Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

 I thought to try a new sauce for pasta. As red bell pepper are high in antioxidants and low in starch over any other, using red bell pepper for sauce. Other few ingredients to spice up and easily available in pantry are used. The majority time is spend in roasting the red bell pepper. So you can roast ahead of time and make the sauce when ready for meal.

Ingredients:

1. Red Bell Pepper - 2 Medium size
2. Onion - White or Yellow - 1 Small
3. Garlic - 4/5 Cloves
4. Parsley - Dry or Fresh - 1 TBSP
5. Cream Cheese - 2 TBSP
6. Parmesan Cheese - 2 TBSP
7. Butter - 2 TSP
8. Milk - 2 TSP
9. Salt - 1 TSP
10. Black Pepper - Fresh for better taste

Method:

1. Preheat oven at 425 degree fahrenheit. Wash and cut up bell pepper in halves. You can deseed now or after roasting. Line those on baking tray and brush the skin with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle some salt. 

2. Roast those for 20-25 min until the skin is charred. Peel off the skin and deseed if not already. Chop those in some smaller pieces. You can store roasted red bell pepper for two days in refrigerator so makes it easy to roast those ahead of time then use for sauce right at meal time.

3. While bell peppers are roasting. Chop the onions and garlic. Heat the thick bottom pan at high heat. First add butter, as it starts to melt, add in chopped onion and garlic.

4. Let the onion cook and become translucent, in 4-5 min. Then add in parsley.

5. Add in milk and parmesan cheese. Mix it only for a minute.

6. Blend the mixture with roasted bell pepper until you get smooth texture.

7. Add in cream cheese and salt. The sauce should thicken a bit. It is ready to be served. This sauce stay for 4 days to a week in refrigerator in case you are left with surplus.

8. I am using rotini pasta but any similar penne or even spaghetti will do. Garnish with fresh parmesan if you like.