This roasted red pepper pasta recipe is smoky, creamy, and comes together in one blender and one pan! It’s the kind of dinner that tastes fancy but takes about 20 minutes start to finish.
Why you’ll love this quick pasta recipe
We make this easy pasta dinner on a REGULAR basis. It’s something my mom always made when I was young and I crave it regularly!
It comes together in about 20 minutes with very little effort!
Why you’ll love this:
Great for meal prep – the sauce keeps well and reheats beautifully.
So simple to throw together – the sauce is just a blend-and-simmer situation, no complicated technique required.
Big flavor for minimal effort – jarred roasted red peppers do a lot of the heavy lifting here.
Easy to make it your own – swap the pasta shape, add protein, or make it dairy-free (notes below!).
Ingredients needed
The ingredients for this recipe are listed fully down in the recipe card but let’s briefly go over the pantry staples needed including a few substitutions you can make as desired!
Pasta. You’ll need 1 pound of your favorite short pasta. I like to use penne pasta, but you could use bowtie, shells or elbow noodles. Use gluten free pasta, as desired.
Shallot + garlic. Adds delicious aromatic flavor. If you don’t happen to have shallot, sub with onion.
Roasted red peppers. Jarred roasted red peppers are the main ingredient and so convenient + perfect in this recipe.
Vegetable broth. Adds flavor and is the perfect amount of liquid for the sauce. If you’re not vegetarian, you can definitely use chicken broth.
Heavy cream. Highly recommended for a super creamy, delicious sauce. However, to keep this dish vegan, use almond milk or coconut milk.
Fresh basil. For fresh flavor!
White wine. Optional, but I just love how it enhances the flavor of the sauce.
Parmesan cheese. Highly recommend freshly grated parmesan cheese! You can find the highest quality blocks of parmesan cheese in the speciality cheese area in most grocery stores. If you’d like this recipe to be vegan-friendly, Violife makes a great parmesan cheese, or try my recipe for vegan parmesan cheese.
How to make this easy roasted red pepper pasta
Just a reminder that you can find the FULL written recipe down in the recipe card, but I want to quickly go over how to make them with visuals for you 🙂
Blend the roasted red pepper sauce. Saute the shallot and garlic in a little olive oil. Add to a blender of food processor with the roasted peppers, broth, cream, and basil, then blend until it’s a creamy texture.
Cook the pasta in a large pot of water according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve a cup of pasta water to thin the sauce as desired. Drain and set aside.
Simmer until glossy. Pour the blended sauce into your skillet over medium heat and let it bubble away for a few minutes – this is where all that smoky-sweet flavor really comes together.
Add the pasta and parmesan. Toss in your drained pasta along with the parmesan.
Toss until creamy. Stir everything together until the cooked pasta is fully coated in the creamy sauce and the cheese has melted right into the sauce. Add a splash of the reserved pasta water to thin the sauce as needed. Top with fresh herbs, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and enjoy!
Store leftovers in an airtight container.
Recipe Tips
Blend it smooth. A high-powered blender gets the sauce silky – no chunky bits of pepper.
Don’t skip the simmer. A few minutes on the stove after blending lets the flavors deepen and the sauce thicken slightly.
Save your pasta water. A splash loosens the sauce if it gets too thick after tossing.
Grate your own parmesan if you can – it melts smoother than the pre-shredded stuff.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Roast 2-3 large red bell peppers at 425°F until the skins are blistered and blackened, about 25-30 minutes, then peel before blending. Jarred is the shortcut version and works just as well.
Swap the heavy cream for a plant-based cream alternative and skip the parmesan or use a dairy-free version. The sauce base is naturally vegan without the dairy additions.
Definitely. Grilled chicken, shrimp, or white beans all work nicely stirred in at the end.
Serving suggestions
This roasted red pepper pasta is pretty much a meal on its own, but you may want to add a side, like crusty Pepperoni Garlic Bread, Soft Garlic Pretzels, or a light simple side salad. You can also beef up the recipe by adding some chicken, or browning some Italian sausage in the skillet in the beginning, before the shallot and garlic.
Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
Ingredients
Instructions
Video
Notes
Storage instructions-
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat on the stovetop or microwave with a splash of water or broth to loosen the sauce back up.
Nutrition
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