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.
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
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…
I can’t lie. I could just eat a baguette dipped in this sauce as a meal. 😅 Maybe with a little goat cheese, 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.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
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.
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. ;) )
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
Added a sauteed sweet onion to balance acidity of jarred red peppers. Thought it was delicious! Thanks for this easy and tasty sauce!
Amazing!! Used as a bed for my Bacon Wrapped Dates Stuffed with Goat Cheese. Used it as a dip with warm crusty bread. YUM
I’ll be trying this soon. I had an idea for this because I found the roasted red peppers quite reasonable at Trader Joe’s surprisingly. And because I love red pepper soup. I just didn’t know how I was going to approach it even though I experiment all the time. So, this gives me the kick in the pants to get going and try this. It sounds delicious and looks easy peasy. Thanks!
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 sauces
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.
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.
I haven’t made this one yet, I’ve made something similar in the past, only with a bit of rosemary. It was wonderful as a dip for eggplant fries, or just sauteed eggplant. I don’t know why it can’t be frozen, if I have any left over, will try freezing (I live alone so even if it thaws out looking icky, it will still be tasty.)
This recipe looks wonderful! I’ve been looking for something to do with this roasted red pepper jar in my pantry. Do you think you could substitute milk or at least part of the cream with milk? I’m trying to cut down on high fat a bit. Thank you!
Unfortunately, I don’t think milk is a good substitute here. It will probably make the sauce too watery, milk is more likely to curdle, and it won’t quite have the creaminess needed to balance the flavors.
Can I make this a day ahead and heat up when needed .Will it go with Arancini balls
Thanks
Yes, this one should reheat well. I’m sure it would taste great with aracini.
Terrific recipe. I doubled the recipe so I could freeze half. Used over yellow squash (made into spaghetti strips). Tonight I’m using it on cauliflower pizza crust. Mine got a little “soupy” so I poured the sauce into a fine sieve to get some of the liquid out before I used it as pizza sauce. Of course I saved the drippings because I’ll do something with it.
I used to get a dish at TGIF that I loved so I use this sauce and I add chopped roasted chicken breast and chicken Italian sausage with penne pasta. Just add some shaved Parmesan cheese on top and it is delicious!!!!
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!
This was delicious! I roasted the peppers myself and added a bit of shredded parmesan when it was done simmering. Served over pappardelle pasta and it was the perfect, easy dinner.
Delicious. Added a few veggies (mushrooms, onions, chopped spinach, etc.) and it was so good over grilled polenta.
The recipe gives the nutritional value per serving, but doesn’t say how many servings
Hi Ann! This recipe produces about 6 servings.
I just roasted 6 sweet red peppers and in looking for a recipe found this. Do you think 6 peppers is equal to a 16 oz jar of roasted red peppers?
Should be plenty. Enjoy!
Great flavor for such little effort. The second time I made the sauce I added some canned tomatoes & some good old balsamic vinegar, which added depth with little extra effort.
Wondering how much of these you added in?
I made this today and it came out great. I used Silk Whipping Cream alternative at the end cause I’m lactose intolerant. Thanks for a really easy. sauce !!
I have frozen this sauce and it keeps well in the freezer. Great recipe
I was literally just about to post a comment and ask about freezing it. Did you freeze before or after you added the cream? How did you reheat it?
I’ve made this before and I’m so excited to have some again today. :-)
Beth, this recipe is sublime.
Very good recipe ! I made this sauce along with your recipe of turkey, feta and spinach meatballs. Thank you for these wonderful recipes !!
Can thus sauce be frozen?
Hmm, I’m not sure about that one. I haven’t tried freezing something like this before.
It’s probably expensive because you’re buying jars of Whole Paycheck brand peppers instead of roasting fresh peppers. I always side-eye online recipes that use canned/jarred anything. The whole point is to make something fresh. I’m going to take a little from this recipe, though. It sounds like it could be really delicious.
Made this for shrimp and grits. Added some brown sugar and cream until bitterness was gone. Also sautéd with some dry vermouth. Added a bit of granular chicken bouillon.
Great tips Nancy!
I used this recipe on top of butternut squash & parmigiano reggiano filled pasta at it was amazing!
Happy to hear it Melissa! Thank you!
Made this as written, doubles the recipe. Absolutely amazing! The recipe doubled was perfect for a 16 ounce box of rigatoni. I roasted my own bell peppers, 2 red bell peppers roughly equals 16 ounces roasted. I didn’t have a problem with the sauce being bitter at all. Was absolutely delicious!
Happy to hear it Evvy! You’re a rockstar for roasting your own!
Love this sauce. Added shaved Parmesan. Served over ravioli and sautéed shrimp
So delicious.
I made this, but I had to roast my own peppers because my client can’t have a lot of salt (60 mg/Tbsp in the jarred peppers!). Wrap peppers individually in heavy-duty foil, put over gas burner (set it on the grate) over medium heat; turn every 3-4 minutes, for 15-20 minutes total, or until they are soft when squeezed gently with tongs. Put in ziplock bag and let them sweat for 5 minutes or so, then peel, cut in half and pour the juice into a dish, scrape out seeds and remove stem. This sauce is AH-MAZING! I used oregano instead of basil and served it over a butternut squash and white corn tamale.
Used a jar of Gia Russa roasted red peppers. The sauce is so bitter I had to toss it. Tried to use baking soda, salt and sugar to tame it but no luck.
Mine was bitter also. Maybe to much liquid from pepper jar added salt and Parmesan cheese ok but still a touch bitter
Thanks for this ! My daughter has just developed a tomato allergy and we usually eat pizza at least once a week, so I needed a tomato-free red pizza sauce.
Delish!!! Served with zoodles and meatballs instead of pasta. Will be making this again!!!
Added some spinach, chopped chicken cutlets and mozzarella cheese, AMAZING
Made this last night and it was awesome! Added spinach, sautéed onions, Italian chicken sausage, and lentil pasta and I couldn’t get enough. Thanks for the quick and delicious sauce recipe!
This would be better with fresh roasted (No bitter acid) peppers and some oregano and a tbsp of balsamic vinega a much better choise for the missing tang of tomato. Also a finely diced onion and a carrot (celery optional, but does assist with the absence of salt.
All these additions are good to make it a renal diet friendly (low potassium).
I’m goingvto can this.
Could you add chicken broth and make soup? I’ll try and report back. YUM!
yes. 1 quart/litre, but will need more veggies, pureed or nit.
I roasted 2 large red peppers in the oven (& last time I made this I only had orange and yellow peppers – which MIGHT have even been tastier, though admittedly not as pretty in color!) since they’ve been on sale frequently and cheaper than the jarred peppers. We eat this as a sauce over pretty much anything we can put it over. So amazing!
I just made this for the first time last night and it turned out great! I accidently picked up fat free half and half instead of cream, which I don’t care for, so I left it out and it was still incredibly delicious. I don’t think it needs the cream at all! I served it with gnocchi and will definitely make again.
I used a jar of roasted red pepper and artichoke tapenade I had on hand. It worked very well. Served over shrimp and crab stuffed raviolis. Yum!
How long can you store this sauce in the fridge after you make it? Can it be frozen?
Probably a few days. I haven’t tried freezing this one, but sometimes cream based sauces don’t freeze well (they can tend to separate upon thawing).
I made this sauce with a few veggie additions and had it over couscous with a tangy garlic lemon greek yogurt sauce and it was SO GOOD. THANK YOU!
I think I’m going to try this as a sauce on a homemade pizza one of these days. Any topping suggestions? :)
If there’s an Italian grocery around you they might be your best bet for jarred red peppers–mine sells their store brand for 1.99!
I make a very similar version of this sauce. It’s further thinned out with some veggie stock and also has a diced onion thrown in before blending–yum!
To make it vegan do you think I could sub in some silken tofu?
Hmmm, the tofu would have a creamy texture, but I don’t know if it has enough fat to really give it that creamy flavor. Maybe with a little coconut oil, too? If you give it a try, let me know how it turns out!
Just a question, what is the liquid around your canned peppers? I can only find pickled peppers in switzerland. Usually in vinegar, some times in oil but smaller jars..
It wasn’t vinegar, but it was definitely slightly acidic. I think it had citric acid in it as a preservative, since peppers are not acidic.
I just made this sauce today and it’s delicious!!!! my boyfriend loved it too, I roasted some red bell peppers and garlic I had at home and I poured the sauce into penne pasta with lots of spinach. We ate it all!! thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe, I can’t wait to make it again :)
I’ve been sitting on this recipe since it was posted- waiting for the right night and the right pasta. and the right wine!
It’s super easy and smells/tastes/presents flawless.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
This one went into the heavy rotation box!!!
Looks great. Have an industrial can of roasted peppers I need to use up. Can I make this sauce and freeze it w/o cream and add cream when ready to eat it?
My guess is that it would work (you can also just freeze the peppers in their liquid), but I have not tried that.
Have you ever tried shakshuka? It’s a Middle Eastern dish of eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce. A local cafe makes a version with a roasted red pepper sauce, and it is divine! I bet this sauce would work for that. You’ve put me one step closer to trying to make it myself!
Yep, I have a couple recipes for it on the site already. :)
This reminds me of a meal my hubby and I get at one of our favorite restaurants. They have grilled, skewered shrimp with a peppery-cajun seasoning on top of grilled sourdough garlic bread, with it all sitting in a roasted red pepper sauce. I absolutely can’t wait to try this one!
Made this last night to serve over cheese ravioli and it was fabulous. Am going to try the remaining sauce on pizza tonight. Thanks!
I’ve made a similar sauce to use on enchiladas, both with and without cream. I made a roux both times. It also works well with roasted poblano peppers.
How similar would this be to the delicious sauce in your one pot red pepper pasta?
It’s pretty different in both flavor and texture, IMHO. :)
I made this for an appetizer dip and it was delicious! I had a lot of trouble making it thick enough after I put the cream in, though, and ended up serving it at room temperature because I was worried it would thin out too much if I heated it up. It was still great, though. Thanks for the recipe!
Ooh I always make this by roasting red peppers in the oven with paprika,chilli pepper flakes, olive oil, onions and garlic. When they’re done I blitz them up and add cream, salt and pepper. Haha that could be the budget version of your recipe. I like to eat it with homemade meatballs, brown rice w cilanto and grilled courgettes.
We had this last night for dinner and it was just as delicious as you said! I ended up roasting my own peppers because I had some in our fridge that needed to be used.
We had it over pasta, but now I want to try it on pizza. Great recipe, Beth! I’ll definitely make this again!
Oh I *wish* I had a random jar of rrp’s waiting to be used. I usually make the roasted red pepper and tomato soup which is to DIE for in my less than humble opinion. I think I’m going to have to “accidentally” buy a jar or two.
If anyone wants/needs to make this dairy free (vegan), I make the same recipe using olive oil instead of butter and cashew cream (blend 1/2 cup cashews with just enough water/broth to cover) instead of heavy cream. I’ve also use pureed white beans in place of the cream which is a less expensive option than cashews.
I’ll have to try pureed white beans for this. Sounds good.
oh, thanks for this! i was just thinking this recipe sounded amazing, but couldn’t come up with these substitutions.
Just found your blog about a week or two ago and I am a cooking madwoman now!! I have used many of your recipes and my whole
family LOVES everything I have made!!! Thanks!!!!!
This is great alternative to marinara. My MIL is not a fan of tomatoes, so if I make pasta for a family gathering I’m limited to cream sauces or pesto. Nice switch up from the usual weeknight marinara.
I LOVE roasted red peppers! This is perfect as one of the ALDI special buys this week is a 2kg jar of roasted red pepper strips. Cant wait to try this!
Printed and will be made this weekend. Looks so good and easy enough that I can make. I am not the biggest fan of marinara so this will go great on pasta. Also what are your thought as a base for homemade pizza?
Yep, I think it would work well (mentioned that in the intro, in fact). :)
You could roast your own red peppers and it would be less expensive. Right now our Winco has gorgeous huge red bell peppers for .68 each! This recipe looks yummy!
THANK YOU!!! I am one of those you mentioned who can’t eat tomatoes… this looks amazing!
I make a similar sauce and serve it over gnocchi with sauteed shrimp. It’s from an old Southern Living Magazine recipe. Always a hit!
This looks so good. And I love the suggestion of swapping it in for marinara on pasta.
yummy!!
Mmm, sounds yummy! I’ve found jars of peppers for half that price at a regular grocery store. Not organic, but who cares, I’ve lived long enough.
How long would this sauce keep in the fridge?
Probably 4-5 days.
Does anyone know if this can be frozen?
Not sure about this one! I’d have to try it first to find out. Sometimes cream sauces don’t do so well.