Penne with Red Pepper Sauce and Spinach
Tomatoes aren’t the only sweet red fruit that make great pasta sauce. Red bell peppers are excellent too, especially paired with the faint licorice flavour of fennel seeds.
Ingredients
4 red bell peppers, halved, seeded and roughly chopped
2 large onions, roughly chopped
1 whole head garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
a sprinkle or two sea salt and freshly grated pepper
a 1 pound box penne pasta
few handfuls baby spinach
2 large onions, roughly chopped
1 whole head garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
a sprinkle or two sea salt and freshly grated pepper
a 1 pound box penne pasta
few handfuls baby spinach
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Toss the peppers, onion, garlic, olive oil, fennel seed and salt and pepper together in a large bowl until thoroughly coated. Pour into a 9- x 13-inch (3.5 L) baking pan. Roast until peppers are softened and caramelized, about 1 hour.
Transfer the roasted vegetables into a medium saucepan and purée with an immersion blender, adding a splash of water to help it along. Alternatively, put into a food processor or blender and purée until smooth. Taste and add more salt and pepper to taste.
Just prior to serving, reheat the sauce in a large pot.
Cook the pasta in lots of boiling salted water. Toss the hot pasta with the reheated red pepper sauce and the baby spinach and serve immediately.
Toss the peppers, onion, garlic, olive oil, fennel seed and salt and pepper together in a large bowl until thoroughly coated. Pour into a 9- x 13-inch (3.5 L) baking pan. Roast until peppers are softened and caramelized, about 1 hour.
Transfer the roasted vegetables into a medium saucepan and purée with an immersion blender, adding a splash of water to help it along. Alternatively, put into a food processor or blender and purée until smooth. Taste and add more salt and pepper to taste.
Just prior to serving, reheat the sauce in a large pot.
Cook the pasta in lots of boiling salted water. Toss the hot pasta with the reheated red pepper sauce and the baby spinach and serve immediately.
Related Recipes
Comments
Leave a Reply
Recipe Submitted by
Chef Michael
I’m a FoodTV host, cookbook author and official food ambassador for Prince Edward Island, more importantly I’m a Dad and passionate home cook!
Variation
You may use any of your favourite pastas for this dish. As you reheat the sauce, add in chopped fresh oregano or thyme.
No reply from Michael but I am sure that should be 2 teaspoons? I love the taste of fresh fennel and fennel seeds but 2 tablespoons is probably too over powering for most tastes.
RE: Penne with Red Pepper Sauce and Spinach
Just a quick question regarding this recipe – is the 2 tablespoons of fennel seeds a typo? I just made this recipe and couldn’t eat a single bite. It was way too overwhelming. It was, admittedly, the first time I have used fennel seeds in my cooking, so I knew it was going to be a new taste – maybe it’s just not my thing.
Not questioning your judgement at all MS, I heart you!
Julie