This pasta dish hit six flavors at once: a touch of tang from the peppers, sweetness from the onions, umami from the garlic, spice from the Calabria chilis, and bitterness from crisped greens. Together, the components form a balanced and complex dish that’s very simple to make. It also serves as a great transition meal from winter into spring.

Makes 2 full dinner servings, 15 min prep, 30 min cooking, 45 min total

• 8 baby sunset peppers
• 3 Calabria chilis, chopped
• 1 small to medium sweet onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• About 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 small bunch lacinato kale, stalks removed and leaves torn up
• 1 small bunch swiss chard, stalks removed and leaves torn up
• 1/2 box of spaghetti (a large handful)
• Herbes de provence or your preferred herb to taste
• Salt to taste
• Mozarella pearls for serving

Preheat the oven to 475° F. Roast the peppers and garlic first by placing them in a baking dish and drizzling them with some olive oil, herbes de provence, and a pinch of salt. Place them in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the skin looks a bit charred and blistered.

While the peppers are going, cook the pasta, being sure to reserve about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

Sauteé the onions in about 1 tbsp of oil over medium low heat. Stir occasionally to stop from burning, but mostly let them sit and develop their flavor.

When the peppers are done, remove them from the oven, and while they are cooling, lay the greens on a baking sheet and drizzle with salt, pepper, and very little oil. Place them in the oven and let them crisp while still staying green. It should take about 15 minutes.

When the peppers are cool enough to handle, remove the stems. Most recipes ask you to remove the skin and seeds, but I personally like to keep them both in – why waste anything, right? Dice the peppers and garlic together as small as you can get them. Add the peppers, garlic, and chilis to the pan with the onions. Let the mixture soften a bit, then add the leftover juice and oil from the roasting pan along with the 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water. Stir everything very well and let it continue to cook and thicken.

You can let it cook as long as you want. I stopped it when there was still some texture to the peppers and onions, but you could let it turn into almost a jam for a more concentrated flavor. Add salt to taste.

To serve, remove the pepper sauce to a bowl, add the spaghetti and toss repeatedly until all the strands are well coated. Add the greens and mozzarella pearls into the bowl and toss again. The result is a light but robustly flavored dish.