Penne with Red Pepper Sauce and Broccoli

I love this recipe. I am married to an Italian (green card Italian, not Mamma Leoni from Brooklyn Italian), and he is always impressed when I make this dish. The almonds are a special touch and it always helps to have fresh fresh fresh ingredients. My kids don't like peppers as a general rule so I never intended to make it for them. It looks like there's cream added to the sauce because of the creamy pink color. Great way to fool those die-hards who refuse to eat anything that is 100% vegetarian.

Very good! I couldn't follow this recipe exactly because my food processor was uncooperative. Unable to puree the vegetables, I just tossed them with the other ingredients with wonderful results. This is designed to be served hot, but cold leftovers the following day were delicious.

The sauce really is tasty, although I would be inclined to add more garlic, cayenne pepper and balsamic vinegar that it asks for because I found it a bit bland.

I read most of the reviews on this...it came up as recipe of the day...I saw some ..well most say 'bland' and had ideas to spice it up...adding more onion was one idea ...garlic powder...well I left all the ingredients alone for one...adding more garlic cloves...total of 4...and I did take the suggestion of one reviewer of the red peppers...so I roasted my two peppers and let them rest in a closed container so they could cool/ steam before I chopped them...Also ...as the recipe said to puree all...I only roughly chopped my veggies...why do the work of a machine...one big change too was I added my spices while cooking my onions...and I can tell you my sauce is anything but bland...it has a big kick at the end....I think this is a good veg head recipe and if you add sausage or chicken it can fit anyone...thanks!:-)

Totally LOVED this recipe, as with my husband and 8yr old son. Plates were polished cleaned with this recipe! All I added that was different was an extra tsp of vinegar instead of the suggested. I also didn't have fresh Parmesan so I used fresh Asiago instead. True, it wasn't very 'saucy' but I don't particularly like pasta that's dripping with sauce. This was just the right amount of sauce for my taste. This dish will remain in my kitchen!

I agree with the other reviewers who thought the sauce needed more flavor. I used altogether 1 t. salt, and added 1 t. oregano, and it was very good. I also used half the amount of pasta, and added a can of white beans for more protein. It ended up being delicious!

Added half of a cup of almonds instead of 1/4 cup, used around 8 oz of pasta, added double the garlic, 6 ounces of olive oil, 1/2 cup of cheese, triple the pepper, and around 3 ounces of milk at the end. Was wonderful!

Really not great

Very yummy and interesting to have a red sauce with no tomatoes in it. A nicely balanced veggie meal that is very different from your standard boring pasta. Thank you for sharing!

Love this one! My mother didn't like it, but she doesn't really like vegetables much. It was neat to have a non-tomato red sauce. My meat-loving husband said this is one of the few meatless dishes I make where he doesn't miss the meat. This one's a keeper for us! Thanks!

While this dish sounded great on paper it was messy to make and only ok to taste. I thought that next time I might skipp the blending portion. This would save me clean up and make it not look like red lumpy baby poo. So I only kinda like this one.

This was good. I omitted the almonds (allergies) and it was a little bland. I think the almonds would give the flavor needed.

This is chockful of good for you and easy to prepare. The sauce is a bit dry and sweet. I think I would add something next time to make it creamy. Thanks for sharing it!

This rocks! The red pepper sauce also goes great with breadsticks. I also make pizzas with this red pepper sauce. Nice change of pace from tomatoes. Versatile and yummy!

Delicious! (And, I was really skeptical, but tried anyway because of the reviews.) It all came together to create a unique and wonderful flavor without tomatoes! I had only one very large red pepper on hand, and added chicken broth to the onion/pepper mixture to deglaze the pot every so often. I also used zucchini in place of broccoli.

Really nice and simple if you don't bother to blend everything. I used finely chopped jarred peppers and just sauted all the ingredients before mixing with the pasta. Fast and tasty for a mid-week meal.

This was good. Different, but still good. My bf liked it, I thought it was alright and my dad didn't care for it at all. I liked that it was something different, I am not a fan of red sauces, but the vinegar and the red pepper almost made it taste too sweet. Very odd texture too. I wouldn't make again. I have made other red pepper sauces and they have been alot better. The only good part of this recipe is if you use fresh basil, that saves the dish.

I just made this recipe for dinner tonight and it was awesome...!!..The cayene I used was fresh...Very good, I will certainly cook it again..!!

This was very ho hum. I didn't like the texture of the sauce. I think that these types of sauces are better prepared with roasted red peppers. Instead I had a lot of little chunks and it didn't really form a sauce. I don't know, I just didn't think it was good enough to expend the effort.

The sauce was excellent! I didn't have enough red peppers so I ended up using one red and one green bell pepper. I also added a little more cayenne and added some water to the sauce to thin it a little. I lightly sauted instead of steamed the broccoli with ground chili powder and more garlic. Loved the way it turned out!

found there was a bit too much pasta. would make again using less

very very good. It says to serve immediately and that is good advice. I had to put mine in the oven to keep it warm until the rest of the meal was done and it was fine but was better right away. the pasta got a teensy bit dry in the oven even tho it was covered.

Pretty good. I agree it was a little bland. I ended up adding 1/4 cup of spaghetti sauce and forgot to add the broccoli and it was much better! I also had to add a few extra sprinkles of garlic powder, oregano, and red pepper flakes.

Thanks Jessica for a great recipe - the flavours are terrific. I did make a few flavour adjustments after reading the reviews. I doubled the garlic, balsamic vinegar and cayenne and I forgot to add the basil (and just realized it as I am writing this review). Even without the basil, this pasta dish is first rate - it's a 5 star recipe for me, so it'll be a 6 star with the basil :-).

I followed the recipe because it sounded so good. Everyone loved it, I was trying to figure out how to change it and she said "don't fix what is not broke" so I have been told... I also served a rotisserie chicken and that went well with it. Thanks for a wonderful recipe.

I really enjoyed this dish! I did tweak it a little bit by not blending everything and adding three more cloves of garlic, more onion, and red pepper flakes. My boyfriend says that he loved it as well, but I added some deer sausage to his. All in all, I would definitely recommend this recipe!

This recipe was pretty good, although I cut the amount of onions in half as they aren't terribly popular in my household. I also used dry basil instead of fresh. Still, my husband took seconds and I know that's a sure sign that he likes something!

Interesting combination of flavors, but it's a rather involved recipe. I made it on a hot day & refrigerated it for 2 hours before eating - it made a nice summer salad supper!

Very good. I'll make it again. I added some cooked shrimp to it.

Way less pasta.

This was good, but for me it wasn't worth the effort. I probably won't make it again.

It's very good but it's definitely lacking something. A bit bland and you do have to adjust the flavor to your liking. I added garlic salt and onion powder. Definitely will add more onions next time.

Excellent vegetarian dish that would also be a nice side dish for our meat eating friends!!

This recipe was fantastic! I used whole wheat pasta and it changed the flavor a little, but I added a little extra cayenne and garlic, so it wasn't as sweet as it could have turned. This would be great with mushrooms and/or chicken added.

This was a great pasta dish. We are not eating wheat; so I used rice pasta. Really a flavorful dish. Added a salad and it was wonderful! A real keeper.

The sauce was to bland, I added Alfredo sauce and that seemed to help, but otherwise I was fairly dissappointed.

The flavor of this was EXCELLENT. (And yes, I did have a pretty heavy hand when it came to adding the garlic, cayenne, and vinegar.) Unfortunately, I can't really call it a "sauce" because it was so incredibly thick. I added more olive oil and vinegar to the mixture in the food processor, and even then I had to add milk when I put it back into the pot. It turned out delicious! - but it definitely needed more liquid to make it so.

The red pepper sauce is excellent. In fact, I'm in the process of making it again right now. I added a bit more garlic and onions than the recipe called for as suggested by another reviewer. I served the sauce with pasta and broccoli, but also added beef strips (sorry, vegetarians!) and a diced sweet potato. A HUGE hit with my dinner guests.

Very good recipe. I used a 1 cup of parmesan and everyone loved it.

This was delicious. I had to substitute some ingredients as I was cooking with what was on hand. I only had one red pepper and used white cheddar instead of parmesan. I also used gnocchi instead of penne. I will have to try this one again with the prescribed ingredients.

Delicious recipe, relatively easy to make. Great flavor! I enjoyed the added texture from the chopped almonds. Will absolutely be making this again. * Followed other reviewer’s suggestions to add more spices/ onion/ garlic. (Substituted crushed red pepper for the cayenne, and skipped the balsamic vinegar to suit our preferences). * I moved the cooked mixture into a tall container and used my stick blender (then sautéed broccoli in the same cooking pan). * Almonds - recipe does not specify what kind - I used slivered, and chopped them on cutting board, then blended with the pepper mixture. * Added about 1 cup of chicken broth to thin the sauce a bit, because it was pretty thick. * We kept our sauce on the side, instead of tossing over the pasta and broccoli. * I’m pretty stingy with my 5-star reviews, but this recipe is certainly worthy. Even my picky teenage son had a second giant serving.

Pretty good. I loved the flavors here. I think next time, I will add some heavy cream or a small bit of stock or something to the sauce to thin it out. I like my pasta dishes a little saucier than this turned out to be. But overall very good, and very easy. Good recipe!

I have made this several times and absolutely love the flavor and the fact that it's a healthier homemade sauce with lots of broccoli!

Loved this! I added extra cayenne pepper since I love spice. Also, did not have almonds on hand, so I skipped that ingredient. Interested to see how they factor into the taste next time I make this. Sauteed broccoli instead of streaming too. I'll definitely be trying this sauce with other dishes!i

I'm super impressed with this recipe. Granted i just bought a food processor somi got a chance to use it, but this was way easier than i thought it would be

one of the best recipies i found on this site! would like it to be a little more wet, though. the almonds are indeed awesome. my boyfriend licked the bowl!

Tasty and easy to make. I actually threw the broccoli in the pasta pot for the last 5 minutes of the pasta cooking and it turned out great! Saved on clean up with one less pot to clean....

Tasty and satisfying dish - and without a cream sauce! The almonds add a great touch. Definitely do NOT mix in an entire lb of pasta - about 12 ounces means you'll have enough sauce. I used frozen onion and peppers (tri-color rather than just red), along with frozen broccoli and I added cauliflower. This might be better with fresh veggies, but it was delicious with frozen! I'll definitely make this one again. Thanks!

this was fun to make as a family. great taste and not that hard. even a noob could do this.

I followed this recipe very closely and found it very work heavy for not a particularely outstanding meal. I found the taste to be a bit plain, for what I was expecting. Judging by the price it cost to make it, the time involved, and the outcome, I don't think I'd make it again. It was interesting to try, though.

I agree with previous reviewers that there was too much pasta. But beyond that, there wasn't much to be impressed with. I really wanted to like it! It just didn't have enough flavor, sauce or uniqueness.

Excellent recipe...loved the subtle flavors

Loved this and all of my picky family did too. Even used frozen broccoli and it was delicious!

Very tasty recipe

I thought this meal was outstanding. I followed the instructions exactly. My wife is a fussy Italian eater and she went back for seconds!! We were looking for a no meat recipe and this fit the bill perfectly. Good job! Thank you.

The flavor was good, but there wasn't much of it. It seems as if there is an ingredient (some liquid) missing for the sauce. I ended up blending some cream in with the red peppers, because otherwise it was a sticky glop. And even with doing that, it hardly covered all the noodles. It wasn't worth the effort to me.