Creamy and delicious, this smooth red pepper sauce makes an easy vegan meal with just a few ingredients! Serve with pasta for an easy family-friendly dinner.
When my daughter Kipper was tiny, she LOVED peppers, so I would often buy a big bag of ‘value’ peppers to keep in the fridge. One time, we were about to go away for a few days when I realised she’d barely eaten half a pepper from the jumbo bag, and I needed to use up the rest of the peppers sharpish! I decided to roast the peppers and then blitz them into a delicious red pepper sauce for pasta.
Pasta sauce from scratch
I love making simple vegetable-based pasta sauces like this one, because they’re so easy to prepare from scratch and they taste amazing! While a jar of readymade sauce is convenient in a pinch, most of the time I like to cook up a sauce from wholesome raw ingredients. That way I can control exactly what does – and doesn’t – go into it!
This roasted pepper sauce only has a handful of ingredients and is completely plant based. But it has a fabulous depth of flavour from roasting, and a delicious richness from the olive oil and almonds.
Ingredients in Red Pepper sauce
To make this delicious sauce yourself, you will simply need:
- Red (bell) peppers – or yellow or orange, but red gives the best colour!
- Olive oil, for roasting the peppers
- Mixed dried herbs such as Herbs de Provence or Italian herbs – this is completely optional but does another another dimension to the flavour of this lovely sauce
- Ground almonds – to thicken the sauce as well as adding protein and fibre
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Spaghetti or other pasta to serve!
Pasta: white vs. wholemeal
If you’re looking to eat a healthier diet, that includes more dietary fibre and micronutrients, then simply opting for wholewheat pasta is a small but significant change. Wholewhat pasta has extra fibre, a lower glycemic index (GI) and additional vitamins and minerals than white pasta.
Plus, once it’s covered in delicious sauce – like this creamy red pepper and almond sauce – most people won’t even notice the difference!
Blending your sauce
You can whizz up this sauce in either a food processor or a jug blender, or even using a hand-held stick blender. Do blend it thoroughly, to ensure a rich and creamy texture, without the addition of any dairy ingredients.
If the sauce is very thick, use a little of the pasta cooking water to thin it down and help it coat the pieces of pasta.
Red pepper sauce – Simple but delicious
This recipe is absurdly simple – just a handful of plant-based ingredients – and the results are completely delicious. Tiny Kipper was very keen on this red pepper sauce, although she did manage to spread it over her hands, arms, face, ears, placemat, cup, and parts of the table. Probably not one to serve in company!
This amount serves 3-4. Yum.
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📖 Recipe
Roasted red pepper and almond sauce for pasta
Ingredients
- 700 g red (bell) peppers
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- 1-2 tablespoon mixed dried herbs e.g. Herbs de Provence (optional)
- 200-250 g Spaghetti or other pasta
- 75 g ground almonds
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
- 700 g (1 ½ lb) red (bell) peppers, 4 tbsp olive oil, 1-2 tbsp mixed dried herbs e.g. Herbs de ProvenceDeseed the peppers and remove any white membranes. Cut into large chunks and place in a roasting tin with the olive oil and the herbs, if using. Toss well to coat. Roast in the hot oven for 45 minutes.
- 200-250 g (7 oz) Spaghetti or other pastaWhen the peppers are almost done, cook the pasta in boiling water according to the directions on the packet.
- 75 g (⅔ cup) ground almonds, Salt and pepper to tasteTransfer the peppers and any oil and juices to a blender. Add the ground almonds and blend to a smooth paste. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your preference.
- Drain the cooked pasta, toss to coat in the sauce, and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
More delicious pasta recipes to try
Other delicious and healthy pasta dishes to try include:
Roasted Red Pepper and Almond Sauce for Pasta FAQs
Yes, this sauce is perfectly suited for making ahead of time. It can be prepared and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several days, making it a convenient option for meal planning and quick weeknight dinners.
The sauce is completely vegan, and is suitable for vegan and vegetarian diets. It also contains no gluten, so if served with a gluten-free pasta is suitable for celiacs and others with gluten sensitivity.
For those with nut allergies, ground sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds can serve as a great alternative to almonds in the sauce. These options still provide a creamy texture and a nutty flavour.
Yes, the roasted red pepper sauce freezes well. Pour the cooled sauce into a freezer-safe container, leaving some space for expansion, and store it for up to 3 months. Thaw completely, then gently reheat on the stove, adding a little water if necessary to adjust the consistency.
This post was originally written in May 2014. It was updated with new images in May 2024.
Laura
I love how simple this is. I’ll definitely be trying it one day after uni when I’m tired and want something quick.
FFF
Thanks Laura 🙂
This is a great recipe if you want minimal input for maximum deliciousness. I hope you enjoy it!
Nayna Kanabar (@citrusspiceuk)
This looks delicious thanks for sending it to the event.