Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

My mom got me this cookbook, Pasta Harvest, about a year ago and I hadn't used it (until yesterday), despite all of the recipes looking absolutely fantastic. I decided that it was about time I used it. Of course, I altered the recipe a bit, but the recipe for Fusilli with Roasted Red Pepper Cream definitely wet my appetite for more of Pasta Harvest's recipes. I am going to share with you the original recipe and put in parenthesis my alterations, so you can choose to make it my way or their way. (My version is the much more healthy version that is still delicious.) We paired the pasta with roasted broccoli.

Fusilli with Roasted Red Pepper Cream (Pasta Harvest)

1 Tbs. olive oil
3 oz. pancetta, minced (omitted, much to Adam's dismay)
2/3 cup minced yellow onion
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 large, heavy red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 cup chicken stock (veggie broth)
1/4 cup heavy cream (skim milk)
salt and cayenne pepper
1 lbs. dried fusilli
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbs. minced parsley

1. Heat olive oil and pancetta in a 12-inch skillet over moderately low heat (I skipped this whole pancetta part). Cook, stirring occasionally, until pancetta begins to crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Add onion and saute until softened, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute to release fragrance. Add bell pepper, stock, and cream (or milk) and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes.
2. Puree sauce in a food processor (or blender) until almost completely smooth (a little texture is nice). Return to skillet and season with salt and cayenne to taste. Just before pasta is ready, reheat gently.
3. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Transfer pasta to a large warm bowl. Add sauce and toss to coat. Add 1/2 cup of the Parmesan and toss again, adding as much of the reserved water as needed to help the sauce coat the noodles nicely. Serve immediately on warm dishes. Top each serving with some of the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and the parsley. (Adam and I forgot to do most of this step, so we just put the noodles on the plates, which were not warm, and topped them with the sauce, Parmesan cheese, and parsley.)