Recipe: Fettuccine with Creamy Red Pepper Sauce

Many of those who frequently read our blog know that we have been using Pinterest frequently and getting great ideas for recipes!  A recipe I recently made had many people pin it because it sounds and looks delicious!  This was from Cooking Channel's Ellie Krieger who often makes lighter versions of dishes, which I thought was great because I wanted some pasta.  This was very easy (which is often a requirement for me) and ended up being fantastic!

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves peeled and chopped
1 (16 oz.) jar of roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 cup crumbled feta cheese, or a 6 oz. block
1 pound whole wheat fettuccine
salt and pepper
2 tbsp. chopped parsley

All of these ingredients are very easy to find and serves 4.

I always first get my pasta water boiling when I make pasta to get that going.  As that was heating up, you next heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and garlic and  saute until soft, about 10 minutes or so.  Add the roasted peppers and saute until heated through.

Remove from the heat and let it cool slightly.

Next, place the mixture in a food processor with the stock and all but 2 tbsp. of feta cheese.  Process until smooth and combined, about 30 seconds.  Cook pasta and drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water.  Toss the pasta with sauce, adding one tablespoon of pasta water if needed.  I didn't end up needing any of the pasta water.  The sauce should cling nicely to the pasta. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with parsley and feta.

I didn't have parsley but did have sage so I topped with sage and it was a nice seasoning.

This recipe turned out really great!  There was a lot of extra sauce since I made it for two people, but I liked the flavor of the garlic with the roasted red peppers and Ross really enjoyed this meal also, he said he wouldn't have changed a thing!  I thought it would be good to add a protein, such as chicken, or even other veggies, but we were pleased with it the way it was.  Thanks again to Pinterest and Cooking Channel.com!

~Kate

Recipe: Fettucine With Red Pepper Cayenne Sauce

I recently received an email from allrecipes.com that listed 5 Easy Dinners for the week.  I saw "easy" and immediately clicked on all of the recipes.  One that sounded easy and yummy to me was a pasta recipe for fettucine with a red pepper cayenne sauce.  It noted that it only takes about 15 minutes and all the ingredients were simple and inexpensive; my kind of meal!


Ingredients:

• 12 ounces dry fettuccine pasta
• 2 red bell peppers, julienned
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 cup reduced fat sour cream
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Here are the easy steps to making this dish:

1. Start by boiling your water for the pasta, add some salt and let it boil. Once ready, add the pasta and cook uncovered for 8-10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, cut up your peppers and get your garlic ready.  Heat a saute pan on medium heat and add cooking spray or EVOO to the bottom of the pan.  Add your garlic and peppers and saute for about 5 minutes.  

Next, add your sour cream, chicken broth, and cayenne.  Let that simmer for another 5 minutes or so.  Add the pasta. 

3. Take the pan off the heat and add the cheese.  Mix all the ingredients together.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

This recipe was so easy and it was delicious!  My husband and I both liked it a lot and will definitely make it again. I love that it doesn't require a lot of ingredients either.  I had some frozen peas on hand, so I added those in to the pan as well.  You could add tons of things to this though: chicken, shrimp, mushrooms, broccoli, etc.  The cayenne definitely adds a little kick to the meal, so if you don't like spicy don't use as much cayenne.  Hope you enjoy!

~Kate