There is no comparison between fresh marinara sauce and what you can buy at the store. Fresh marinara sauce made from roasted peppers and roasted tomatoes blows canned pasta sauces away in terms of taste, and making a simple pasta with fresh sauce elevates what could be just another boring weeknight dinner to another level.
The trick is to begin with roasted peppers and tomatoes. Roasting brings out the sweetness and flavor in both vegetables. Also, roasted peppers keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
To roast fresh peppers–Marconi or bell–preheat the oven to 400 degrees and place the peppers on a cookie sheet. Roast them, turning them occasionally to brown all sides, until they are wrinkled, soft, and charred.
At the same time you can roast fresh tomatoes by placing them in the oven alongside the peppers and roasting the until they are soft and charred.
Set aside both the tomatoes and peppers to cool.
Once cool, seed and slice the peppers. Peel, slice, and seed the tomatoes.
Roasted-Pepper Marinara sauce–serves 2-3
2 large roasted Marconi peppers, diced
4 large roasted tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
1 small onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
4 cloves of garlic, diced
herbs and spices: You can use a variety. I included chopped fresh basil and oregeno, dried thyme, dried pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, dried sage, salt and pepper)
olive oil
Directions:
Saute onions and garlic until tender and soft in olive oil over medium-high heat. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 20 minutes or so. Remove from heat. Add a bit of olive oil. If you have an immersion blender, blend the sauce for a finer consistency.
Serve over pasta with Parmesan cheese.
This recipe was so delicious that we ate it before I had the chance to take a picture.
