This roasted red pepper pasta is a delicious pasta dish that is ready in just 10 minutes – making it the perfect flavorful quick and easy dinner recipe for busy nights. This is a fab recipe to have in your arsenal because it’s made with almost entirely pantry ingredients.

If you’re looking for a way to change up your typical tomato-based pasta sauces, this roasted red pepper pasta is the way to do that.

Ingredients

The exact quantities for this recipe are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here is a very quick overview along with some notes for potential substitutions or variations.

• Roasted red peppers: Using jarred roasted red peppers makes this recipe really simple to make. You could also use fresh red peppers, but this does add considerably more time to the recipe.
  
• Spaghetti: I used spaghetti for this recipe, but you could use whatever type of pasta you prefer.
  
• Cream cheese: Cream cheese adds to the creamy texture of the pasta sauce. I tend to use vegan cream cheese for this recipe but use whatever you prefer. You could also use cashew cream to make this plant-based.
  
• Nutritional yeast: Nutritional yeast adds a nutty, cheesy texture to the pasta sauce. It’s also a great source of B12 for plant-based diets. You could omit it if you can’t find it in your local store.
  
• Garlic: I used two cloves of garlic for this recipe. You could use more if you prefer.
  
• Tomato puree: A small amount of tomato puree balances out the sweetness of the red peppers in this recipe.
  
• Seasonings: I only used salt and black pepper for this recipe. You could use smoked paprika or chili powder for a touch of spiciness. I also use chopped parsley and red chili flakes to garnish the pasta.

How To Make This Red Pepper Pasta

The recipe card at the bottom of this post has the exact step-by-step instructions as well as the ingredient quantities. Here’s a very quick overview to making this recipe.

Step 1) Cook the pasta

Cook the pasta (in this case, I used spaghetti) according to the package instructions. This should typically be between 9 – 12 minutes.

Step 2) Make the sauce

While the pasta is cooking, make the red pepper sauce. Add all the ingredients to a blender – I use my Nutribullet for this recipe – and blitz until smooth. Add the sauce to a saucepan and heat it over low heat until warm.

Step 3) Add the pasta

Add the cooked spaghetti to the sauce along with a splash of water (2-3 tablespoons) and stir until the spaghetti is fully combined. Top the spaghetti with a scattering of fresh chopped parsley, more black pepper, and some red chili flakes for some extra heat.

Other vegan pasta recipes you might like include this popular red lentil bolognese recipe, or perhaps this creamy roasted butternut squash pasta!

Storing Your Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

You can store leftover roasted red pepper pasta either with the spaghetti stirred in or without. Store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-5 days. You can also store the red pepper sauce in the refrigerator for 3-5 days and cook the pasta fresh when you’re ready to eat.

FAQs

What pasta to use for this recipe?

I love this recipe with spaghetti or rigatoni pasta, but honestly, you could use whatever you prefer. To make this recipe gluten-free, use any gluten-free pasta you prefer.

Can I use fresh red peppers?

Yes, you can definitely use fresh red peppers for this recipe. Simply roast the red peppers whole for approximately 40 minutes until the skins have blackened. Then, wait for the peppers to cool before peeling off the skins and discarding the stem and seeds.

Is red pepper pasta suitable for vegans?

If you use vegan cream cheese in this recipe (which is actually my preference), then this recipe is suitable for a vegan diet. You could also omit the cream cheese entirely or use cashew cream instead.

Is this recipe suitable for being frozen?

Yes, this recipe can be frozen, but I would recommend freezing the red pepper pasta sauce and not the pasta. Defrost the pasta sauce fully in the refrigerator before reheating and cooking your spaghetti fresh.

More pasta recipes to try:

• Vegan Spinach Pasta
• Vegan Creamy Sausage Pasta
• Butternut Squash and White Bean Pasta
• Vegan Chicken and Tomato Pasta