Bell Pepper Sauce over Zucchini "Pasta"

Shrimp with Bell Pepper sauce over Zucchini noodles:

This is another stunner. My sweet Nonna surprised me with a package - I opened it up to find six Gorgeous red bell peppers from my Poppa's garden!! I couldn't believe they held up to shipping so well - I could feel the love radiating from the box. She sent it with this recipe (how sweet!) - I just swapped out yummy zucchini noodles for pasta.

Ingredients: (feeds 3-4)

- 6 sweet bell peppers (organic)

- 1 sweet onion (yellow or white)

- olive oil

- 1-2 large zucchini (however much noodles you want)

- 2 vine-ripe red tomatoes

- a handful of fresh basil leaves, or 2tbsp dried

- 2 tbsp white raisins (trust my Nonna...it's amazing)

- 10 large shrimp per person (thaw in cool water if frozen)

- garlic, salt, pepper

First roast the peppers: place sliced cleaned peppers and chopped onion with generous olive oil, basil, garlic and a pinch of salt in oven to bake at 375 for 30-40 min until soft and the skin peels off easily. Peel skins off peppers, then slice or dice finer as desired. If the skins are thin and don't peel off, don't worry. Not all of mine did and I hardly noticed, but the texture will be smoother if the skins can come off.

While they are roasting, make your noodles. I have seen them made into wide flat noodles with a veggie peeler, but I make mine with this World Cuisine Tri-Blade Plastic Spiral Vegetable Slicer from Amazon.com* to make my zucchini pasta (about $32):

The zucchini "noodles" come out perfect every time and it's such a time saver that veggie noodles can actually be a regular occurrence. I use it to make sweet potato curly fries and noodles too and it works like a charm.

Pour the oil from the roasting peppers into a skillet and saute the noodles on med-high until they are almost done-- cooking at a higher temp helps get them toasted without getting mushy.  Remove them to a plate, leaving the oil in the skillet. 

Add to the hot skillet your chopped tomatoes, basil, 1-2 cloves garlic or 1-2tsp powdered, and raisins and cook until the tomatoes are reduced and the raisins are plump. Add the peppers and onions plus the shrimps and heat until the shrimp are just pink through. Toss with the noodles until all hot and combined - and voila! Season to taste with cracked black pepper and sea salt. 

Enjoy with a dry red wine and some good company.  Mangia!

*I have no affiliation with Amazon or World Cuisine. I bought the slicer of my own accord.