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The Best Easy Roasted Red Pepper Marinara Sauce Recipe – delicious roasted red pepper marinara sauce that is perfect for spaghetti, linguine, and with all kinds of delicious pastas!
While I’m serving this red pepper marinara simply over linguine, it is absolutely delicious with chicken, beef, pork, seafood, and vegetables. It is a truly versatile red pepper pasta sauce recipe that you can add your favorite ingredients into for a knockout dinner. I love this sauce just poured over chicken or fish to bake them in – or simply over pastas (it really tastes great over zucchini pasta/zoodles for a keto vegan pasta dinner that is packed with flavor and nutrients.)
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At Sweet C’s, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. My goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.
How to Make The Best Easy Roasted Red Pepper Marinara Sauce
First assemble the following ingredients:
- Whole peeled tomatoes – Provide a juicy, slightly tangy base that balances sweetness and acidity.
- Tomato paste – Adds concentrated depth and richness with an umami punch.
- Salt – Enhances all the other flavors and ties the sauce together.
- Red pepper flakes – Bring a gentle heat that lingers without overpowering.
- Sugar – Softens the acidity of the tomatoes for a smoother taste.
- Fresh Basil – Infuses the sauce with bright, aromatic, peppery-sweet notes.
- Parsley – Adds a clean, herbaceous freshness that lightens the sauce.
- Olive oil – Provides a silky richness and carries the flavors throughout.
- Onions – Contribute subtle sweetness and savory depth when sautéed.
- Garlic – Brings a warm, pungent, and slightly nutty undertone.
- Roasted red bell peppers – Offer smoky, sweet complexity and a velvety texture.
- Pasta of choice – Acts as the hearty canvas that soaks up and complements the sauce.
Tips and Tricks to Perfect Red Pepper Marinara Linguine
- Cook pasta to al dente. I like to use Linguine.
- When boiling pasta, save 1/2 cup of the water the pasta cooks in, and add it to the sauce before serving.
- This tip sounds really weird – but adding pasta water to sauce helps the sauce emulsify, making the sauce stick to the pasta better and bringing all that delicious red pepper sauce flavor to perfection in every bite.
- Swap ingredients for what you prefer.
- This recipe has a ton of roasted red pepper flavor – but is also meant to work well with lots of other flavors and ingredients. Replace things you don’t like with something you do – mix in a little of something else you have on hand, feel free to add and make this recipe your own!
FAQs
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The Best Roasted Red Pepper Marinara Sauce Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 56 oz whole peeled tomatoes, 2 28oz cans
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 1 ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
- ¼ cup parsley, chopped
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ cup onions, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup roasted red bell peppers, drained and diced
- 8 oz pasta, of choice, cooked
Instructions
- In a large bowl, crush the whole tomatoes with your fingers to form a course puree.
- Stir in the tomato paste, salt, pepper flakes, sugar, basil, and parsley, and set aside.
- In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, until the onions begin to soften.
- Add the garlic and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes (do not brown the garlic). Add the roasted red peppers and sauté about 1 minute.
- Add the tomato mixture, and simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- When sauce is almost done, bring a pot of water to boil and add pasta. While pasta is boiling, remove 1/2 cup of starchy pasta cooking water and add it to sauce. Drain pasta at the proper time according to package directions.
- Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning. Using an immersion blender, or working in batches with a traditional blender, blend the sauce until smooth.
- Return the sauce to the pan and let simmer about 5 minutes or until thick enough to coat the pasta.
- Serve over pasta and enjoy.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
