3 Pepper Pasta Recipes

THREE PEPPER PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place pasta in the pot, cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente, and drain.
• In a blender or food processor, blend the olive oil, white wine vinegar, basil, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper until smooth.
• In a large bowl, toss together the cooked pasta, dressing mixture, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, orange bell pepper, tomato, and olives. Top with mozzarella cheese to serve.

THREE-PEPPER PASTA

Steps:

• Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.
• While pasta is cooking, heat oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook bell peppers in oil about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender.
• Stir pasta sauce into peppers. Simmer uncovered 15 minutes. Serve over pasta.

SIX PEPPER PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions, then drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the mini sweet peppers, garlic, onion, red and orange bell peppers, poblano and jalapeno and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the onions and peppers begin to darken, about 3 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a plate and set aside.
• Return the skillet to the heat and allow it to come back up to temperature. Turn off the heat and pour in the tequila. Turn the heat back on and let it cook for 1 minute while scraping the bottom of the skillet to loosen any browned bits. Add the broth, bring to a simmer and simmer until reduced slightly, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to medium low and pour in the cream. Add the adobo sauce, stirring constantly. Cook until the sauce starts to thicken, another 4 to 5 minutes.
• When the sauce is thick, add the vegetables to the skillet, making sure to include all the juices that have drained onto the plate. Stir and cook until the mixture is bubbly and hot, 1 to 2 minutes. Taste and add salt, pepper and/or adobo sauce if needed.
• Add the drained pasta to the sauce and toss to combine. Transfer to bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro and a few reserved mini pepper rings.

CACIO E PEPE (CHEESE AND PEPPER PASTA)

Steps:

• Bring a 12-quart pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving 2 cups of cooking water.
• Return pasta and cooking water to the pot over low heat. Add 3 1/2 cups Pecorino Romano cheese, butter, and pepper. Stir until cheese has melted and formed a creamy sauce, about 5 minutes. Season with salt.
• Serve with additional cheese, if desired.

THREE-PEPPER PASTA TOSS

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, cook peppers and onion in oil until crisp-tender. Drain pasta; add to vegetable mixture. Stir in the vinegar, sugar, salt, basil and pepper. Cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until heated through.

3 PEPPER PASTA

Steps:

• (Optional) Brown the sausage well, crumbling with a fork. Remove from skillet and set aside. Remove excess grease.
• In a large skillet, heat olive oil. Add onion and cook to desired tenderness. (I like to cook the heck out of the onions, but you really don't have to.)
• Add mushrooms and garlic and cook 3-4 minutes.
• Add peppers and cook to desired tenderness. (I only cook the peppers for a couple of minutes because I like them to stay a little bit firm.)
• When the veggies are at your desired tenderness, add the red wine vinegar and sugar. If using sausage, add the meat back to the skillet.
• If I am using fresh basil, I add it last. However, if I am using dried basil, I add it with the mushrooms.
• Pour all contents over al dente penne pasta. I like to top with grated parmesan cheese.

PASTA WITH PECORINO AND PEPPER

Steps:

• Place the peppercorns in a mortar and pestle and crush them until you have a mixture of coarse and fine bits. (You can also grind them in a small food mill or coffee grinder.) Set aside.
• Fill a large, heavy-bottomed pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta and cook according to the directions on the package until al dente. Ladle 1 cup of the pasta cooking water into a glass measuring cup and reserve it. Drain the pasta quickly in a colander and return the pasta to the pot with a lot of the pasta water still dripping.
• Working quickly, with the heat on very low, toss the pasta with 1/2 cup of the grated Pecorino, the crushed peppercorns, cream, butter, parsley, and 1 teaspoon salt, tossing constantly. If the pasta seems dry, add some of the reserved cooking water. Off the heat, toss in the remaining 1/2 cup Pecorino. Serve immediately with a big bowl of extra grated Pecorino for sprinkling.