Comforting and packed with flavour – this Red Pepper Ragu Gnocchi recipe is now on the blog! I am so happy to be taking part in the EU Funded campaign #itspeppertime, which is all about celebrating the humble pepper. Not only are peppers high in vitamin C, but also contain numerous vitamins and minerals! I just love how incredibly versatile peppers are, chuck them into stir fries or chop them into salads, the possibilities are really endless! This super rich pasta sauce has been my latest obsession, packed with gorgeous summery flavour and that sweet note from the pepper is just a winner, with any pasta of your choice! It’s also a great way to sneak in some extra veggies into your diet 😉

The sauce will serve 2 people

For the ragu:

1 red pepper – deseeded and cut into quarters
1 small red onion – roughly chopped
1 clove of garlic – minced
1/2 cup of tomato Passata
1/4 cup of frozen soy mince – this is completely optional, you can leave it out and the sauce will still be delicious. The soy mince makes it more substantial and adds the “proper ragu” feel to the dish.
2 tablespoons of tomato puree
About 4-5 sundried tomatoes finely chopped
A generous handful of basil leaves roughly chopped + extra to sprinkle on top
1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon of olive oil for frying
Salt & pepper to taste

Gnocchi of your choice

Place the onion in a food processor and blitz until it’s has almost like a mince consistency. Transfer the onion to a large frying pan and add the olive oil. Cook the onion on a medium heat until has soften and start to caramelised. Add in the minced garlic and cook for another minute.
Place the peppers into the food processor (no need to wash it) and blitz for few seconds until they are finely chopped up. Add the pepper to the pan together with the soy mince (if using). Cook for 2-3 minutes until all the water from the pepper has evaporated. Add in the passata, tomato puree and sundried tomatoes. Cook the sauce for about 10-15 minutes with the lid on a low heat. If it becomes too dry add a dash of water or more tomato passata.
At last add in the chopped basil and the nutritional yeast.

Cook the gnocchi according to the cooking instructions. Once drained add them to the pan with sauce and a glug of extra virgin olive. Serve straight away with some extra basil and some black pepper.
If you have any leftover sauce you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for few days.