Bucatini alla Crema di Peperoni Rossi con Piselli (Bucatini with Red Pepper Cream Sauce and Peas)
Bucatini with red pepper cream sauce is a wonderful dish to serve for a weeknight or for a special occasion. You’ll want to eat the sauce with everything!
If you’ve been following my blog for any length of time, you probably already know what I’m going to say before I tell you about this recipe: USE ONLY THE BEST, TOP QUALITY INGREDIENTS YOU CAN FIND.
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I won’t stop saying this either, because it cannot be stressed enough: the ingredients you use determine the outcome of your dish. So, do you want “mediocre” or do you want “phenomenal”? Whether you’re making pizza, a roast dinner, or a luscious dessert, it’s equally as important.
This pasta dish has been on my mind for years, but I’ve never actually done anything about it, until now. Sometimes you need a push, or a gentle ‘shove’ to do something.
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So what was the reason which “pushed” me to make this recipe? A friend sent me an email about Delverde’s recipe challenge, where the two winners will travel to New York City for a La Cucina Italiana (my favorite food magazine) event, and have their recipes printed in the magazine!
This lamb dish is the recipe that gave me the idea for the sauce on pasta.
HELLO! That’s a little bit of incentive for me, right? Well, I’ve made the pasta and sauce now, and I could kick myself for not doing it sooner. It actually tastes even better than I’d ever imagined, and it’s fresh and full of flavor, and really simple to make!
In case you don’t know, bucatini is like a thick spaghetti with a hole in the center; it’s not massively popular in the US, which is why I chose to use this type of pasta. Don’t compromise on great flavor by using inferior quality ingredients.
The sauce I created is made from sweet red peppers, with added chicken stock, butter and fresh cream, the flavor will truly make you sit up and pay attention! It’s a unique, yet heavenly, tasty cream sauce which will make you want to lick your plate (just make sure no one’s watching)! I also love using red peppers for this roasted red pepper antipasto salad and crostini.
Bucatini alla Crema di Peperoni Rossi con Piselli
(Bucatini with Red Pepper Cream Sauce and Peas)
original recipe by Christina Conte serves 6 to 8
FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW
Ingredients
- 1 lb box of good quality bucatini (or penne, rigatoni or orecchiette)
- 1 clove of fresh garlic, crushed
- 1 tbsp Lucini extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup (6 oz) fresh or frozen peas (preferably organic)
- 1 large, fresh, sweet red pepper, diced (preferably organic)
- 3 tbsp Lucini extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
- 2/3 cup (5 oz) homemade or good quality chicken stock
- 2 tsp organic, fresh Italian parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup (2 oz) top quality, unsalted butter, cut into smaller pieces
- 3/4 cup (6 oz) organic, heavy whipping cream
- salt (Kosher or sea salt) and white pepper
- (optional: fresh or dried hot pepper to taste-I like cayenne and added a small, fresh pepper)
- parsley to garnish
Prepare a large pot of salted water to cook the pasta; begin to heat the water over low heat. In a small saute pan, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons Lucini extra virgin olive oil, add crushed garlic and the peas. Saute for a few minutes until the peas are cooked; add a little salt and set aside.
Put the 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic and diced red pepper in a frying pan over medium heat (add the hot pepper, if using).
Sauté for about 5 minutes, then add the chopped parsley, continue to cook for about 30 seconds, then add the chicken stock. (Can I tell you that the aroma that will fill your kitchen, at this point, is reason enough to make this recipe!)
Let simmer over high heat, until the liquid is reduced by about half; then add the cream and continue to cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
At this time, bring the water to a rolling boil, then add the bucatini. Cook for 7 minutes, as directed on the package.
After the cream sauce has thickened, add the butter, swirling the pieces into the sauce, until completely melted. Taste the sauce and add salt, if needed, and some white pepper.
Remove from heat. Transfer the red peppers and cream sauce to deep container, and create a smooth sauce by using an immersion blender (traditional blender may also be used.)
Drain the pasta; return to the pot. Add the peas and sauce, and stir to combine evenly.
Garnish the bucatini with red pepper cream sauce with chopped parsley, or sprigs of parsley, and serve immediately.
BUON APPETITO!
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And if you love bell peppers, try this really unique way of eating a bell pepper!
Bucatini alla Crema di Peperoni Rossi con Piselli (Bucatini with Red Pepper Cream Sauce and Peas)
Ingredients
- 1 lb bucatini (good quality- or penne, rigatoni or orrechiette)
Peas & Garlic Mixture:
- 1 ½ Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (good quality)
- 1 clove garlic (fresh, crushed)
- ¾ cup peas (fresh or frozen, preferably organic)
Pepper & Garlic Mixture:
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (Lucini)
- 1 large sweet red pepper (fresh, diced, preferably organic)
- 2 cloves garlic (fresh, minced)
- ⅛ tsp hot pepper (fresh or dried, to taste, optional- I like cayenne and added a small, fresh pepper)
- 2 tsp Italian parsley (fresh, organic, chopped)
- ⅔ cup chicken stock (homemade or good quality)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (top quality, cut into smaller pieces)
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream (organic)
- ⅛ tsp Kosher salt (or sea salt to taste)
- ⅛ tsp white pepper (to taste)
- ¼ tsp parsley (as needed, to garnish)
Instructions
- Prepare a large pot of salted water to cook the pasta; begin to heat the water over low heat. In a small saute pan, heat 1 ½ tablespoons Lucini extra virgin olive oil, add crushed garlic and the peas. Saute for a few minutes until the peas are cooked; add a little salt and set aside.
- Put the 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic and diced red pepper in a frying pan over medium heat (add the hot pepper, if using).
- Sauté for about 5 minutes, then add the chopped parsley, continue to cook for about 30 seconds, then add the chicken stock. (Can I tell you that the aroma that will fill your kitchen, at this point, is reason enough to make this recipe!)
- Let simmer over high heat, until the liquid is reduced by about half; then add the cream and continue to cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
- At this time, bring the water to a rolling boil, then add the bucatini. Cook for 7 minutes, as directed on the package.
- After the cream sauce has thickened, add the butter, swirling the pieces into the sauce, until completely melted. Taste the sauce and add salt, if needed, and some white pepper.
- Remove from heat. Transfer the red peppers and cream sauce to deep container, and create a smooth sauce by using an immersion blender (traditional blender may also be used.)
- Drain the pasta; return to the pot. Add the peas and sauce, and stir to combine evenly. Garnish with chopped parsley, or sprigs of parsley, and serve immediately.
Notes
- Feel free to omit the peas.
Nutrition
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Christina – beautiful post, as always! This Italian classic dish is so beautifully executed!
Thank you so much, Susan!!
Awwww that looks so good!!! I love the sound of red pepper sauce! I wish I could have that for dinner tonight! Love Delverde and La Cucina Italiana is my favourite food magazine as well… I am sure you know why! Good luck! I hope you win, you deserve it! ;-)
Grazie, Manuela! That’s so great to hear that you also get La Cucina Italiana in Australia! I have stacks of them in different spots in my house as I cannot part with any of them!! :) CC
It looks so nice and creamy..and that color is just lovely.
It is very creamy! The color is really nice, too, Medeja, but the flavor is even better! Thank you!! :)
Amazing recipe, Christina! Bell pepper sauces are so rare to find, and yours looks fantastic. BTW, thanks for reminding the world about bucatini, a special pasta with enough bite and texture to perfectly marry with this sauce. I’m also really impressed with the post itself – from the great pictures of a splendidly plated dish, to the the step by step instructions (which are complete of the timing – a great plus). Good luck for the prize!
Grazie, Paolo! This means a lot to me, coming from a native Italian!! I really appreciate your compliments, and thank you for your good wishes, too! :) CC
I want to dive in to that plate of pasta. Way to go girl!
Haha, Cathy! Thank you!! CC
Gorgeous pasta dish, I love bucatini and that sauce is wonderful. Best of luck I hope you win the trip to NYC, if you would love to meet up! I just finished a package of delverde pasta, it really is exceptional.
Thank you, Suzanne! Wouldn’t that be wonderful? I’m keeping my fingers crossed! CC
I must limit the amounts of glutens that I eat, but this recipe is shortlisted for the next week’s allotment! That sauce is just beautiful!
Wow! What a compliment, Susan! Thank you so much, and buon appetito!! CC :)
First of all Christina – I LOVE the look of this recipe! Susan, I too try not to eat too much glutan (or carbs in generally for that matter) but I have already decided that I am going to make this sauce and pair it either with a minute steak, or a thin pork chop! Will let you know how it goes! :)
Thank you, Alex! Yes, please do let me know how you like it! I’m so excited that so many people love how it looks/sounds! I hope it’s a good sign! :) CC
This is just stunning, Christina! I’ve never tried this type of sauce, so I’m excited. Your photos are beautiful, too!
Thank you, Sue! It definitely is different, but I love it and hope everyone else does too! CC