When I have juicy, red tomatoes ripening on my sunny, kitchen counter that need to be eaten, one of my favourite ways of using them is to make a raw marinara. This time, I decided to add a little pizazz by including roasted red pepper!
I love this on pasta, noodles and all kinds of gnocchi. You can even use it on pizza if you like. It’s simple to make and it is a great way to eat vegetables raw for maximum nutrient benefits.
I like to eat it at room temperature with hot pasta or gnocchi. It makes a perfect pasta for a summer day when the tomatoes are at their best. You can heat it up as well.
Raw Marinara and Roasted Red Pepper Marinara
Ingredients
6-8 organic, ripe tomatoes, washed and quartered
1 red pepper, roasted, stem, seeds and skin removed
1/2 medium red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
4-6 slices of sundried tomatoes, roughly chopped (dried, not in oil)
1 tbs dried thyme
salt to taste (if needed)
Ground pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 200c and place a washed, whole red pepper on a try. Roast for about 30-40 minutes until a fork pierces through the pepper with no resistance. Place the pepper in a glass tuperware container and seal on the lid. Set aside to cool.
Quarter the tomatoes and add to a blender jar. Peel, slice and roughly chop half a red onion and 2 cloves of garlic. Add to the jar. Chop the sundried tomatoes and add them to the jar. Add the thyme. Blend until you have a smooth, uniform sauce.
When the peppers are cool enough to handle, remove the stem, seeds and skin. Do not rinse as they will lose some of their delicious flavour. Add the roasted red pepper flesh, the juice and ground pepper to the marinara. Taste to see if you want to add salt. Blend. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
It’s delicious on cauliflower gnocchi with fresh cilantro and homemade jalapeño pickles!
Store any remaining sauce in a glass tupperware container in the refrigerator.