on hand. They were organic, so you may be able to cut back on the price of the sauce if you can find a better deal (this 16oz. jar was $4.49). You can also use red bell peppers that you’ve roasted at home, but you may need to add salt to the sauce at the end.
Purée the peppers: Add the roasted red peppers to a blender, along with a couple tablespoons of the liquid from the jar. Purée the peppers until smooth. If you need more liquid to make them blend properly, add water rather than more liquid from the jar because the canning liquid can be quite acidic. You’ll end up with about 1.5 cups of red pepper purée.
Sauté garlic: Mince four cloves of garlic and sauté them in 2 Tbsp butter over medium-low heat for about 1-2 minutes, or until the garlic is soft and fragrant, but not browned.
Pour in the Roasted Red Pepper purée.
Stir to combine: Add 1/2 tsp dried basil and some freshly cracked pepper. Stir to combine and let the sauce come up to a simmer. Turn the heat down to low and let it simmer, stirring frequently, for 10-15 minutes, or until it is thick (see next photo).
When the sauce is thick enough to leave a blank trail in the skillet when you stir it, it’s time to add the cream.
Add heavy cream: Stir in 1/2 cup heavy cream. Taste the sauce and add salt if needed (I did not add any as the liquid from the jar gave my sauce enough salt). It’s ready to eat! You should have about 1.5 cups of sauce, which is enough for about 8oz. of pasta.
This Creamy Roasted Red Pepper sauce is totally luscious.
I ended up using it on my leftover rigatoni from the other day, with some sautéed spinach and Italian sausage. PERFECT. (But I would have been just as happy with a loaf of good bread. ;) )
How to store and reheat
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. This sauce will freeze well, but I recommend freezing in portions, as you don’t want to thaw it more than once. A great trick to prevent freezer burn is to lay a sheet of plastic across the surface of the sauce and then put a lid on it.
Serving Suggestions
This sauce is incredibly versatile—it’s delicious tossed with pasta, spread on pizza dough as a flavorful base, or served as a dip with warm, crusty bread. I love pairing it with my spinach and feta turkey meatballs, and it’s a great substitute for marinara in my eggplant Mozarella sandwiches.
Ladle some on bottom of dish. Top with store bought spinach -cheese stuffed cannelloni. Cover with more sauce.Add your choice of cheese. Bake covered as per the instructions on pkg of cannelloni. Eg 350 for 25 minutes or more if from frozen .
Remove cover and brown by using low broil setting for ~4 mins.
I’m allergic to tomatoes so I am so greatful for this recipe. I can now sub. It for tomatoes in my recipes. I plan on making a big batch and freezing it.
AMAZING. i doubled this recipe for a full box of penne and some homemade turkey and pork meatballs and it went so much better than anticipated. i also used dairy free heavy cream and it was still amazing. super simple and extremely tasty!!
i got my peppers from LIDL. they came in 22.9oz jars where i am so i did have to use a scale to weigh out the extra peppers i needed to double the original quantity.
the only problem i had was with simmering the sauce. i think i had the heat too high so it didnt thicken the way i wanted. i also think i added a bit too much water from the jar when i blended the peppers originally. but adding cheese and letting the sauce sit off heat helped out and it was the PERFECT consistency to cover all the noodles and meatballs. this was my human error, NOT the recipe!! just something to keep in mind so you can avoid my lil mistakes :)
and since i doubled the recipe, i did the garlic and butter in a pot and then added the blended peppers since i knew it would be too much liquid for my pan, especially after adding the cream.
i highlyyyyy recommend!!!!!
This recipe is SO good. I have used it many times with pasta since I cannot have red sauce. I just cant find roasted red peppers in water at the grocery store. The ones in brine are acidic
I had to give up eating tomatoes. This is perfect. Thank you
Delicious, and thank you! Hardest food I had to give up is tomatoes and this works!!!
Great to add to ground sausage meat. Thank you for the recipe
Awesome sauce. I use it on turkey and bacon sandwiches. Simply delish.
Thanks for the recipe.
Is this freezable?
Thanks. Great recipe. Only addition was 2 Tbs tomato paste. This worked perfect to replace marinara sauce in our Spaghetti Pie recipe.
I recently discovered that I have developed a sensitivity to tomatoes and gluten. This makes me sad. Luckily, I found this recipe! Exciting! Now together with a gluten free pizza crust recipe….pizza is still on the menu. I’m happy again!
I need this recipe. I had never heard of this before but my daughter had me searching for it at Krogers so I asked safari what roasted red pepper sauce was and I found this recipe. Sounds awesome.
I missed this recipe when you first posted it, but a local restaurant serves amazing spinach lasagna with red pepper sauce, and I was looking to duplicate it and found this by searching your site. This sauce was perfect. I left out the cream as there was plenty of ricotta and mozzarella in the lasagna, and used 1 T minced fresh basil, as my plant is getting large enough to support lots of cooking with it. I often pick up a jar of roasted peppers when they are on sale, so the price for this sauce was quite reasonable. My lasagna was awesome!
Spectacular!!
This sauce is absolutely amazing