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 from my hummus making extravaganza last week, and due to poor planning, I didn’t have another use for the leftover peppers. 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.
Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
How to Use Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
The most obvious use for this sauce is as a tomato-free alternative to marinara. It’s nice to change things up once in a while and there are a lot of people who can’t eat tomatoes, so this is a great way to go. On that note, you could probably also use it on a pizza as an alternative to traditional pizza sauce (it would be amazing on a mediterranean style pizza).
But I think my favorite way to consume this sauce is just as a dip for some really good bread. Either 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!).
So, if you ever find yourself with a jar of roasted red peppers…
Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Ingredients
- 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.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!
I can’t lie. I could just eat a baguette dipped in this sauce as a meal. 😅 Maybe with a little goat cheese, too!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. ;) )
Can this sauce be frozen? My daughter is 35 weeks pregnant and is finishing her final year of college. I’m making as many healthy things for her as possible to help her and her hard working spouse during these last few weeks. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Dude, what an awesome mom move! It has to be bananas to see your little girl ready to have a child of their own. I’m all sorts of mushy about it! 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. Have fun with your new grandbaby! XOXO -Monti
I made this with roasted red peppers (3) and it turned out delicious! I ended up using more butter since I’m allergic to olive oil in addition to tomatoes. Unfortunately with inflation the peppers were a bit expensive but absolutely worth it! I also recommend adding some sort of acid like lemon juice or even citric acid to mimic the acidity of tomatoes.
How many peppers might be the equivalent of the peppers in the jar? I’m stoked to try this with my girlfriend who doesn’t like tomato sauce or Alfredo, my two favorite pasta saucesÂ
It’s hard to say, maybe 3?
Thanks for this recipe. In addition to not being able to eat tomatoes, we don’t eat wheat or oats because of allergies and another health condition. It is really hard to cook when you have to avoid tomatoes and wheat.
Paired it with some Alligator stuffed mushrooms, my guest loved it!
*Please* tell me those are what they sound like — mushrooms stuffed with alligator meat?!? Uhm, and then please share this recipe. I am fascinated! (and live in a place where alligator is not available)
How long will this sauce keep
I usually only keep cooked food for 4-5 days in the fridge.
Love this recipe! I decided to roast some cloves of garlic until they got mushy instead of mincing and sauteing. Came out mellow and incredibly flavorful.
My in-laws are trying to avoid carbs, so I poured this over some seared chicken breast and zucchini, topped it with some mozzarella cheese and browned it under the broiler. BIG hit. Cheap, relatively healthy, and super flavorful.
The sauce was perfecto! We served it over spinach ravioli (his) and portabella mushrooms (hers) both with blackened shrimp! I roasted fresh peppers orange, yellow and red which is what we had on hand v/s the jar.Â
I was given a bagful of green bell pepper and used it for this. Not as pretty looking as yours but it tasted delicious, nonetheless!
This was delightful! Added freshly grated parmesan and 1/3 ricotta cheese. You know I love a recipe if I download as a PDF!
Thanks for sharing this amazing information. I am allergic to tomatoes and any of it products. I will be trying this.
I roasted my own red peppers. When they were cool, I pureed them in the Cuisinart and followed the rest of the recipe. I did add 2 more TBS of butter and a pinch of red pepper flakes. I also used fresh basil (because I happened to have it. it was delicious.