As you know from my previous posts, I am a pasta fiend. While I am guilty of using store bought sauces frequently, nothing beats a homemade sauce. This is a borrowed recipe from Minimalist Baker that I just had to share. If you are not familiar with Minimalist Baker, it is a great Vegan blog written by a husband and wife team who create recipes that are quick, relatively simple, and contain minimal ingredients. I read the blog daily and I highly recommend it for anyone who loves to create healthy, delicious meals without spending a zillion dollars on obscure ingredients that you will only use once. This Roasted Red Pepper Pasta really hits the spot when you are looking for comfort food. It’s so warming with just the right hint of spice. It is one of my new go-to weeknight pasta recipes. You can use regular pasta instead of gluten free, if desired. I like to switch up my pasta from whole wheat to gluten free on occasion. I’m open to all pastas, really :). This pasta is definitely a crowd-pleaser. No one would ever know that it’s vegan, gluten free, and just all around “healthy.” Shhh, it will be our little secret.
Active Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
2 red bell peppers 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 shallots, finely chopped 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped Sea salt and ground black pepper 1½ cups unsweetened almond milk 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast 1½ tablespoons cornstarch Pinch red pepper flake (optional, for heat) 12 ounces gluten free linguini or spaghetti noodles (or other noodle of choice)
Chopped fresh basil, for serving
Directions:
Heat oven to 500 degrees F and roast red peppers on a baking sheet until charred, about 25-30 minutes. Cover in foil for 10 minutes to steam, then remove (peel away) charred skin, seeds and stems. Set aside. Cook pasta according to package instructions; drain, toss in a touch of olive oil, cover with a towel and set aside. While the red peppers are roasting, bring a large skillet over medium heat and sautee onion and garlic in olive oil until golden brown and soft, about 4-5 minutes. Season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper and stir. Remove from heat and set aside. Transfer sautéed shallot and garlic to blender with roasted peppers, almond milk, red pepper flake, nutritional yeast and cornstarch. Season with desired amount of salt and pepper. Blend until creamy and smooth, taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding more salt and pepper or nutritional yeast for flavor. Once blended, place sauce back in the skillet over medium heat to thicken. Once sauce is thickened to desired consistency, add noodles. Then, toss to coat.
Serve with (generous amounts of) red pepper flake and fresh chopped basil.
Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 426 Fat: 10 Carbs: 76g Protein: 9g Sodium: 66mg Sugar: 3g
*Nutrition information is based on the products I used personally in this recipe. Different products may yield slightly different information.
Source: Minimalist Baker: Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
