Confetti Pepper Pasta Sauce (with Shrimp)

Bell peppers come in so many colors- green, yellow, orange, and red. I even grew purple peppers in my garden one year. This recipe came to be when I had a plethora of peppers in my produce bin and wondered what I could make to use them up. I concocted this easy recipe and now I make it regularly. This simple pasta sauce is so colorful and delicious. It can be tossed into your favorite pasta, as is or you can add shrimp, scallops, minced clams, mussels, diced chicken, or crumbled sausage. I have several bags of Maine shrimp in my freezer, purchased from a local shrimper, and frozen while they were fresh off the boat. These tiny, sweet cold water Maine shrimp are a nice addition to this sauce. Make sure to cook your seafood or other addition first before adding to the pepper medley. The key is to make sure you drain off the water that cooks out of the peppers so that the water doesn't dilute the rich olive oil taste and texture.

Confetti Pepper Pasta Sauce

1 red, green, yellow, and orange bell pepper
3 cloves minced fresh garlic, (use a microplaner or garlic press)
4-5 T olive oil
1/3 cup parmesan cheese and some extra to sprinkle on top
salt to taste
choice of pasta (enough for 6 servings)
Optional: Add a cooked seafood, chicken, or sausage if desired

Dice the peppers into tiny, square pieces. saute in 1 T of olive oil until softened. Drain off all water and put peppers back in pan. Remove from heat. Add the garlic and remaining olive oil. Stir in parmesan (freshly grated parmigiano reggiano is best but the canned parmesan will do). Add sauce to hot, drained pasta and toss thoroughly (add shrimp or other optional seafood, chicken, or sausage with the sauce and toss). Sprinkle parmesan on top and serve while hot.