Crock-Pot Roasted Pepper and Tomato Sauce

December 5, 2013

Crock-Pot Roasted Pepper and Tomato Sauce


Apparently my quest for finding an “edible” gluten-free/paleo-ish pasta isn’t over yet.
Although two months ago I sweared I wouldn’t waste any more money on ‘fake’ pasta...I did it again.
Are you guys familiar with ‘recidivism’?
In criminal law it's defined as the relapse into criminal behavior. Basically you commit a crime over and over again, even after experiencing negative consequences of that crime.
OK, I won’t go as far as saying that buying shitty gluten-free pasta makes me a recidiv felon, but repeating the same action, and expecting a different result, makes me at least some sort of dumb-ass — as per my friends words. Yeah, THANK.YOU.GUYS.
And gluten-free pasta can be quite expensive too; ergo I’m dissipating my income.
But as I like to tell myself “If you don’t try it, there's no way of knowing if you'll like it” so I’m still at it.
The gluten-free pasta quest is still on.


Crock-Pot Roasted Pepper and Tomato Sauce


This time I tried a quinoa pasta (gluten & corn free). I had high hopes because the online reviews of this particular brand were all quite positive.
However, the party was soon over.
The moment I drained the pasta (which were spaghettis), I could already tell, just by the look of it. that the pasta was a horrible mushy mess.
In general, I’m open to sacrifice a slight taste or texture difference on the altar of health, but gluey pasta?
Nope, sorry, can’t do.
Because if there's one thing I really despise, it's over cooked or spongy pasta. I like my pasta to be al dente, a bit crunchy.
This is - yet again - another gluten-free pasta FAIL.

Crock-Pot Roasted Pepper and Tomato Sauce


There’s a silver lining in all this though. The Crock-Pot roasted pepper and tomato sauce I made for the pasta was awesome.
For one, it’s uber easy to make. Open a jar, a can, peel the onion and garlic, just throw everything in and fugget about it.
After a couple of hours your kitchen is gonna smell like a thousand bucks.
And it’s going to be good. SO SO good.
I was surprised how creamy and delicious this turned out. And there’s no butter or heavy cream; just a bit of olive oil and some ricotta cheese.

Crock-Pot Roasted Pepper and Tomato Sauce


This sauce is so delicious, it actually saved the dish.
A couple of “Hey, why is this pasta so soft?” were heard around the table, but all of the spaghettis were gone before I could offer seconds. Validation.

Crock-Pot Roasted Pepper and Tomato Sauce
Crock-Pot Roasted Pepper and Tomato Sauce                                                   Print this recipe!

This recipe makes for about 3 cups of sauce. Be free to double (or triple) the batch and make as much sauce as your crock-pot can hold. It freezes very well and keeps in the refrigerator up to a week.

Ingredients
Makes about 3 cups

1 jar 12 oz / 340 gr roasted red peppers in olive oil (I used Delallo), drained
1 can 28 oz / 400 gr good tasting crushed/diced tomatoes (I used San Marzano)
3 shallots (or small onion), peeled and roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt (plus more to taste)
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 to 5 tablespoons ricotta cheese (I used Organic Valley)

Directions

Combine all ingredients (but the ricotta) in the Crock-Pot and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.
Let cool for 10 minutes. Add ricotta cheese and using an immersion blender (or in a stand blender) puree’ until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust with seasoning, and add more ricotta, if you like.
You don’t own a Crock-Pot? Fear not my friend. You can cook this on the stove.
Combine all ingredients in a heavy bottomed pan, cover with a lid and cook for 2 hours over (very) low heat. But keep an eye on it and give a good stir every now and then.

Nutrition facts

1 cup of sauce yields 216 calories, 8.6 grams of fat, 27.3 grams of carbs and 8.6 grams of protein.

26 comments:

  1. This sauce looks yummy… and magic if it made everybody forget about the pasta! I am gonna try it!

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  2. This looks so delicious I guess your guests didn't care at all for the poor pasta...

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  3. Wait a minute. Are you trying to tell me that you served experimental to your guests? Plus, you took the time to snap a few shots before serving them their food?

    Wow, you like to live dangerously, don't you? And no one threw anything at you? Mind you, they did (apparently) call you a dumb-ass, so I guess it was kind of half deserved. Plus, the sauce looks exceptionally good, so I guess it kinda makes up for the sucky pasta.

    If you ever have me over for dinner, I'll have my sauce over steamed cauliflower, please. Or spiralized rutabaga. Or ribboned zucchini. Or...

    Alright, alright, I'm outta here. Don't throw anything at me, please! Hey, I did say that the sauce looks good. And it does, really! I swear! :D

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    1. Well Sonia, my friends & family are my Guinea pigs. They know it, and they actually LOVE it.

      And just for the records I would never throw food at you, I have good manners!

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  4. O.K., I'm back --- remember two months ago when you were so frustrated about finding good gluten free pasta and I suggested Tinkyada rice pasta? Please don't give up in your quest to find a good brand until you try this. It is wonderful! Stays firm and does not get mushy. Wal-mart carries it. In different shapes/sizes.................................
    Also, remember that the Archer Farms brand at Target has a great gluten- free spaghetti. You can hardly tell the difference from the real deal. It cooks up beautifully.
    Please, please, please give them a try --- I think you'll be pleasantly surprised! :) Can't wait to hear. :)
    ~Sue

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    1. Thanks Sue, I'm definitely trying Tinkyada (do you think I'll be able to find it at WF?) and Archer Farms (although the nearest Target is n NJ).
      Thanks for the remainders and I have definitely not given up the hope! :-)

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    2. I don't know if WF carries it --- if not they might get it in at your suggestion. I do know we have bought it at health food stores locally but Wal-mart prices on it are definitely less expensive. Do you have a Giant close to you? We buy it there as well --- depending on what I want --- they each carry different varieties. We use a lot of the Spirals. The only ingredients that are in it are, brown rice, rice bran and water. I serve it to my guests who never have a clue that it is not the real thing. Seriously, it is that good! In texture and everything.
      I recently had to clear gluten out of my diet for health reasons. It was kind of depressing when I tried different gluten-free pasta and found them all disgusting at the least! Then we found Tinkyada and have not looked back! My Hubby loves it.
      Maybe I should ship a bag to you. :)
      Good luck finding it.
      ~Sue

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  5. I really like the quinoa-corn pasta, but you can't let it cook too long. I time exactly 7-8 mins for the spaghetti and it stays al-dente. It can stick together really badly, so I only do 1 or 2 boxes at a time and stir often. I've also tried Tinkyada, but for me it has too much fiber if you are working out the next day.

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    1. I guess I'll have to be more careful next time with the cooking time. Because let me tell ya, they were really sticky and not good, at all...
      Thanks for the tip Britt!

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  6. You just made me google and research ‘recidivism'...:), you are a funny guy.
    Hey, let us know when you find a good one.
    The sauce looks good though, maybe it was the savior.

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  7. I'm making this sauce tomorrow and I actually bought the TInkayada pasta tonight - so I'm glad to read that someone recommends it. Your recipes are always awesome - I've not found one I didn't like yet! I may also try this with spaghetti squash.

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    1. Please let us know how you like the Tinkyada, Patti. I'd love to hear what other people think about it..........:)
      ~Sue

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  8. This sounds so flavoursome and delicious I need to make time to make this!

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  9. I just made this. I made some adjustments. I didn't puree it but that's because as it was cooking, it smelled and tasted so good as is and I like more texture to my sauce. I did use a utensil to break apart the red peppers so they weren't huge chunks. IT IS DELICIOUS. And ridiculously easy.

    Sue - I didn't use the Tinkyada pasta yet - I'm a tad over on calories today :) so I'm saving for another day. I think tomorrow I'll use the leftover sauce over spaghetti squash. Mike - I have to go through your recipes and find your meatball one. Because the ones I made were just okay.

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    1. That is awesome Patti, I'm so stoked you liked it so much!
      I have a couple of solid recipes for meatballs, I'm positive you'll be able to find one to your liking.

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    2. I used the leftover sauce tonight with Ronzoni Gluten Free Rotini - it tasted great reheated and the pasta looked, felt and tasted like regular pasta. I found it at Walmart for just around $2. You should try that one. It says to cook for 7-9 min - I cooked for just over 10 and I made sure to use salt as a reviewer recommended. It was very good.

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  10. This was fantastic!! I subbed plain greek yogurt for the ricotta and it was so tasty!! Thanks :)

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  11. Hi Mike - a while back we suspected one of our daughters might be gluten intolerant, so we adopted a gluten-free diet for a few months (turned out, she wasn't). My husband and I are both of Italian heritage, so pasta is HUGE in our house! We tried a lot… most failed, like your experiments. But I do recall liking the Ancient Harvest Quinoa brand pasta, specifically the spaghetti. It's organic, and I remember that it boiled up well with actual "al dente" texture. Maybe it's just a question of brand and timing the boil? In any event, good luck! And thanks for the yummy-looking recipes.

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    1. I'll write that brand name down and see if I can find it. Thanks for the tip Dawn!

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