Surprise! It’s Spaghetti with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

One of the easiest ways to broaden kids’ palates is to start with a food you know they like and make minor tweaks. This familiar marinara sauce incorporates roasted red peppers. Hemp seeds add a little protein and a pleasantly nutty undertone. The sauce flavor will likely be slightly different than they expect, but not enough to set off tiny alarm bells. It’s vegetarian and Gluten free, too.

Spaghetti with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Ingredients:

2 red bell peppers, sliced (about 2 cups)
1 small to medium onion, peeled and sliced (about 1 cup)
1 Tbs. olive oil
¼ tsp. salt
1 (14.5-ounce) can low-added-salt tomato sauce
2 Tbs. hemp seeds
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
12-16 ounces gluten-free pasta (TRY: Bionaturae Organic Gluten Free Spaghetti)

Toppings: Crumbled goat cheese, grated Parmesan, chopped walnuts, crushed red pepper flakes, snipped fresh basil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, toss pepper and onion slices with oil and salt; spread on a baking sheet and roast 25 minutes, or until soft.
2. Transfer cooked vegetables to a blender and add tomato sauce and hemp seeds. Blend on high until very smooth. Stir in Italian seasoning.
3. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, transfer sauce to a medium saucepan and heat until warmed through. Season to taste.
4. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water. If the sauce is too thick, thin with a little of the reserved water. Toss drained pasta with sauce and serve with desired toppings.

PER SERVING: 281 cal, 5g fat (3g mono, 1g poly, 1g sat), 0mg chol, 9mg sodium, 53g carb (4g fiber, 5g sugars), 5g protein

SOURCE: This article by Amy Palanjian and photo by Jennifer Olson are posted by permission Delicious Living (and its parent company New Hope Network), a trusted voice in the natural living community for 30 years.