Change up your classic red sauce for this delicious and nutritious roasted red pepper pasta recipe.
This red pepper pasta is packed with roasted red pepper flavors and makes a quick weeknight meal. A restaurant-style pasta that you can assemble in just half an hour!
Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
Pasta is always a good idea when you need a satisfying meal that everyone will devour and that can be whipped up quickly. By using this red pepper sauce, plain pasta turns into restaurant-worthy pasta at home.
What I love the most about this creamy roasted red pepper pasta is how fancy it looks with minimal work: boil the pasta, bake the peppers, and the dish is almost done!
The magic is in the sauce: caramelized roasted red peppers, roasted garlic, roasted shallots, seasoning, all blended in seconds into an epic creamy texture.
Ingredients
This roasted red pepper pasta is made with simple staples you probably have in your kitchen. Make them come together to create this spectacular dinner!
Here’s what you need to make this tasty recipe:
- Red bell peppers: the heart of the sauce. Flavorful and a nice bright color.
- Shallots: roasted and caramelized pairs great with peppers. Regular onions also work.
- Garlic: roasted and delicious makes everything tastier!
- Olive oil: for cooking.
- Pasta: I use penne pasta to trap the sauce inside, but you can use any other.
- Half & half: a little is added to give the sauce a creamy texture. Swap it for coconut milk to make this recipe dairy-free.
- Italian seasoning: an extra boost of flavor.
- Salt and pepper: for seasoning.
How to Make Red Bell Pepper Pasta Sauce
This red bell pepper pasta sauce may look fancy, but don’t be fooled! It’s a very simple recipe you can cook in 30 minutes and serve for dinner any day of the week!
Check out the step-by-step:
- Preheat
Preheat the oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. - Prep the veggies
Place the sliced red bell peppers, shallots, and garlic on the lined pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. - Bake
Bake the veggies for 25 minutes until the peppers are charred on the outside. Remove the sheet pan from the oven and allow the peppers to cool down enough so you can touch and peel off the skin. - Cook the pasta
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta of your choice according to the package directions. Once cooked, reserve pasta water, drain, and bring pasta back to the pot. I always reserve a little extra pasta water in case I need to thin out the sauce. - Make the sauce
In the blender, place the peeled peppers, roasted shallots, garlic, half and half (or coconut milk), Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Pulse a few times to combine. Slowly, add the pasta water until the sauce is smooth and the thickness you like. - Combine
Pour the sauce into the pot with the pasta and toss to coat. If needed, turn the heat to low and heat the sauce through while stirring. - Serve
Serve with a little parmesan cheese, ¡and enjoy!
Watch how this recipe comes together step by step in this video:
How Long to Cook the Pasta
Cook pasta in boiling water following the package’s instructions. Time may vary depending on the type of pasta you choose, but most pasta cooks in about 10 minutes. For penne pasta, the cooking time is around 12 minutes, while spaghetti and other thinner pasta can be cooked in less time.
Success Tips for Red Pepper Pasta
Make this recipe following these simple tips for a perfect roasted red pepper pasta every time:
Set a timer
Red peppers roast quickly, and we don’t want them to overcook, so I suggest setting a timer to be sure they will be cooked and remain red and bright, with just a few streaks of char on the skin here and there.
Allow the peppers to cool down
Allow the peppers to cool down to room temperature before peeling for the ultimate easy-to-peel experience, plus you don’t want to burn your hands.
Reserve extra water
I noted to reserve ½ cup of pasta water in the recipe card to be saved before draining the pasta, but I always reserve a little extra in case I need to thin out the sauce. After pulsing the blender a few times, check the sauce’s consistency and add more water until you get the sauce consistency that you like.
Save time
You can roast red peppers ahead of time. If it’s your first time roasting bell peppers, learn how to cook oven-roasted red peppers like a pro here. Once they are roasted, they can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week in the refrigerator by themselves, or add enough olive oil to cover the peppers and keep them in the fridge for up to 1 month. You can always buy the jar at the store too.
How to Store Leftover Red Pepper Pasta
You can store red pepper pasta leftover in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days and up to 2 months in the freezer.
To heat up the pasta, you need to hydrate it. Add a tablespoon or two of half & half (or coconut milk) and microwave for one minute. Then stir and heat for additional time until it’s warm enough for you.
What to Serve with Red Pepper Pasta
This red pepper pasta is a wholesome meal that you can pair with a fresh bruschetta salad to add more veggies, or some caramelized roasted vegetables that also go great with this dish.
Easy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
This roasted red pepper pasta is a delicious weeknight dinner you can assemble in just half an hour!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
Ingredients
- 3 red bell peppers, seeded and sliced in half*
- 2 small shallots, peeled
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 12 oz pasta
- ½ cup half & half or dairy-free equivalent
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup reserved pasta water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the sliced bell peppers (round side up), shallots, and garlic cloves on the lined pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, until the red peppers are charred on the outside. Remove the sheet pan from the oven and allow the peppers to cool down enough to touch and peel off the skin.
- Cook pasta according to package directions, once cooked, reserve pasta water, drain, and bring pasta back to the pot. I always reserve a little extra pasta water in case I need to thin out the sauce.
- In the jar of your blender, place the peeled peppers, the roasted shallots, and garlic cloves, half and half (or coconut milk), Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Pulse a few times to combine ingredients and slowly add the pasta water until the sauce is smooth and the thickness/consistency you like.
- Pour the sauce into the pot with the pasta and toss to coat. If needed, turn the heat to low and heat the sauce through while stirring.
- Serve with a little parmesan cheese, and enjoy.
Notes
Skip the roasting of the red bell peppers by buying a 12 oz jar of roasted red peppers (drain the liquid first), and sauteeing the garlic and onions in a pan with a little olive oil, until the onions have softened about 3 minutes, and then placing those in the blender with the bell peppers.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 439
- Sugar: 9.2 g
- Sodium: 185.6 mg
- Fat: 9.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 75.5 g
- Fiber: 5.6 g
- Protein: 13.4 g
- Cholesterol: 1.5 mg
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