Pepperoncini Pasta Sauce is a spicy tomato sauce that can be made in just 30 minutes. Serve with your favorite pasta, a garden salad with Creamy Italian Dressing, and some Pepperoncini Garlic Bread if you want to go all out with the pepperoncini peppers.

Pepperoncini Pasta Sauce over spaghetti in a bowl.

Pepperoncini Peppers

Pepperoncini Peppers have a mild heat and will add a vinegary, peppery taste to the pasta sauce. They add alot of zip to the sauce. You want to use the jarred pepperoncini peppers for this sauce, not fresh peppers.

Pepperoncini Pasta Sauce mixed with spaghetti.

Other Ingredients

This pasta sauce is full of salty, briny, smoky flavor. In addition to being flavored with pepperoncini peppers, the sauce is also flavored with bacon, onion, garlic, kalamata olives, capers, and dried basil.

Pepperoncini Pasta Sauce Recipe Tips

If you want to cut the acidity of the sauce, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of sugar.

Fresh basil can be substituted for dried basil.

I like to add a little heavy cream to give the sauce a little creaminess, but it can be left out.

Sauce being cooked in a skillet.

How To Spice It Up

To add a little more kick to the sauce, add a pinch or two of crushed red pepper flakes.

Storage

The sauce can be refrigerated for 4 to 5 days or frozen in a freezer bag for up to 2 months.

Pepperoncini Pasta Sauce mixed with pasta.

More Pasta Sauce Recipes

Pepperoncini Pasta Sauce

5 from 1 vote
Prep: 8 minutes
Cook: 22 minutes
Servings: 6
Pepperoncini Pasta Sauce is a spicy tomato sauce flavored with capers, bacon, olives, and pepperoncini peppers.
Save this recipe!
Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Ingredients

  • 4 bacon slices
  • 1 medium onion,, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves,, minced
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
  • 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1/3 cup roughly chopped pepperoncini peppers
  • 1/3 cup halved kalamata olives
  • 1 tablespoon capers,, rinsed and drained
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • cooked spaghetti
  • freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions 

  • Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet. Remove the bacon, crumble it and set aside.
  • Cook onion in the bacon grease for 4 to 5 minutes.
    Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
  • Stir in tomato paste and oregano.
  • Add undrained diced tomatoes and crushed tomatoes. Simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Add pepperoncini peppers, olives, capers, and heavy cream. Simmer 3 minutes.
  • Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in the crumbled bacon.
  • Serve over spaghetti with Parmesan cheese.

Nutrition

Calories: 195kcal

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag us @spicysouthernkitchen on social media!

Related Recipes

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




1 Comment

  1. AddamsFamily says:

    This dish is perfect for the party this weekend. Let’s come dino game!