A New Spin on Pasta Sauce

One of my favorite things about cooking is learning how to make something that I would have so often bought pre-made. Take sauce for instance. Before trying the onion and blue cheese sauce recipe, I had never made my own sauce. Now, I'm on a total sauce kick. After finding this roasted red pepper and goat cheese alfredo recipe on Pinterest thanks to Mo from New on U, I couldn't wait to give it a shot. Maybe I'm easy to please, but this was simply delicious, such a great alternative to marinara, and I'm definitely adding it to my short list.

Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Alfredo

Recipe, adapted from Lauren's Latest:
(Makes 4 servings)

3 whole red bell peppers
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup fat free milk
4 ounces goat cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus 4+ tablespoons
1/2 lb. spaghetti (I used gluten-free pasta, but for regular, cook to al dente)
Red pepper flakes and ground black pepper to taste
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with tin foil and place red peppers on sheet. Bake for 20-30 minutes until peppers are charred. Remove from oven and cover with foil 10 minutes.
In a large, deep sauce pan, saute onions and garlic in olive oil until tender. Pour in milk, goat cheese, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Stir until goat cheese is melty and keep warm over low heat.
Peel skin off peppers and remove stem and seeds. Chop into large pieces and place into sauce with Parmesan cheese. Stir to melt cheese and remove from heat.
Pour sauce into blender or use an immersion blender. Puree until mostly blended. Pour back into hot pan and toss with cooked pasta.
Top with remaining Parmesan cheese and more black pepper. Serve with turkey Italian sausage and sauteed spinach.

Boyfriend Meter:
4.5 out of 5

"Flavorful, light, more please!"