Step 1

Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook for about 10 minutes until soft and translucent, turning down the heat if the onion begins to brown. You don't want to rush this step, as the onion needs time to become soft and sweet.

Step 2

Turn the heat up to medium, add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes until fragrant and beginning to brown. If using chilli flakes, add them at this point.

Step 3

Add the tomato paste to the pot and cook, stirring regularly, for 12 minutes before adding the sun-dried tomatoes and stirring to coat them in the tomatoey onion mixture. Turn the heat off and leave them to cool for a few minutes.

Step 4

Add the pine nuts, capsicum and parmesan cheese to a food processor. Once cooled, add the tomatoey mixture to the food processor, scraping as much as possible from the pot. Blend until smooth, pausing to scrape down the sides as required. Taste and add any additional salt or acidity (either lemon juice or the brine from the jarred capsicums) as desired.

Step 5

Stir the sauce through cooked pasta and serve, storing any leftover sauce in an airtight jar in the fridge with a layer of oil over the top (consume leftovers within 5 days).