Recipe: Quick & Easy Red Pepper Pasta

Red Pepper Pasta

How do you get everyone to say ‘Mamma Mia’ with each bite? Simply whip up this quick and easy roasted red pepper pasta, fusilli coated in a creamy (yet cream-free) pesto-like sauce of roasted red pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, Parmesan, almonds and olive oil. Mixed with fresh green peas and topped with ricotta and basil, who could resist?

 Ingredients

 Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

2 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled and chopped
¼ cup ground almonds
¼ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, chopped
1 tbsp chopped shallot
¾ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ cup olive oil

1 lb fusilli
1 cup fresh peas
½ cup whole milk ricotta cheese
Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

Directions

1) For the roasted red pepper sauce, in a food processor or blender, combine roasted red peppers, ground almonds, red wine vinegar, Parmesan cheese, sundried tomatoes, shallot, salt and pepper. Blend until well chopped. Add olive oil and blend until smooth. Cover and let stand until ready to dress pasta.

2) For the pasta, in a large pot of lightly salted boiling water, cook fusilli until tender. In the last 2 minutes of cooking the pasta, add fresh peas and cook until both are tender. Drain well and place pasta and peas in a large serving bowl. While pasta is still warm toss with prepared sauce. Top pasta with crumbled ricotta cheese and garnish with basil leaves.

Serves 6-8
For more pastaliciousness, check out this wide array of pasta recipes.

Authors of bestselling cookbooks Bite Me and Bite Me Too, saucy sisters Julie Albert and Lisa Gnat love eating, feeding, entertaining and dishing up easy recipes and forkin’ fun at BiteMeMore.com.