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If you are looking for a super simple way to jazz up your everyday meals, this delicious Creamy Roasted Red Bell Pepper Sauce is the recipe for you. Imagine the most incredible velvety smooth sauce bursting with the flavours of sweet, smoky roasted red peppers, aromatic garlic, jammy red onions and creamy mascarpone.
This Roasted Red Bell Pepper Sauce isn’t just for pasta (although it is pretty incredible swirled through spaghetti, topped with torn basil and toasted pine nuts), it is delicious in all sorts of ways, from spreading over pizza bases (I often use it in my Flatbread Margherita Pizza) or in sandwiches, as a dip for warm crusty bread or crispy arancini, or served as a sauce with my Courgette Frittata (Frittata di Zucchini) for a light lunch or pan-fried salmon fillets, chicken breasts or pork steaks for a deliciously simple supper…
Table of Contents
Why you will love this recipe:
- It is quick, easy and ready in less than 30 minutes – perfect for when you want a delicious sauce for a midweek meal.
- It is a budget-friendly meal which makes the most of affordable ingredients and store cupboard essentials.
- It is a great way to eat more vegetables and use up leftovers.
- It is vegetarian and easily adaptable for vegans.
- It is so versatile and can be served in all sorts of ways; stirred through pizza, spread on pasta, used as a dip for bread or arancini or sauce for pan-fried salmon, roast chicken or pork.
Ingredients:
See recipe card for the exact recipe with a full list of ingredients and measurements
Red bell peppers – You could use a mix of red, orange and yellow – but just red will give the best flavour. Avoid the green ones as they will make this bitter.
Garlic bulb – roasting garlic gives it the most incredibly sweet, nutty flavour which is so good in this Roasted Red Bell Pepper Sauce.
Mascarpone – this is a creamy, thick Italian cheese with a high fat content (around 40%) and similar consistency to cream cheese.
Substitutions and Variations:
Spice – if you want to make a spicier version of this Roasted Red Bell Pepper Sauce, you could add a dollop of harissa, pinch of dried chilli flakes or smoked paprika, or a sliced red chilli before blitzing.
Herbs – pop a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme or rosemary onto the baking sheet before roasting the peppers and onions. Or add a generous pinch of dried herbs of your choice when blending.
Mascarpone – swap for full-fat cream cheese or Boursin. The latter will give a delicious garlic and herb flavour to the sauce.
Here’s how to make this easy roasted red bell pepper sauce:
Here’s a step-by-step guide for what you need to do, but you can find the full recipe below for detailed instructions.
ONE: Place the peppers and onion onto a large non-stick baking tray. Nestle in the garlic, cut-side down, then season everything generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle over the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Roast in a 180c oven for 25-30 minutes, stirring halfway through, or until everything is softened and beginning to char.
TWO: Leave to cool for 5 minutes. Remove the garlic before carefully tipping into a food processor or blender. Squeeze the garlic from the skin – it should be lovely and soft. Discard the skin. Blend until smooth.
THREE: add the mascarpone and blitz again until thick and creamy.
FOUR: Taste and adjust the seasoning. Spoon into a jar or tupperware and leave to cool completely before covering and chilling until needed.
Cooking Tips
Taste as you go: keep tasting the sauce and adjusting the seasoning as you are blending to get the perfect Roasted Red Bell Pepper Sauce.
Storing: This sauce will keep in an airtight jar/container for around 5 days in the fridge, so you can use it one night in one recipe and with another the following day.
Frequently Asked Questions
– Mix through your favourite pasta or gnocchi.
– Add it to a tomato ragu (for bolognese or meatballs) or the mince layer of your lasagne for smoky pepper flavour.
– Use it as a base for pizza instead of tomato sauce (it is also delicious in sandwiches, sometimes I swap it out for the tomato sauce in my Chicken Parmesan Sandwich).
– Serve it as a dip.
– Serve as a sauce on the side of my Courgette Frittata (Frittata di Zucchini) for a light lunch or pan-fried or roasted salmon fillets, pork steaks/chops or chicken breasts (with some crispy potatoes).
In a sealed container, roasted red bell pepper sauce lasts up to 5 days in the fridge.
Yes, cool the red bell pepper sauce, then transfer to a tupperware. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost and then warm up as usual.
I don’t think you need to peel the bell peppers if your blender is strong. If you want to, you can peel them. Once they are roasted, cover with clingfilm to steam the peppers for 10 minutes. Then the skin should peel off easily using clean fingers.
You may need to add a teaspoon of sugar to the sauce if it’s bitter, to balance it. Sometimes, leaving the seeds in the peppers can also cause a little bitterness so make sure they are all removed pre-roasting.
Yes, you can swap the mascarpone for a dairy-free/plant-based mascarpone or cream cheese. Or swap for plant-based double cream, but you won’t need 250g – start with 100ml and see how you go.
Other recipes you may enjoy:
If you love roasted peppers, check out my Harissa Chicken with Labneh, Roasted Red Peppers and Red Onion – it is one of my favourite ways to cook chicken thighs. Don’t miss my Ottolenghi-inspired Roasted Aubergine Salad, my Mediterranean Chicken Kofta or my Flatbread Margherita Pizza?
Weeknight Supper
Flatbread Pizza Margherita
Easy Pasta Recipes
How to Make Homemade Garganelli Pasta
Easy Pasta Recipes
Penne Puttanesca
Easy Healthy Recipes
Greek Pasta Salad with Orzo
If you tried this Roasted Red Bell Pepper Sauce or any other recipe on the site, please do leave a comment and let us know how it went!
Creamy Roasted Red Bell Pepper Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 red bell peppers, sliced
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 1 large bulb of garlic, sliced in half
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 250 g mascarpone
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180c fan.
- Place the peppers and onion onto a large non-stick baking tray. Nestle in the garlic, cut-side down, then season everything generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle over the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes, stirring halfway through, or until everything is softened and beginning to char.
- Leave to cool for 5 minutes. Remove the garlic before carefully tipping into a food processor or blender. Squeeze the garlic from the skin – it should be lovely and soft. Discard the skin. Blend until smooth, then add the mascarpone and blitz again until thick and creamy.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning. Spoon into a jar or tupperware and leave to cool completely before covering and chilling until needed.
