Easy Roasted Vegetable Pasta Sauce

This is the smartest way to make jarred pasta sauce taste like you spent all afternoon cooking. Red bell peppers, thick-sliced onions, and whole garlic cloves roast in the oven until soft and caramelized with just a few brown spots. Meanwhile, a pound of sliced mushrooms sautés on the stovetop in water (no oil needed) and simmers with the jarred sauce and fresh basil.

When the roasted vegetables come out of the oven, they go straight into the sauce. The roasted garlic melts into the sauce and adds a sweet, mellow depth that raw garlic never could. The charred pepper strips and soft onion rings give it a chunky, rustic texture.

Everything happens simultaneously: vegetables roast, mushrooms sauté, sauce simmers, and pasta boils. With a little planning, dinner is on the table in about an hour with minimal hands-on time.

Kitchen Tips

• Place garlic cloves on top of the onion slices so they don’t burn directly on the pan. The onion shields them from the heat
• Sauté the mushrooms in water, not oil. They release their own liquid and brown nicely once it evaporates
• Don’t stir the roasting vegetables. Let them sit undisturbed so the bottoms caramelize
• Start your pasta water when the vegetables have about 15 minutes left in the oven

Variations

• Add zucchini or eggplant chunks to the roasting pan for an even heartier sauce
• Use roasted yellow or orange peppers for a sweeter, milder flavor
• Toss in a handful of kalamata olives and capers with the sauce for a puttanesca-style twist