Roasted Red and Yellow Pepper Sauce with Garlic and Basil
Sweet red and yellow bell peppers, garlic, and fresh basil are tossed with rigatoni, butter, and Parmesan in this simple Marcella Hazan pasta recipe.
Ingredients
- 3 bell peppers, red and yellow
- 20 fresh basil leaves
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 tbsp butter
- ⅔ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 lb rigatoni, penne, or ziti pasta
Instructions
- Wash the peppers in cold water, then peel off skin with a vegetable peeler. When most of the skin is removed, cut them lengthwise along their crevices and discard the seeds and core. Peel the remaining skin, then cut into ½" strips. Cut these strips in half to shorten them.
- In a sauté pan or dutch oven, add the olive oil and turn the heat to medium. Add the garlic cloves and cook until they are a light brown. Then, remove and discard them.
- Add the peppers to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, for 15 minutes, or until they are tender, but not mushy. Add salt and turn off the heat until the pasta is cooked and ready to drain.
- When you are nearly ready to drain the pasta, gently reheat the peppers.
- Melt the butter over low heat so that it is runny, but not sizzling.
- Add the cooked, drained pasta to the pan with the peppers and toss. Then, add the butter and toss again.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add the basil and cheese. Toss thoroughly and salt to taste. Serve immediately.