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.
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.
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Nutrition
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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. ;) )
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!