Pasta alla Peperonata (sweet pepper sauce)
The star of this seriously tasty casarecce pasta alla peperonata is a stewed sweet pepper sauce that’s very traditional in Southern Italy. Peperonata pasta is delicious served warm or cold and the sauce makes a delicious side for meat or fish!
Servings: 4
Calories: 568kcal
Ingredients
- 14 oz casarecce pasta
- 2 red sweet peppers (bell peppers/capsicums), sliced
- 2 yellow sweet peppers sliced
- 2 orange sweet peppers sliced
- 2 cloves garlic peeled
- 2 red onions preferably from Tropea. Peeled and sliced
- 1 handful cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 10 oz tomato passata I used Cirio or Mutti rustica
- 1 bay leaf
- 3-4 tablespoon extra virgin oilve oil
- 1 tablespoon wine vinegar
- salt for pasta and to taste
- black pepper to taste
- fresh basil or parsley optional, for garnish
- Parmigiano Reggiano optional topping, or vegetarian parmesan
Instructions
- In a large frying pan or skillet, heat the extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add the sliced onions, whole garlic cloves, and peppers. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables start to soften.
- Stir in the tomato passata, halved cherry tomatoes, bay leaf, and wine vinegar. Season with salt. Reduce the heat to low-medium and simmer covered for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the bay leaf after cooking.
- While the sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of water to a boil then add salt. Allow the water to come to the boil again and cook the pasta until al dente, according to package instructions. Before draining, reserve a cup of the pasta cooking water.
- Add the drained pasta directly to the sauce in the skillet. Mix well to coat the pasta evenly. If the sauce seems too thick, add a little reserved pasta cooking water to adjust the consistency.
- Serve the pasta hot, garnished with freshly ground black pepper, chopped basil or parsley, and a generous sprinkling of grated cheese, if desired.
Notes
If you make a larger quantity you can save some peperonata to eat as a side dish or on bruschetta. You can also bake the pasta and sauce before serving. Before putting it in the oven, add some grated parmesan or grana on top (or mozzarella) (It’s very good).
You can use other pasta for this recipe. I would recommend other typical Southern Italian short pasta like penne, cavatelli, orecchiette or rigatoni.
This recipe can also be made with homemade casarecce.
To make this recipe gluten-free, simply use a gluten-free pasta brand. The pasta sauce is gluten-free, vegan and nut-free.
Nutrition
Calories: 568kcal | Carbohydrates: 99g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 38mg | Potassium: 1058mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 4321IU | Vitamin C: 278mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 4mg