Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 large red bell peppers

• 1 can of coconut milk

• 2 tbsp tomato paste

• 1 cup or more crushed tomatoes 

• 2 garlic cloves

• Salt and Pepper

• Sprinkle of Red pepper flakes

• 1 tsp each of dried basil, rosemary, oregano - or use Italian spices of your choice

• Optional: 1/2 cup vegetable broth if you want it thinner

Directions:

First, preheat the oven to 350 F. Start by washing and slicing up the red bell peppers into thick slices. Place them in a non-stick or glass baking pan to roast in the oven for around 30 mins (you will see them get wrinkly). I made this recipe alongside the chickpea meatballs so while the peppers were roasted I prepared the meatballs.

Take the red peppers out and place them in a bowl for now because you can reuse the same pan for the meatballs.

In a food processor or high-speed blender first place the garlic and roasted peppers.

Next add in the coconut milk, tomato paste, spices, crushed tomatoes. Blend until smooth, taste, and adjust seasonings. If the sauce is too thick add in vegetable broth or the rest of the coconut milk. You want there to be enough sauce to halfway cover the meatballs.

After the chickpea balls have baked for about 30 minutes you can pour the sauce into the pan and cook for another 10 minutes. If you are using the sauce for pasta pour it into the drained pasta pot and mix it with the pasta.

Feel free to top it with some nutritional yeast or vegan parmesan! Enjoy your meal!