Pasta with Creamy Roasted Red Pepper and Basil Sauce, Salad, Buttered Peas

I had never had roasted red pepper pasta sauce before I tried the recipe from WW in 20 Minutes a few weeks ago. But since then I have seen other variations on the internet. The most delicious looking one was on Pioneer Woman Cooks. And today I see that my friend, Norah, has that one on her blog too. Looks terrific! But, since it involves heavy cream and other ingredients we don't use anymore, I'll stick to this healthier version which we all like. I changed the WW recipe only slightly to add some parmesan cheese for additional flavor.
Served in reasonable portions (rather than the towering piles of pasta we're all accustomed to) with a salad and peas, this a healthy meal. It comes together almost as quickly as the pasta can cook so it's a great meal for hurried times.

Pasta with Creamy Roasted Red Pepper and Basil Sauce, Salad, Buttered Peas
Makes 4 servings
7 points per serving (plus salad dressing of your choice)
Approximate cost for this meal: $7 (Remember that bottled roasted red peppers are available at Dollar Tree for $1)

1 - 8 oz. package of long cut whole grain pasta such as linguine, angel hair, spaghetti, etc.
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup vegetable broth
1 - 12 oz jar roasted red peppers, drained and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 cup fat free half and half
1 - 16 ounce package frozen green peas
1 Tablespoon butter
4 Tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese
1 - 12 ounce bagged salad
Salad dressing of your choice

Cook pasta and peas according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic; cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the broth, roasted pepper, basil and crushed red pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in the half and half; let cool about 5 minutes.

Transfer the roasted pepper mixture to a blender or food processor and puree.
Taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper as needed.
Pour the sauce over the pasta to coat evenly.

When the peas are cooked, drain and add the butter.
(1 Tablespoon. Versus the half stick we USED to use!)

One serving is 1/4 (about 2 cups) of the salad, 1/2 cup of peas, one cup of the pasta and 1 Tablespoon of parmesan to top the pasta and/or salad.

What we thought~
We enjoyed this meal. We had a guest for dinner, Kenzie's friend, and she seemed to enjoy it as well.
I'd like to try this one sometime using fresh roasted red peppers. Although that will bring ht ecost up another dollar or two.
I haven't found a low-cal salad dressing that I really enjoy just yet so I am sticking with Hidden Valley Ranch buttermilk ranch that you make from the powdered mix. It's our family's favorite salad dressing. Made with regular mayo which is loaded with fat (I should try some lite mayos I supppose) and buttermilk (which many people don't realize is actually low in fat) there are 3 points for 2 Tablespoons.