Dairy-Less Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Sauce

An amalgamation of other red pepper sauce recipes I've seen- super healthy, low-calorie, and as easy and mess-free as I could make it!

• Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
• Serves: 2-3

Ingredients

• 1  red pepper
• 1⁄2 medium carrot
• 1⁄4 onion
• 1  tablespoon olive oil
• 2  fresh garlic cloves
• 1⁄2 cup  low sodium vegetable broth (or chicken broth, if you prefer)
•  salt
•  fresh ground pepper (to taste)
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh parsley (dried is also fine)
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional) or 1⁄4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Grease shallow pan with vegetable oil spray.
3. Cut carrot in half and peel garlic cloves.
4. Place pepper (washed), halved carrot, onion, and garlic in pan.
5. Roast vegetables for approximately 15 minutes, then add olive oil and return to oven.
6. Roast another 15-20 minutes, or until all are tender and pepper is partially blackened.
7. Remove vegetables from oven, cool.
8. Core pepper and chop coarsely, chop onion and carrot coarsely.
9. Place vegetables (and juice from roasting) into blender.
10. Puree, adding some vegetable broth if necessary.
11. Heat mixture along with all the vegetable broth, in a small pot or saucepan over medium heat.
12. Add spices to taste, and parsely.
13. Heat until thickened.
14. Serve over pasta, with a sprig of extra parsely if you feel fancy.