Pasta with Red Peppers and Balsamic Vinegar (Variation)

Recipe: Pasta with Red Peppers and Balsamic Vinegar (variation of Pasta with Eggplant and Balsamic Vinegar)

Page: HTCE p. 519

Rating: **** (could be ***** keep reading!)

I must admit that I hate, loathe, despise, and abominate eggplant. However, with almost equal fervor, I thoroughly enjoy red peppers! So, I of course went for the variation with nary a second glance at the original.

It was terrific! We all (my mom, my hubby, my boys, and myself) had seconds; only my 4-year old daughter turned up her nose. I believe our buddy Mark has LARGE pasta servings in mind when he lists the number of servings; we served three kids and three adults amply with this recipe and only had a side salad with it.

I used frozen tri-colored peppers and frozen basil with farfalle. I also used Parmesan in place of feta (per Mark's suggestions). (Do we mind if I call him "Mark?" I'm feeling on a first name basis here these days.) Otherwise, I followed the recipe exactly (I did omit the red pepper flakes for the tender, under-5 crowd's sake). I think this will be a definite repeat and an easy list of ingredients to keep on hand since peppers, basil, and cheese all freeze wonderfully.

I'm giving this **** but I think it could become a ***** recipe in the summer with truly fresh basil and bell peppers, especially if they're from my own garden and super fresh!

By the way, it's good at room temperature; it's one of those pasta dishes that can be finished, the rest of dinner gotten together, the table set, and then the pasta dish served. This makes it a perfect solution for those of us with toddlers who ALWAYS have to go to the bathroom or something equally urgent right when dinner's ready.