Sundried Tomato Mascarpone Pasta with Baby Spinach and Roasted Red Pepper

A family favorite, this Sundried Tomato Mascarpone Pasta with Baby Spinach and Roasted Red Pepper is loaded with veggies and has perfectly balanced flavors. Added bonus – it’s super fast and easy to make!

My family loves this Sundried Tomato Mascarpone Pasta. It is so good! I make it almost every week. Super quick and easy to make, it can be put together before the pasta finishes boiling.

This Sundried Tomato Mascarpone Pasta is loaded with veggies. I use two kinds of tomato -sundried tomatoes and canned chopped Italian tomatoes. You can roast the red pepper yourself or just pick some up at the deli.

To make the sauce, heat a little olive oil and sauté a chopped onion until it is soft. Add the sundried tomato and roasted red pepper and let it cook for a minute or two. Add the garlic, give it a stir, then add the canned tomatoes and cook til they’re nice and hot. Here I add my secret ingredient, a bouillon cube, for an added burst of flavor – totally optional though. Stir in the mascarpone, it will melt in about 2 minutes. When it starts to simmer, stir in the parmesan cheese. When the cheese is melted, turn off the heat and stir in the baby spinach. I give mine a rough chop but it really could go in whole. It all just blends together beautifully. I love making sauces with mascarpone – they’re creamy and rich with the best flavor! They’re also super quick – no waiting for a sauce to thicken, and if you’re not paying attention and it boils  – no problem, it won’t curdle from the heat.

That’s me sneaking all those veggies in there – the kids will never notice!

If you prepare everything in advance, keep the pasta and sauce separate until just before serving for the maximum creaminess.

Sundried Tomato Mascarpone Pasta with Baby Spinach and Roasted Red Pepper

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 lb pasta (454g), cooked and tossed with 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion
• ¾ cup sundried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped (4oz, 112g)
• 1 cup chopped roasted red bell peppers, (from 2 red peppers yielding about 6.5oz, 184g roasted and chopped)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (or a mix of oregano and basil)
• 15 oz can crushed tomatoes (425g)
• 1 bouillon cube – optional
• salt and pepper to taste
• 8oz mascarpone cheese (227 g)
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese (1.8 oz, 50g)
• 4.4 ounces baby spinach, whole or roughly chopped (125g)
• handful of fresh basil, sliced

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Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large pan. Add onion and sauté until soft.
2. Add roasted peppers and sundried tomatoes. Saute for a minute.
3. Add garlic and give it a stir.
4. Add Italian seasoning, crushed tomatoes, bouillon cube if using, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer on medium-high, 3-4 minutes.
5. Add mascarpone cheese and stir until combined.
6. When heated through, stir in parmesan cheese until melted. Turn off heat.
7. Stir in spinach and fresh basil until combined.
8. Add pasta to sauce and mix to combine.

Notes

To Roast Red Peppers:
1. On a gas stove:
2. Put the red peppers directly on the burner grates with the fire on medium-high. Rotate the peppers as each side turns black, including the top and bottom. Continue until the entire pepper is charred.
3. Alternatively the peppers can be charred under the broiler or on the grill.
4. Put the peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes. This will allow the peppers to steam and the skin to loosen. Remove the charred skin from the peppers and chop.

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