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This Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta is super quick and seriously delicious. The perfect meal to add to your family rotation dinners!
Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
I’m all about a quick and easy dinner these days. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I’m up for a kitchen marathon to make a fancy dinner, but usually, I’m more up for a 15min or less kinda deal. Creamy roasted red pepper pasta embodies everything a quick family dinner should be. Simple to make and packed with flavour.
As a regular midweek appearance, it’s important to me that this recipe is convenient.Therefore, I’ve kept the ingredient list short but sweet. Here’s what you’ll need:
Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Ingredients
- Roasted Red Peppers
- Pasta of choice
- Cream & Butter
- Parmesan & Parsley
- Onion & Garlic
- Smoked Paprika
Just 9 ingredients!
*victory dances all the way to the kitchen then questions if 9 is actually that good or not*
When I first developed this recipe I was working towards a 5-ingredient kinda deal, but I knew something was missing.
I’ve seen a few recipes similar to this and none of them use smoked paprika. For me, smoked paprika is what takes this recipe to new levels. The way that smokey twang enhances the roasted char from the peppers is almost too much to bear.
I’m also a big fan of using garlic in this recipe. Cream and garlic are already a match made in heaven, but when combined with parsley, parmesan and butter it just makes so much sense. Sure, 5-ingredient pasta has more of a ring to it, but every ingredient in this recipe is adding something special to the dish which results in something truly quite special.
Roasted Red Peppers
These bad boys make the world go round. Seriously.
I actually use jarred roasted red peppers for this recipe for 2 reasons:
- Convenience – I’ve really tried to make this as week-night friendly as possible and roasted red peppers from the jar are key.
- Brine– They usually come in a vinegary kind of brine and although I don’t pour it in the sauce, what’s left on the peppers after I drain it away actually works nicely with the creamy sauce. The sauce itself is quite rich, so just a touch of acidity cuts through quite nicely.
Having said that, if you want to make your own roasted red peppers then it’s also pretty easy. Here’s how I make mine:
How to make Roasted Red Peppers
- Place your peppers next to the live flame on the hob or under the grill.
- Rotate it every minute or so until all sides are completely charred.
- Place in a bowl with cling film over until completely cooled.
- Peel away skin.
Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Roasted red peppers lend themselves perfectly to a pasta sauce. Here’s how easy it is to make the base:
How to make a sauce from Roasted Red Peppers (quick summary)
- Melt butter into a saucepan.
- Add onion and garlic, then fry until soft.
- Add in a food processor with roasted red peppers.
- Blitz until smooth.
How to make Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
After blitzing the peppers with butter, onion and garlic, you’ll have a perfect canvas to work with. It’s tasty by itself, but pretty basic. In such case, I like to add a few extra goodies to really get the party started. Let’s welcome our good friends cream, parmesan, parsley and smoked paprika. Oh, and pasta.
What kind of pasta should I use?
For this recipe I recommend a long cut pasta. The way the sauce oozes in and out of the pasta is truly irresistible and has to be experienced. My personal favourite is linguine, but fettuccine, tagliatelle and spaghetti work great. You can also use shortcut pasta!
Best Cream for this sauce?
Double (UK) or Heavy (US). Some recipes use half and half, but I find it thins out the sauce too much and dilutes the flavour. In any instance just make sure your cream is at room temp so it doesn’t curdle in the sauce.
What type of Parmesan is best?
Always go freshly grated, or at least pre-grated. Stay away from the powdered stuff, it’ll turn the sauce grainy.
How to make Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta (quick summary)
- Pour your roasted red pepper base sauce into a pan and bring to a simmer.
- Pour in cream and stir until completely blended.
- Add in parmesan, smoked paprika, parsley and seasoning.
- Stir through pasta.
How to Serve Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
This recipe will comfortably feed 4 (don’t be deceived, it’s quite rich!). If you want to add any additions in with the pasta I recommend either grilled chicken or even chorizo!
What to serve with Roasted Red Pepper Pasta?
- Roasted Garlic Bread
- Cheesy Pesto Garlic Bread
- Pull Apart Caprese Bread
All in all this quick dinner is the perfect midweek meal to add some heartiness to the table. Thick and creamy yet vibrant and flavoursome, you’d be a fool to not get this foolproof dish a go. If you like the sound of this recipe definitely make sure you check out my Roasted Red Pepper Pesto Pasta!
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe!
How to make Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta (Full Recipe & Video)
Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
This Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta is super quick and seriously delicious! The perfect meal to add to your family rotation dinners!
4.94 from 16 votes
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Servings (click & slide): 4
Course: Dinner / Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes minutes
Calories per serving: 318kcal
Author: Chris Collins
Cost per serving: £2 / $2.50
Equipment:
12" Skillet
Large Pot (to boil pasta)
Food Processor or Blender
Tongs
Wooden Spoon
Colander
Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
Fine Cheese Grater
Ingredients (check list):
- 14oz / 400g Pasta (here I use Linguine)
- 16oz / 450g jar of Roasted Red Peppers (see notes)
- 1 cup / 250ml cup Heavy/Double Cream, at room temp
- 1/2 cup / 40g Parmesan, finely grated (plus extra for serving)
- 1 tbsp Butter
- 1 medium White Onion, diced
- 2 small cloves of Garlic, finely diced
- 1 tbsp Fresh Parsley, plus extra to serve
- 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
- pinch of Chilli Flakes, to preference
- Salt & Black Pepper, to taste
Instructions:
Pop the pasta in salted boiling water and cook until al dente.
Squeeze the brine off of the roasted red peppers and discard. Don't rinse the peppers.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a pan over medium heat and fry the onion until it softens. Add garlic and fry for a minute or so longer, then place in a blender with the roasted red peppers. Blend to a smooth consistency.
Pour back into the pan and keep on a simmer. Add in cream and stir until completely blended, then stir in parmesan, parsley, smoked paprika and seasoning to taste.
Add the pasta straight from the pot and toss through the sauce until completely coated. Serve with extra parmesan and parsley!
Quick 1 min demo!
Notes:
a) Roasted Red Peppers - Jarred roasted red peppers usually come in a vinegary brine. Although you should drain them, don't wash them. The tiny amount of brine left on the peppers will add a touch of acidity which will help balance out the richness of the dish. Just squeeze as much out with your hands as you can.
b) Homemade Roasted Red Peppers - I use jarred roasted red peppers for this recipe to keep it a speedy 15min meal. However if you only have fresh simply broil (grill) skin side up until black on the outside, turning throughout to keep an even char. Place in a bowl with cling film over it and allow to cool. After peel off the skin, deseeded and slice. For reference, the drained weight of the roasted red peppers is 12oz/350g.
c) Parmesan -Make sure it's freshly grated, or at least pre grated. Stay away from the powdered stuff, it'll make your sauce go grainy.
d) Liquid - Try and scrape as much of the melted butter into the blender after you've fried your onions & garlic. This will help to blend into a smooth consistency. If for whatever reason your blender is struggling to blend, consider adding a small amount of chicken stock or water to get things going.
e) Calories - Based on sharing between 4 with no extra parmesan and no sides.
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Nutrition:
Nutrition Facts
Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
Amount Per Serving
Calories 318Calories from Fat 164
% Daily Value*
Fat 18.22g28%
Saturated Fat 10.421g52%
Trans Fat 0.11g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.21g
Monounsaturated Fat 5.108g
Cholesterol 90mg30%
Sodium 499mg21%
Potassium 245mg7%
Carbohydrates 30.34g10%
Fiber 3.4g14%
Sugar 5.27g6%
Protein 9.91g20%
Vitamin A 6550IU131%
Vitamin C 141.9mg172%
Calcium 150mg15%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition is based on the absence of salt unless stated as a measurement in the ingredients. Cost is worked out based on ingredients bought from UK supermarkets, then divided by the number of servings. In both instances these values are just for guidance. Please check out my FAQ Page for more info.
Tried this recipe?Show me how you got on by tagging @dontgobaconmyheart_ on IG and #dontgobaconmyheart
Looking for more?You'll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook 'Comfy'
Looking for another creamy roasted red pepper dish? Check out my Roasted Red Pepper Drenched Chicken!
If you’re looking for more easy and delicious creamy pasta recipes then check these out too:
Creamy Pasta Recipes
- Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Pasta
- Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
- Creamy Salmon Pasta
- Creamy Mushroom Pasta
- Cream Cheese Pasta
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