Name: Creamy Red Pepper Sauce
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil; 1 large yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces; 5 red bell peppers, stem and seeds removed and chopped into 2-inch pieces; 6 cloves of garlic, peeled and cut in half; Salt and ground black pepper; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 2 tbsp smoked paprika; 1 tsp granulated sugar; 14.4 ounce can diced tomatoes; 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil; 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley; 1-3 tsp Calabrian peppers (Or, 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes - see note below); 2-4 tbsp lemon juice (to taste); 1/2 cup heavy cream; Grated Parmesan Cheese and fresh chopped parsley, for serving

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This flavorful, slightly spicy red pepper sauce is all you need to turn a simple plate of pasta, meat, poultry, or fish into a creamy, comforting, warm-you-from-the-inside-out kind of meal.

A fork standing up in the middle of a plate of pasta smothered in creamy red pepper sauce.

With a Couple of Good Sauce Recipes, Dinner is Always Within Reach

There are a few sauces I make on the regular, almost always in large batches, using them in a variety of ways throughout the week and hoping to have enough left to freeze for a rainy day.

The sauce I make the most often is Marinara. I LOVE having marinara sauce in my refrigerator or my freezer because it means I am quite literally a pot of boiling water away from dinner at any given moment.

About once a month, you'll find a giant pot of marinara simmering away on our stovetop. We almost always eat it over pasta the day I make it.

But, then throughout the month it continues to reinvent itself as Lasagna, Stuffed Shells, Indian Shrimp and Rice, Eggplant and/or Chicken Parmesan, Homemade Pizza, Meatball Sandwiches or Chachouka (North African tomato and pepper stew).

We also eat a LOT of Chimichurri Sauce which only takes a few minutes to make and is delicious over pretty much everything.

Same with Roasted Tomato Sauce and Roasted Tomatillo Sauce, which show up on our plate nearly every week for about 2 months straight when tomatoes, tomatillos, and poblanos peppers are at their peak.

And then, a couple of months ago, I made this creamy red pepper sauce. And then I made it again. And again. Then I got smart and made a double batch so I could freeze the leftover sauce and not have to make it again for at least a few weeks. What I'm saying is...

This Creamy Red Pepper Sauce is Delicious Over Just About Anything

Stirring a pot of creamy red pepper sauce.

This Roasted Red Pepper Sauce turns everything into a creamy, flavorful, comforting meal that feels just as welcome in the summer as it does in the dead of winter.

Eat it over pasta, of course. But also...
Grilled chicken
Pork chops
Sautéed shrimp
Roasted vegetables
Stir some into soup to dial up the yumminess factor of the broth
Pour it over a rice bowl. It turns everything into a creamy, flavorful, comforting meal that feels just as welcome in the summer as it does in the dead of winter.

At our house, when we eat this over pasta, I like to add a handful of crispy cooked bacon along with a handful of parmesan cheese and fresh parsley. Or, caramelized mushrooms. Or, crispy fried onions.

There are so many options. And, isn't that the greatest thing about a good sauce?

A bowl with Calabrian peppers, paprika, and chopped fresh parsley and basil.

What Are Calabrian Chili Peppers?

The Calabrian Chili is a spicy Italian pepper that's a both fruity and salty. In addition to giving this sauce a spicy kick, it also adds a delicious punch of flavor. Calabrian Peppers are generally found sold in jars in the condiment isle of major supermarkets. You can also order them online.

Calabrian peppers are quite spicy, so add as much or as little as you like to achieve the level of spiciness you desire. But, go easy at first.

If you can't find Calabrian Peppers, substitute red chili flakes instead. Start with 1 teaspoon and then add more if you want your sauce to be spicier.

Sprinkling chopped fresh parsley over a plate of pasta with creamy red pepper sauce.

Please Use Caution When Pureeing Hot Food in a Blender!

Hot food produces steam, which expands in a blender and can cause the lid to pop off and hot food to explode all over your kitchen. This is not a good situation. So, it pays to be cautious.

If you have a blender with steam vents in the lid, like a Vitamix, there is considerably less risk of this happening. Regardless, take the following precautions:

If your blender lid has steam vents, fill the blender no more than ⅔ full. If your blender DOES NOT have steam vents, fill it no more than ½ full.
Cover the lid with a folded dishcloth and hold it down when blending. If your blender lid does not have steam vents, blend for a few seconds, turn the blender off, remove the lid to allow steam to escape, and repeat.

Taking a bite of pasta with Creamy Red Pepper Sauce.

If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or take a picture and tag it #alittleandalot on Instagram.

📖 Recipe

Yield: 4-5 cups of sauce

Creamy Red Pepper Sauce

This flavorful, slightly spicy red pepper sauce is all you need to turn a simple plate of pasta, meat, poultry, or fish into a creamy, comforting, warm-you-from-the-inside-out kind of meal.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes

Ingredients

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces
5 red bell peppers, stem and seeds removed and chopped into 2-inch pieces
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and cut in half
Salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
14.4 ounce can diced tomatoes
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
1-3 teaspoon Calabrian peppers (Or, 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes - see note below)
2-4 tablespoon lemon juice (to taste)
½ cup heavy cream
Grated Parmesan Cheese and fresh chopped parsley, for serving

Instructions

Add oil, chopped onion, red bell pepper, garlic cloves, 2 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon ground black pepper to a large heavy bottom saucepan or dutch oven and set it over medium heat. When the oil begins to sizzle, cover the pot and turn the heat down to medium-low. Cook, stirring every now and then, for 45 minutes, until the vegetables are very soft.
Add the tomato paste, paprika, sugar, diced tomatoes, basil, parsley, Calabrian peppers (or crushed red pepper), and another teaspoon of salt to the saucepan. Turn the heat up to medium-high and cook, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes. Turn the heat back down to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring every now and then, for another 45 minutes.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and ladle it into a blender. Puree the mixture until smooth. If you have a blender with less than 64 ounce capacity, do this in two batches. (*Seen note below about blending hot food.) You can also use an immersion blender to puree the sauce right in the pan.
Add the sauce back to the saucepan and stir in 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, then stir in the cream. Taste and add more lemon juice and/or salt if desired. (*At this point, you can also thin out the sauce if you like with broth, water, more cream, or half and half. If you thin it out, make sure to re-taste for seasoning.)
Serve over pasta, chicken, fish, or anything that strikes your fancy, along with a generous handful of shredded parmesan cheese and some additional fresh chopped parsley.

Notes

Serve this red pepper sauce over any kind of pasta, meat, poultry, or fish. At our house, when we eat this over pasta, I like to add a handful of cooked, chopped bacon along with the parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.

About Calabrian Chili Peppers: The Calabrian Chili is a spicy Italian pepper that's a both fruity and salty. In addition to giving this sauce a spicy kick, it also adds a delicious punch of flavor. Calabrian Peppers are generally found sold in jars in the condiment isle of major supermarkets. You can also order them online.

Calabrian peppers are quite spicy, so add as much or as little as you like to achieve the level of spiciness you desire.