Not sure there’s anything better on a Monday than a bowl of pasta. Thankfully this bowl is not only delicious, but it’s on the healthy…ish side. Yes, there are carbs, but there’s also lots of colorful vegetables, healthy fats, and protein packed beans. You see? Pretty healthy, which means this bowl of pasta is Monday night approved. Cool. Cool. I love it. Plus, life is all about a good balance isn’t it? It’s Monday, the last Monday of August to be exact, we’re all probably a little tired, a little sad summer is coming to an end, and simply in need of a good meal to look forward to that’s easy, healthy, and comforting. This is that dinner. Obviously! {found a little friend on the basil…don’t worry I left him outside} In all seriousness though, this was actually a recipe that I made a while back and wasn’t really planning to share. You see our garden (greenhouse, whatever you want to call it) is overflowing with bell peppers, tomatoes, and herbs right now. In an effort to use them all up I’ve been throwing random dishes together for dinner. It’s kind of a blessing in disguise because it’s been allowing me to get extra creative with recipes and have fun with what I have on hand. I made this pasta with the first batch of peppers that turned red and it ended up being so delicious that I had to recreate, photograph, and share with you all. Every time I use bell peppers, I always say I never use them enough. I’m not sure why it is that I use bell peppers so infrequently, yet I love them so much. I grew up eating them, mostly in my dad’s Friday Night Pasta Dish (cookbook recipe), and I guess that’s just my favorite way to cook with peppers. Today however, I’m changing my tune and sharing a new pasta recipe to use up all those freshly grown baby bell peppers we have. Here are the details. As you can see from my photos, I’m using baby bell peppers, as they are extra flavorful and sweet. You can use regular size or whatever you have on hand, but if you do use a regular size bell pepper, you’ll only need two for this recipe. The first step is to char the peppers. Yes, you guys need to char the bell peppers. Do not stress, this is easy. My preferred way to char peppers is on a gas stove top, over an open flame. Just put the pepper right onto the grate over the flame, keep turning it (using tongs), until it’s charred all over. Then place in a bowl, cover, and let steam. It’s really simple and only takes ten or so minutes. If you don’t have a gas stove-top, no worries, just place the peppers under the broiler and broil for three to five minutes until charred. Both methods work just as well! Once you have the peppers all charred up, add them to a food processor along with some salty roasted cashews (for creaminess), olive oil, and red wine vinegar, blend, blend, blend and just like that you’ll have a delicious roasted red pepper sauce. I added a little cheese to my sauce, but if you’d like to do a vegan pasta night, the sauce is still delicious minus the cheese… But you know I’m all about cheese, so cheese for me please! At this point, you’ll toss the red pepper sauce with your favorite cut of pasta (I’m loving fresh-cut tagliatelle pasta right now), add fresh herbs, beans and DONE. It’s easy, it’s delicious, it’s pretty, it has veggies, and if you want to be extra healthy, you can even make it with your favorite whole wheat or veggie packed pasta (did you know they make heart of palm pasta now? I have yet to try it, but I am curious…). The hardest part about this recipe is charring the peppers, and as you read, it’s really not that hard. So what do you think? Can we make this a regular Monday night pasta? I’m thinking yes. ALSO. If you’re short on time, feel free to use jarred, roasted red peppers. That will make this even easier. And if you keep a well stocked pantry (you should!), then you can truly make this dish whenever you get the craving! If you make this roasted red pepper pasta, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love hearing from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every one of you. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram so I can see! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
