Our Best Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Sauce: Silky, Rich & So Simple!

Are you hoping to take your pasta dishes to the next level, moving beyond the standard tomato-based sauces? If you’re dreaming of a sauce that’s wonderfully sweet, smoky, and vibrant, while also being sumptuously comforting, we have just the thing. Introducing our tried-and-tested recipe for Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Sauce. It’s a truly transformative sauce, turning a few basic ingredients into a meal worthy of a fine dining establishment—one that will have the whole table requesting another helping. It boasts a rich, velvety texture and is surprisingly straightforward to prepare.

Within this guide, we will lead you through each stage of the process. We’ll cover everything from roasting the peppers to capture that signature deep, smoky character, to blending them into a luscious sauce that perfectly cloaks every noodle. It doesn’t matter if you’re an experienced chef or just starting out in the kitchen; we are confident this recipe will earn a permanent spot in your collection of go-to meals.

Why You’ll Adore This Recipe

• A Symphony of Smoky-Sweet Flavours: By roasting the peppers, we coax out an incredible depth of flavour—sweet, smoky, and utterly delicious—that you simply won’t find in a pre-made jar.
• Luxuriously Smooth Texture: Once blended, the peppers transform into a silky, creamy sauce that feels indulgent without any of the heaviness, clinging beautifully to every pasta shape.
• Effortlessly Simple to Make: Despite its gourmet appeal, this recipe requires very little active cooking time. The oven handles the bulk of the work, which makes it ideal for a laid-back weekend dinner or a sophisticated weeknight treat.
• Incredibly Versatile: This sauce is much more than just a pasta topping! Use it as a vibrant pizza base, a dip for warm, crusty bread, a drizzle over grilled chicken, or even swirled into soups for an extra flavour boost.
• Beautifully Adaptable: We’ll guide you on how to make it creamy with traditional dairy or how to create a fantastic vegan red pepper sauce with some clever plant-based alternatives. It’s a dish everyone can enjoy.

The Core Ingredients for Your Sauce

The true charm of this recipe is found in its minimalism. We let a handful of excellent-quality ingredients do the talking to create a sauce that is genuinely exceptional. There’s no complex shopping list here, just pure, flavourful components.

• Red Bell Peppers: These are the undeniable star of our sauce! We recommend using around four large, fresh red bell peppers. Choose ones that feel firm to the touch with unblemished, shiny skin. Romano peppers are also a superb choice, offering a slightly sweeter profile.
• Onion and Garlic: As the aromatic backbone of the sauce, these are non-negotiable. A single medium brown onion and four cloves of garlic will provide the perfect flavour foundation.
• Olive Oil: A high-quality extra virgin olive oil is key, not only for roasting the vegetables but also for lending a wonderful richness to the final sauce.
• Vegetable Stock: This liquid helps achieve the ideal consistency during blending and contributes a subtle, savoury undertone.
• Herbs and Seasoning: For a classic Mediterranean feel, we turn to dried oregano, complemented by salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a hint of red pepper flakes for a gentle warmth.
• Fresh Basil: Stirring in a handful of fresh basil leaves at the very end provides a bright, aromatic lift that beautifully balances the sauce’s richness.

How to Make the Perfect Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Sauce

Creating this sauce is a straightforward, three-stage affair: roasting, sautéing, and blending. Allow us to guide you through each part to ensure flawless results every single time.

1. Step 1: The Easy Roasted Pepper Recipe

   This initial step is absolutely essential for cultivating that distinctive smoky taste. Start by preheating your oven to 220°C (200°C Fan / Gas Mark 7). Slice your red peppers in half from top to bottom, clearing out the seeds and pale pith. Arrange them cut-side down on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Lightly coat them with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Roast for 25–30 minutes, until the skins are visibly blackened and blistered. This charring process is where the magic happens, so don’t be shy about getting a good colour on them!

2. Step 2: Sweat the Aromatics

   As the peppers roast away, you can prepare the flavour base. Warm a tablespoon of olive oil in a sizeable saucepan or Dutch oven over a medium heat. Tip in the chopped onion and allow it to cook gently for 5–7 minutes, until it becomes soft and translucent. Next, add the minced garlic and dried oregano, cooking for one minute more until wonderfully fragrant. Be sure to keep an eye on the garlic to prevent it from browning. Once ready, remove the pan from the heat and set it aside for now.

3. Step 3: Steam, Peel, and Blend

   As soon as the peppers are well-charred, take them out of the oven. Swiftly move them into a bowl and cover it securely with cling film (alternatively, pop them into a zip-top bag and seal it). Let them steam for about 10–15 minutes. This simple trick is the secret to making the skins incredibly easy to remove. When they’re cool enough to handle, the skins will peel away with minimal effort. Discard the skins and place the tender pepper flesh into a high-speed blender, along with your cooked onion and garlic. This is the foundation of a fantastic blended pepper pasta sauce.

4. Step 4: Create the Silky Sauce

   Pour around 150ml of vegetable stock into the blender with the peppers and aromatics. Blitz everything on high speed until the sauce is utterly smooth and has a velvety consistency. If you find it’s a bit too thick for your liking, just add another splash of stock until it reaches the perfect texture. Transfer the blended sauce back to your pan, season with salt, pepper, and chilli flakes to taste, and warm it through gently. Finish by stirring in the fresh basil leaves just before you’re ready to serve.

How to Make a Luscious Creamy Red Pepper Sauce

While this sauce is truly wonderful as it is, incorporating a creamy element elevates it into something even more special. We have a couple of fantastic options for you, catering to different dietary needs.

For a Classic Creamy Sauce

To craft an exceptionally decadent creamy red pepper sauce, all you need to do is stir 50-75ml of double cream or a couple of generous spoonfuls of full-fat cream cheese into the sauce at the very end. Warm it through gently to combine all the ingredients, but take care not to let it come to a boil. This approach is beautifully straightforward and effective, much like in this Cream Cheese Pasta Sauce recipe, where cheese lends an unparalleled richness.

For a Delicious Vegan Cream Sauce

Preparing a dairy-free version of this creamy sauce is remarkably simple. Our preferred method involves using raw cashews. Just soak approximately 60g of raw, unsalted cashews in boiling water for a minimum of 30 minutes (or for a few hours in cold water). Drain them thoroughly and add them straight into the blender with your roasted peppers and other sauce components. They will break down to create a wonderfully creamy and rich result. As an alternative, a dash of full-fat coconut milk from a can or a tablespoon of nutritional yeast will also work beautifully to add a savoury, cheesy flavour.

Serving Suggestions and Time-Saving Tips

Consider this sauce a brilliant starting point. It works wonderfully with shorter pasta varieties like penne, rigatoni, or fusilli, as their grooves are ideal for holding onto the sauce. To make it a more complete meal, think about adding some grilled chicken breast, pan-seared prawns, or crumbled Italian sausage.

When you’re pressed for time, there are numerous excellent jarred roasted red pepper ideas to give you a head start. You can simply use a jar of pre-roasted peppers, draining them well and skipping the oven step entirely. While you might miss some of that deep smokiness from home-roasting, it’s an excellent shortcut for a speedy weeknight meal. Just pick up the recipe from step 2, adding the jarred peppers to the blender with your cooked aromatics.

For another fantastically easy pasta night solution, we think you’ll also love our much-loved One Pot Creamy Garlic Pasta, which provides incredible flavour with very little washing up!

FAQ

A Sauce Worth Making Again and Again

Our roasted red pepper pasta sauce is far more than a simple recipe; it’s a tribute to how basic ingredients can be elevated into something truly remarkable. Its stunning colour, smoky fragrance, and velvety consistency are sure to bring a touch of sunshine to your dinner table and delight your family and friends.

We heartily encourage you to try this recipe for yourself and experience the satisfaction of creating a deeply flavourful sauce entirely from scratch. It’s a rewarding process that results in a delicious and much healthier alternative to most shop-bought versions.

Did you make our roasted red pepper sauce? We would be thrilled to hear how it went in the comments section below! We always enjoy hearing about your culinary adventures. Be sure to save or bookmark this page for the next time a pasta craving strikes.