Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

We had a wonderful anniversary this past weekend. I can't believe how 6 years has flown by! Since this weekend was one of our first weekends that we didn't have plans it was nice to sit back and relax. We had dinner reservations set for Saturday night and then Sunday we filled up the backyard pool and smoked some ribs and chicken.

Friday night I made the following pasta and it was really good. I'm not a bell pepper fan, but this has me wanting more. I think with some added fresh herbs this would be fantastic.

Pioneer Woman used the following elephant ear pasta and I was excited to see we had some in our HEB just like it.

I hope you give this recipe a try it's well worth it and it's a quick 30 minute meal if you used the jarred roasted red bell peppers.

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

(Adapted from Pioneer Woman)

3 red bell peppers

2 tablespoons pine nuts

1/2 medium onion, finely diced

3 cloves garlic

1/2 cup heavy cream

flat leaf parsley, finely minced

fresh Parmesan, shaved or grated

1/2 pound to 1 pound pasta

Roast red peppers. Whether it's under the broiler or on the grill, I usually blacken them for about ten minutes, then remove them and set them on a plate for a few minutes. Next, place them in a Ziploc bag to allow to sweat. Peel the charred skins from the peppers, then remove seeds. Set aside. (I didn't do this, I did the easy quick dinner version and used the jarred roasted red bell peppers and they worked fine.)

Lightly toast pine nuts in a skillet over medium-low heat for about five minutes. Keep them moving by jiggling the pan now and then. Set aside.

In a blender or food processor, puree the peppers with pine nuts. Set aside.

Cook pasta according to package directions.

In a skillet or pot over medium heat, drizzle in olive oil. Add diced onions and garlic and cook until soft.

Pour in pepper puree and stir together. Add plenty of salt. Just cook the mixture over medium to medium-low heat while the pasta cooks, stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn't burn.

Pour in cream and stir to combine. Taste and add more salt, if necessary. Add cooked pasta, then stir together. Place pasta into a bowl, top with chopped parsley and plenty of shaved Parmesan.

For dessert we had our favorite cake from a local bakery. Our wedding tradition is to order a smaller version of our groom's cake since we didn't get to try it our wedding.

Chocolate cake with chocolate butter cream, and a layer of cherry filling.

6 flowers for our 6th anniversary!