Healthy but great tasting Red Pepper Cream Sauce

Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce
(from allrecipes.com)

• 2 large red bell peppers
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1/4 cup fresh basil
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups half-and-half ( I used fat-free, as well as many of the reviewers- it was great!)
• 1/4 cup grated Romano cheese (I used Parmesan)
• 4 tablespoons butter
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat broiler. Lightly coat the red peppers with olive oil. Grill peppers under the broiler until the skin is blackened, and the flesh has softened slightly. Place peppers in a paper bag or resealable plastic bag to cool for approximately 45 minutes.
2. Remove the seeds and skin from the peppers (the skin should come off the peppers easily now). Cut peppers into small pieces.( I skipped steps 1 and 2 and just pureed about 1/2 cup jarred yellow and red peppers- find them in the condiments/pickle aisle)
3. In a skillet, cook and stir the garlic, basil, and red peppers in 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Cook for 10 minutes, so that the flavors mix. ( Add a tablespoon of flour and mix well- this step should thicken the sauce for later)
4. Place mixture in blender (careful it is hot), and puree to desired consistency. Return puree to skillet, and reheat to a boil. Stir in the half-and-half and the Romano cheese; cook and stir until the cheese melts. Add the butter, and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Honestly- the kids didn't love this one.  They are so used to their plain alfredo sauce that they couldn't appreciate this sauce.  However, I can't discard this recipe because I thought it was very easy, a lot different than our usual, and it has a great flavor you can use in different pasta dishes.  Therefore, I'm keeping it on file!  I didn't think it was too spicy, but it had a definite subtle peppery  flavor.