1-Step 1: Prepare and Roast the Vegetables Start by preheating your oven to 160°C (320°F). This lower temperature is intentional. It allows the vegetables to roast slowly, concentrating their flavors without burning or drying out. While the oven heats, grab a large ovenproof dish. I like to use a deep roasting pan or even a Dutch oven. Toss in your cherry tomatoes, the whole red peppers, your quartered red onion, and the halved garlic bulbs. Drizzle everything with the olive oil and sprinkle generously with dried oregano, salt, and pepper. Use your hands to toss everything together, making sure each piece is nicely coated with the oil and seasonings. Don’t be shy about getting in there with your hands. It’s the best way to ensure even coating! Pop the dish into your preheated oven and set a timer for 50 minutes. This hands-off roasting time is when the magic happens. The tomatoes will burst and become jammy, the peppers will soften and char slightly, the onion will caramelize, and the garlic will turn sweet and mellow.

2-Step 2: Steam and Peel the Peppers Once your vegetables are beautifully roasted and soft, remove the dish from the oven. Carefully transfer the red peppers to a bowl and cover it tightly with plastic wrap or a plate. Let them steam for 10 minutes. Why steam them? This simple step loosens the skins, making them incredibly easy to peel off. After 10 minutes, you should be able to slide the skins right off the peppers. Remove and discard the seeds as well. What you’re left with is tender, smoky roasted pepper flesh that will blend into an incredibly smooth sauce.

3-Step 3: Extract the Roasted Garlic While the peppers are steaming, let the garlic bulbs cool slightly. They’ll be hot, so give them a few minutes. Once they’re comfortable to handle, simply squeeze each garlic half. The soft, roasted cloves will slide right out of their papery skins. This roasted garlic is pure gold. It’s lost all its harsh, spicy bite and transformed into something sweet and buttery. You could almost spread it on toast! But for now, we’re adding it to our sauce.

4-Step 4: Blend Your Sauce Now it’s time to bring everything together. Transfer your peeled peppers, squeezed garlic cloves, roasted tomatoes, and that gorgeous onion into a blending vessel. Add the heavy cream. If you have an immersion blender, you can blend everything right in the roasting dish. Otherwise, transfer everything to a regular blender. If using a regular blender, let the vegetables cool slightly first, as blending hot liquids can be dangerous. Blend until completely smooth. The sauce should be silky and have a beautiful reddish-orange color. Give it a taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper if needed.

5-Step 5: Cook Your Pasta While your sauce blends, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook your pasta according to package directions, but here’s a pro tip: stop cooking 1-2 minutes before the pasta reaches al dente. It will continue cooking in the sauce, absorbing more flavor. Before draining, carefully scoop out about ½ to 1 cup of that starchy, salty pasta water. This liquid is incredibly valuable for achieving the perfect sauce consistency.

6-Step 6: Combine and Serve Drain your pasta and return it to the pot (or transfer to a large serving bowl). Pour that gorgeous roasted pepper tomato pasta sauce over the noodles and toss gently to coat. If the sauce seems too thick, add splashes of your reserved pasta water until you reach a silky, coating consistency. The pasta will absorb some of the sauce and release more starch, creating a creamy, cohesive dish. This technique is what separates good pasta from truly great pasta.

7-Step 7: Add the Finishing Touches Transfer your sauced pasta to serving bowls or a large platter. Now comes the best part: tear your burrata into pieces and scatter them over the top. Grate fresh parmesan generously over everything. Finish with fresh basil leaves, torn by hand to release their aromatic oils. The burrata will slightly melt from the heat of the pasta, creating creamy, dreamy pockets throughout. It’s absolutely heavenly!