This creamy, spicy roasted red pepper pasta is unlike your basic marinara sauce and it so easy to make. You’ll have a healthy, yet decadent dinner with an entire serving of veggies per plate!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Don’t confuse this recipe with a basic marinara and spaghetti or fettuccine alfredo. This pasta sauce recipe is different from the pasta recipes you’ve probably spent years eating. It’s got three servings of veggies that will give you a nutritious and creamy sauce. This homemade pasta sauce is packed with creamy goodness that you will absolutely love!
At the same time, this recipe is ridiculously easy to make. Pour the creamy pasta sauce over cooked pasta and give it a toss. To create the sauce, you only need a handful of ingredients and about 20 minutes of your busy day. The best part? It’s perfect for any season, mood, and time of day! In the summer, try to find fresh red peppers at your local farmers market or grocery store and roast them yourself, and in the winter, just stock up on jarred roasted red peppers! Whether you’re coming home from a long day at work or need an energizing lunch on the weekend before you run some errands, this recipe is perfect for providing you with a flavorful and nutritious meal!
How Easy This Recipe is
The thing I love about this sauce is how such simple flavors are elevated to great an elegant dish. Sometimes, there is pleasure to be taken in simple flavors without many spices. I promise it’s so much easier than it sounds. It’s worth the little bit of added effort as it will change the outcome of your weekly pasta night drastically! You’ll never go back to the store-bought kind again. Just follow these simple steps:
- Boil a pot of salted water. Add pasta and boil until it reaches desired doneness.
- Saute the garlic, onions and herbs in a saucepan with tomato paste.
- Blend together the cooked onion mixture with drained and roasted red peppers and half and half.
- Add the sauce back to the saucepan with the cooked pasta and marry the flavors together.
- Garnish with parmesan cheese and serve!
Why I Use Fresh Herbs for pasta sauce
The ingredients in this recipe are very simple so fresh herbs will take the flavor of your recipe up a notch or two. If you don’t have access to fresh sage or rosemary, you can substitute dried herbs or use whatever fresh herbs you have access to. Just make sure you only add a little bit of dry herbs, though – dry herbs are more concentrated!
Can I Use a Different Colour Pepper?
While red peppers are my favorite to use in this recipe and they’re the easiest to find in stores and locally, you can definitely use other colored peppers! You may not find roasted orange and yellow peppers ready to use in jars, but you can definitely roast them at home yourself!
How to Make it Vegan
To make this recipe vegan, all you have to do is swap the half and half for coconut milk, coconut cream or a handful of soaked cashews. It’s as simple as that!
Tips & Variations
- If you’re using jarred, roasted red peppers, don’t forget to drain the peppers! You don’t want all that extra preservative stuff in your pasta and it will make it too watery.
- Don’t forget to salt your pasta water! Since this recipe only uses a few ingredients and flavors, you really want that salt to infuse in the pasta while it boils.
- Once you combine the pasta and the sauce, allow it to simmer on low heat so the flavors can come together. Add extra red pepper flakes to kick the spice up a notch!
Spicy Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
- Total Time: 20
- Yield: 3–4 Servings (Depending on Hunger) 1x
Description
This creamy, spicy roasted red pepper pasta is unlike your basic marinara sauce and it so easy to make. You’ll have a healthy, yet decadent dinner with an entire serving of veggies per plate!
Ingredients
- 8 oz pasta
- 2 Tbsp butter (to make it vegan, use olive oil)
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 white onion, chopped finely
- 5 Sage or Rosemary Leaves (no stem)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 heaped tsp red pepper flakes or more to make it spicier
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 16oz. jar roasted red peppers, drained(or 3 roasted bell peppers)
- 1/2 cup half and half (to make it vegan use a handful of soaked cashews or coconut milk)
- 2 tbsp parmesan cheese, optional
Instructions
- Fill a pot with water and bring that to a boil. Once it comes to a boil add in the pasta and cooking as directed on the package. While you cook the pasta, move on to the next steps and make the sauce because it’s super quick.
- To a saucepan, add the butter and melt. Add the minced garlic and sage/rosemary leaves and sauté until it smells fragrant. When, add in the finely chopped white onion with 1/2 tsp salt and sauté on medium heat for about 4-5 minutes until they soften and turn golden. Add the red pepper flakes, black pepper and tomato paste. Mix well to combine and cook for 1-2 minutes until the tomato paste darkens in color. Turn off the heat.
- Add the cooked tomato-onion mixture to a blender with the half and half and drained roasted red pepper (make sure to drain it!!). You can also roast the red peppers yourself instead of using jarred, just be sure to remove the skin before adding to the blender in that case. Blend until completely smooth.
- Pour the blended sauce into a saucepan with the cooked pasta and cook on low heat until everything is heated through. Taste the sauce and adjust salt and pepper to your liking. Serve and topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Feel free to add in a cooked protein or meatballs. Enjoy!
Make sure to take a picture and tag me on Instagram @eatsbyramya or DM it to get featured!
- Cook Time: 20