This luscious roasted red pepper pasta is made with a creamy sauce that's super easy to make and loaded with flavor. Perfect for a weeknight dinner!
I LOVE the flavor of roasted red peppers. A while back I posted a recipe for roasted red pepper soup and received a comment that the soup was so thick and rich, it seemed more like pasta sauce than soup.
Well, as someone who likes a hearty bowl of soup, that's not such a bad thing if you ask me.
But the comment did get me thinking: why not put red pepper sauce on pasta? Roasted red pepper pasta sounded quite delicious. It is!
What You'll Need
I didn't follow the exact soup recipe to make my pasta sauce. I switched some things up, tweaked here and there, and did quite a bit of simplifying.
Here's what you'll need:
- Dried pasta
- Jarred roasted red peppers
- Coconut milk
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Garlic
- Red pepper flakes
- Organic sugar
- Salt & pepper
- Fresh basil or parsley
How to Make Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
Cook your pasta on the stove according to the package directions. Drain and toss it with some olive oil to prevent sticking when it's done.
To make the sauce, start by blending up your roasted red peppers and coconut milk in a blender or food processor, until smooth.
Heat up some olive oil in a skillet, then add your onion. Let the onion cook until it softens up and begins to brown, then add the garlic. Cook the onion and garlic for another minute.
Pour in the blended red pepper mixture, then stir in some red pepper flakes and sugar. Bring the sauce to a boil and let it simmer until it thickens up a bit.
Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste when it's finished cooking, then toss it with your pasta.
I like to serve my pasta with a sprinkle of fresh basil and some vegan Parmesan cheese.
Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Tips & FAQ
- Can this dish be made gluten-free? Yup! Just use your favorite gluten-free pasta.
- Why does the sauce contain sugar? Simply to balance out the acidity. You can leave it out if it bothers you.
- Why does the sugar need to be organic? That's to keep the recipe vegan. Conventional granulated sugar is (at least in the United States) processed using animal bone char. Organic sugar is processed differently, so it's considered vegan.
- Does this dish taste like coconut? I couldn't taste the coconut at all, but if you absolutely hate the taste of coconut, try swapping it out with unsweetened soy or cashew milk.
- Leftover storage: leftovers will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for about 3 days.
- Can I make this recipe with fresh red peppers? You can, but you'll need to roast them. My roasted red pepper soup recipe includes a method you can use.
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Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
This luscious roasted red pepper pasta is made with a creamy sauce that's super easy to make and loaded with flavor. Perfect for a weeknight dinner!
Ingredients
- 10 ounces dried small pasta shells (or pasta shape of choice)
- 2 (16 ounce or 450 gram) jars roasted red peppers, drained
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon organic sugar
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- Fresh parsley or basil, for serving
Instructions
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook it according to the package directions.
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Drain the cooked pasta into a colander and return it to the pot. Toss the pasta with a dash of olive oil to prevent sticking.
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Place the peppers and coconut milk into a blender or food processor bowl and blend until smooth.
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Coat the bottom of a large skillet with the olive oil. Place the skillet over medium heat.
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Give the oil a minute to heat up, then add the onion. Cook the onion, stirring frequently, until it begins to soften and brown, about 5 minutes.
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Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute more, until very fragrant.
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Stir in the blended pepper mixture, along with the sugar and red pepper flakes. Raise the heat and bring the sauce to a simmer.
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Let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes, until thickened slightly.
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Remove the skillet from the burner and season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
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Pour the sauce over the pasta and toss to coat.
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Divide onto plates and sprinkle with basil or parsley. Serve.
this was a huge waste of money and time. Absolutely no way to "dodctor" this or make it better...we threw it away.
Harsh words...it is a family favorite that has been shared with family and friends.
Thank you for sharing! I just made this and it was awesome. I also ended up adding a bunch of dill because I’m obsessed with dill. I will definitely be making this again.
Thanks for sharing this recipe with us. I loved this recipe and also shared it with my family
This tasted so good! I had some red pepper seasoned tempeh which I steamed and added to the pan with the sauce. It may have been my favourite time tasting tempeh! Rounded out the meal with some protein for sure.Loved how easy and quick this was to throw together too.
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Hi you could replace the sugar with pitted dates...just blend a few dates with a little water then add the peppers blend....I prefer to boil or roast the peppers first.
I can't see any reason that wouldn't work! Enjoy!
best site i have ever seen, nice post
Love it! Have made it numerous times since finding it and its amazing every time
such a great post i really like it
i would like to thanks admin for such a great post
Your recipe is awesome I tired first time I loved it.I want also share this recipe with my friends.
Your recipe is deliciuos. thanks for sharing.
Awesome recipe, thanks for sharing!
Thank You for sharing a delicious recipe so much helpful blog for the food lover