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Mariel here. So far for Secret Recipe Club, I’ve had the distinct pleasure of meeting new bloggers, or should I say, new to me. But this week, I was assigned none other than Family Fresh Cooking, one of the very first food blogs I ever started browsing. Marla is a busy So-Cal transplant from Long Island and a mom of two so she focuses on fresh, healthy family favorites (hence the name) that fit into an over-packed schedule. I adore her style of cooking – what’s not to love about flavorful whole foods – so I had a real tough time deciding what to make. At first it was gonna be her Elk Chili with Sweet Potatoes, but there was no elk to be found at my little NYC grocery store. They often run out of chicken breasts, ricotta and skim milk, so no real surprise there. Then it was her Rustic Tomato Tart, Chicken with Coconut-Lime Peanut Sauce, and Pumpkin Peanut Butter Cookies.
However, I’ve had a severe case of carb face for the past two weeks and decided to indulge in yet another bowl of pasta instead, via her Quick Tomato Bell Pepper Sauce. I focused less on the “quick” angle of things and chose to take my time. I roasted the Bell peppers under the broiler – is there any other way to eat a pepper? – and let the onions caramelize a little longer. All in all, this sauce came together in about an hour, so it’s still relatively time- efficient and it saves beautifully, so you can eat it all week or parcel it out into freezable containers.
Marla uses smoked paprika, which I did too, and it adds a smoky, spicy depth to the sauce. In fact, I’d say this brew is somewhere between an Italian marinara and a Spanish romesco so it works beautifully in a variety of different dishes. If you don’t have smoked paprika, you can use regular paprika to save cash, just use half a teaspoon instead of a whole teaspoon (and sadly you’ll miss out on the smokiness). Enjoy!
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Roasted Bell Pepper and Tomato Sauce
Makes about 1 quart + 1 pint
Serves 6-8
Adapted from Family Fresh Cooking
Ingredients:
3 large orange, red or yellow Bell peppers, halved and seeded – $2.49
1 large onion, chopped – $1.29
8 cloves of fresh garlic, chopped – stock
1 Tablespoon Balsamic vinegar – stock
28-oz can of chopped tomatoes – $2.79
Olive oil – stock
A few dashes of cracked black pepper – stock
1 teaspoon smoked paprika – $4.59
A few pinches of salt – stock
Grand total assuming well-stocked kitchen: $11.16
Cost per serving: $1.39
Directions:
1. Preheat the broiler. Place the peppers cut side down on tinfoil and brush the tops with olive oil. Broil for 6-7 minutes, until the tops are charred. Remove from heat and allow to cool before removing skin and roughly chopping.
2. In a large saute pan, heat about a tablespoon of olive oil over med-low heat. Add the garlic, onions and Balsamic. Cook stirring frequently until tender, about 12 minutes. Add the tomatoes and spices and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Add roasted peppers then taste and adjust seasonings.
3. Let sauce cool and puree with an immersion blender or food processor.
Oh, the addition of the bell peppers must offer a delicious sweetness! Excellent SRC post!!!
This sounds like an awesome recipe. Love the idea of roasting the peppers first… yum!
I love what you did with my recipe. I agree, taking the time to really roasting the peppers on your own is way better. Any steps we can do at home always improves the flavor. Thanks of such great coverage of my blog for the SRC π xxoo
That sauce looks SO good! Now I want to go make some π
I love how you break everything down cost wise and I love your photos! yummy sauce!
Just bookmarked- this is on my must-do for 2012 cooking list. Amazing what a little balsamic vinegar does, right? Nice!
Great pictures! I love a good tomato sauce. What a great blog you got for SRC. You picked a wonderful recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Gorgeous photos! I still haven’t taken the time to make a sauce like this, but this looks so worth the wait. Isn’t SRC great? You can find new blogs and re-explore old favorites. Great pick! Thank you for sharing π
Fabulous – i need to make some of this and store away – with a baby on the say in less than 12 weeks i am starting to think what i can make ahead of time.
I like the idea of using smoked paprika. I have yet to use that in a sauce like this. I bet it really does enhance the flavor. You are not the only one with a severe case of carb face. Too bad I never have a severe case of needing a vegetable fix.
You did send this through Stumble twice and it just makes me feel better that I can’t remember sometimes if I have or not! The sauce looks so perfect; might be time for me to do some carb loading; ie eat some spaghetti!
Makes me want to use this sauce in a vegetable lasagne!
This looks really delicious! I love roasted peppers – bet they are amazing in this sauce! Gorgeous photos. π
I love Marla’s blog, and this recipe you chose for SRC represents her so well – sounds like a nice staple sauce to have in the fridge for a quick dinner.
Marla has a great blog. Smoked paprika add depth to anything, the sauce seems like a nice change fromthe regular marinara.
looks and sounds fabulous
This sounds genius! I am going to have to try this. Great SRC post!
What a beautifully, simple sauce. Love that little bit of smoked paprika in the recipe. Yum.
This looks scrumshish! Got any garlic bread to go with this?
Classic! GREG
Oh I saw this recipe and wanted to make it this year but I wasn’t able to. It looks delicious and I can’t wait to make it!
Oh what a beautiful and versatile sauce. I wish I had this at the end of summer tomato season but I am bookmarking it now! Great post! : )
My only criticism would be that the bowl seems awfully small. I would have to refill it too many times. This looks really good. Thank you for sharing!
This recipe sounds amazing. I can’t wait to try this. I love the roasted peppers!!
Roasting peppers on a comal (can be purchased at most mexican grocers) or a cast iron skillet works tons better than the broiler. Also, when do you actually add the roasted peppers to the sauce again??