Description
This Super-veg pasta recipe features a rich, flavorful vegetable sauce made with roasted red peppers, fennel, and a medley of garden vegetables. Perfect for a wholesome weeknight dinner, the sauce is simmered to develop depth and then blended to a smooth texture, creating a delicious and comforting meal served with fresh egg pasta.
Ingredients
Scale
Vegetables and Sauce Base
- 2 red peppers, quartered and deseeded
- 1 fennel bulb, roughly chopped
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 1 large carrot, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- ¼ tsp crushed chillies
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 400g can chopped tomatoes
- 600ml vegetable stock
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- small handful basil, leaves shredded
Other Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 500g bag fresh egg pasta, cooked
Instructions
- Roast the peppers: Heat the grill and place the quartered red peppers skin-side up under the grill for about 10 minutes, until the skins begin to char. Transfer the peppers to a bowl, cover to trap steam, and set aside. Once cooled enough to handle, peel off the charred skin and cut the flesh into strips.
- Sauté the vegetables: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped fennel, onion, and carrot. Cook gently for 8 to 10 minutes until softened and fragrant.
- Add aromatics and tomato purée: Stir in the crushed garlic, crushed chillies, fennel seeds, and tomato purée. Cook for 2 minutes to release the flavors and blend the ingredients well.
- Simmer the sauce: Pour in the canned chopped tomatoes, vegetable stock, and caster sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, or until all the vegetables are completely soft and the flavors have melded.
- Blend the sauce: Remove a couple of spoonfuls of the sauce and set aside for texture. Using a stick blender, blend the remaining sauce in the saucepan until nearly smooth.
- Thicken and combine: Simmer the blended sauce for an additional 5 minutes to thicken it slightly. Stir back in the reserved sauce pieces, the shredded basil leaves, and the roasted pepper strips to add texture and freshness.
- Serve: Toss the sauce with freshly cooked egg pasta and serve immediately for a satisfying vegetarian meal.
Notes
- This sauce freezes well; consider making a double batch for easy future meals.
- To add variety, jazz up the sauce by mixing in olives or cooked prawns.
- If you prefer a completely smooth sauce, blend the whole batch without reserving any pieces.
- Fresh basil can be substituted with dried basil if fresh is unavailable, but add it towards the end of cooking.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Pasta Sauce
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: vegetable pasta sauce, roasted pepper sauce, vegetarian pasta, easy pasta sauce, fennel pasta sauce
