An Italian savory bell pepper and tomato sauce with olives over pasta with freshly grated pecorino cheese and fresh herbs. This Pepperoni Saporiti has few ingredients and the method is simple, but the flavors in this final dish will blow you away!
In a very large nonstick skillet (large enough to hold all the cooked pasta later on), add the olive oil. Heat over medium low heat. Add in the thinly sliced garlic cloves, chopped red chili pepper (or flakes) and sprigs of fresh basil. Fry over medium-low heat to release the aromas.
Meanwhile, cut the bell pepper into thin slices, halve the cherry tomatoes, and slice the olives. Place the peppers, tomatoes, and olives in the skillet and cook over medium heat until the peppers are tender, stirring occasionally. This takes about 30-35 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions making sure to RESERVE 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.
Add the drained hot pasta to the sauce and toss vigorously to coat. Add the reserved pasta water as needed to help the sauce. Add a few drizzles of additional olive oil, season with salt and pepper as desired (remembering olives and cheese are salty), and serve hot with cheese on top.
Notes
*Increase or decrease the heat of this dish with the quantity of red pepper flakes (or chili pepper) 1/4 teaspoon is quite mild and 1/2 teaspoon is spicier. **Can use Piennolo del Vesuvio Tomatoes PDO or San Marzano dell'Agro Sarnese-Nocerino Tomatoes PDO in place of cherry tomatoes.