Roasted Red Pepper Pasta (Print version)

Vibrant creamy pasta with roasted red peppers, garlic, and Parmesan. A vegetarian Italian favorite ready in just 35 minutes.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz penne or rigatoni pasta

→ Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

02 - 2 large red bell peppers or 12 oz jarred roasted red peppers, drained
03 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
04 - 1 small yellow onion, diced
05 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
06 - 1/2 cup heavy cream
07 - 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
08 - 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
09 - 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
10 - Salt and black pepper to taste

→ Garnish

11 - Fresh basil leaves, torn
12 - Extra grated Parmesan cheese

# Directions:

01 - If using fresh red bell peppers, roast them over an open flame or under the broiler until the skin is charred. Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let steam for 10 minutes. Peel off the charred skin, remove seeds, and roughly chop.
02 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water.
03 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add diced onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Add roasted red peppers to the skillet and cook for 2 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a blender or use an immersion blender directly in the pan. Blend until completely smooth.
05 - Return the blended sauce to the skillet over low heat. Stir in heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, oregano, and red pepper flakes if desired. Season with salt and black pepper. Simmer for 2-3 minutes until heated through. Add reserved pasta water if the sauce becomes too thick.
06 - Add cooked pasta to the sauce and toss gently until evenly coated. Serve immediately garnished with fresh basil and additional Parmesan cheese.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The sauce tastes like you spent hours on it, but you'll be sitting down to eat in half an hour.
  • It's naturally vegetarian but hearty enough that no one at the table will ask where the meat is.
  • The leftovers somehow taste even better the next day when the flavors have had time to become friends.
  • You can use jarred roasted peppers and skip the charring step without losing any of the magic.
02 -
  • Don't skip steaming the peppers after roasting, the skins will fight you and you'll end up with bits of char in your sauce.
  • Blend the sauce longer than you think you need to, any chunks will stand out against the creamy texture.
  • Add the pasta water slowly, you can always add more but you can't take it back once the sauce is too thin.
  • Taste before you add extra salt, the Parmesan is already salty and you might not need any more.
03 -
  • If you're using jarred roasted peppers, rinse them first to get rid of any metallic or briny taste from the packing liquid.
  • Toast the oregano in the dry skillet for thirty seconds before adding the cream to wake up its flavor.
  • Use an immersion blender right in the skillet if you hate washing extra dishes, it works just as well as a countertop blender.
  • Reserve more pasta water than you think you'll need, it's the best tool for adjusting the sauce consistency at the end.
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