Roasted red pepper pasta is a creamy, quick, and delicious dish you can make with a handful of ingredients in about 20 minutes.
Sweet roasted peppers blend into a rich and silky sauce with Mediterranean flair that coats the pasta to perfection.
Red pepper pasta is simple enough for a quick weeknight dinner and impressive enough for guests.
What is red pepper pasta?
Red pepper pasta is all about the thick, creamy, and silky roasted red pepper sauce (Louise eats it with a spoon out of the skillet).
We developed it so that you can prepare the sauce while the pasta cooks, making it an excellent weeknight dinner.
As you’ve seen in our other 40+ easy pasta recipes (think Pasta alla norma, broccoli pasta, lentil bolognese, creamy tomato pasta, and butternut squash pasta), we love simple pasta meals where a vegetable is the star of the show.
This red pepper pasta stands out for its simplicity, creaminess, and rich yet balanced flavor.
If you follow our garnishing tips, you can turn this easy weeknight dinner into a restaurant-worthy meal that’s sure to become your new favorite.
Ingredients for roasted pepper pasta
Quantities are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.
Roasted Red Peppers
You can use jarred roasted red peppers if you are short on time.
Alternatively, roast three red bell peppers in the oven (45 minutes) or the air-fryer (20 minutes).
Here’s how to roast bell peppers, should you need guidance.
Canned Tomatoes
You can use any canned tomatoes, such as whole peeled tomatoes, diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, fire-roasted tomatoes, San Marzano tomatoes, and pureed tomatoes.
Almonds
Almonds are a crucial ingredient to make the creamiest red pepper pasta sauce.
They add a nutty flavor and healthy fats and protein.
Most importantly, when blended, almonds provide a rich and creamy texture that helps the sauce coat the pasta perfectly.
If you are allergic to almonds, replace them with grated parmesan cheese or a 12-ounce (350 grams) block of silken tofu.
Garlic
We recommend fresh garlic, but you can substitute garlic powder for fresh garlic.
If you don’t like garlic, you can replace it with half an onion.
Red pepper flakes
We add a small amount of red pepper flakes to make the sauce a little spicy.
You can substitute cayenne, chili powder, dried chili, and even a bit of chipotle powder (that would add some smokiness to the sauce) or smoked paprika for red pepper flakes.
Olive oil
Olive oil is optional. We like to add a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to the sauce to add a velvety mouthfeel, but this dish is also delicious without the oil.
Salt
We use sea salt or kosher salt for the sauce and the pasta water.
Pasta
Rigatoni and paccheri are our pasta of choice for this recipe because they get filled with red pepper sauce and because they have a nice bite.
You can use any other short or long pasta shape, such as penne, fusilli, rotini, conchiglie, spaghetti, linguine, and more.
We recommend cooking the pasta according to the package directions, minus a couple of minutes, so you can finish cooking it in the pot with the sauce.
Fresh herbs
We recommend fresh basil.
Substitute fresh Italian parsley for basil.
How to make red pepper pasta
1. Make the red pepper sauce
Reserve some bell pepper and almonds for garnishing.
To a blender, add roasted bell peppers (if using jarred, drain them first), canned tomatoes, almonds, garlic, red pepper flakes, olive oil, salt, and water.
Blend until you reach a smooth texture.
Tip: A high-speed blender makes the smoothest and creamiest sauce. A food processor produces a coarser sauce.
Transfer the red pepper sauce to a large skillet and simmer on medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
Cover your skillet with a slightly open lid; the sauce is thick and will sputter.
2. Boil and toss the pasta
While the sauce simmers, boil the pasta in a large pot of salted water.
Cook it very al dente, then reserve one cup of pasta water, drain the pasta, and add it to the pan with the sauce.
Toss the pasta with the sauce on medium heat until fully coated. If necessary, stir in some of the reserved pasta water. Serve hot.
Serving suggestions
To make a gorgeous meal, garnish this red pepper pasta with shaved parmesan, chopped toasted almonds, roasted bell pepper strips, fresh basil leaves, cracked black pepper, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
The recipe is nutritious and deeply satisfying.
You won’t need much else next to it. If you do, we recommend an Italian salad, tomato-cucumber salad, artichoke salad, or fennel-orange salad.
You can also add some roasted cauliflower, air-fried cauliflower, roasted eggplant, or air-fried eggplant.
Storage
Make ahead: You can make the red pepper sauce for meal prep and store it in a mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can also freeze the sauce for up to 3 months.
Refrigerator: Keep red pepper pasta leftovers in an airtight container for 48 hours.
Reheat: In the microwave for just a minute or on a pan with a splash of water.
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Red Pepper Pasta
Equipment
- Blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 12 ounces pasta we recommend rigatoni or paccheri. Cook it in 3 quarts of water (12 cups or 3 Liters) and 1 ½ tablespoons of salt (21 grams).
- 12 ounces roasted red peppers jarred or homemade
- 1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes
- 1 cup water
- ¾ cup almonds
- 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- 1 teaspoon salt or more to taste
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 handful basil leaves
Instructions
- BLEND SAUCE: Blend 12 ounces roasted red peppers, 1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes, ¾ cup almonds, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 clove garlic, 1 cup water, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes until smooth.
- COOK SAUCE: Transfer sauce to a large skillet and simmer for 10 minutes.Cover skillet with a slightly open lid; the sauce is thick and will sputter. Taste sauce and adjust for salt.
- BOIL PASTA: Cook 12 ounces pasta as per package instructions minus 2 minutes.Reserve one 1 cup pasta water. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Toss on medium heat until fully coated, adding reserved pasta water if necessary.
- SERVE: Garnish with shaved parmesan, chopped almonds, roasted bell pepper strips, 1 handful basil leaves, cracked black pepper, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Video
Notes
- Pasta: We recommend paccheri or rigatoni but you can use any other pasta shape.
- Diced tomatoes: You can use any canned tomatoes such as crushed tomatoes, whole peeled tomatoes, San Marzano, tomato passata, or tomato puree.
- Almonds: Substitute cashews, walnuts, or a 12-ounce (350 grams) block of silken tofu. You can also substitute grated parmesan cheese for almonds, but add it as you toss the pasta.
- Prepared in advance and refrigerated for up to 4 days
- Frozen for up to 3 months
- Can be stored in the refrigerator for 48 hours
- Can be reheated in the microwave (1 minute) or on a pan with some water
I’m not star-rating this because I modified the recipe: I made this using 3 bell peppers, as mentioned as a substitute to using the jarred kind. I roasted them in the air frier as directed on the linked page. But after peeling them, it only came out to about 9 oz. I decided to proceed anyway. I made the recipe with 6 oz silken tofu (instead of the recommended 12 oz) and omitted almonds and water. It turned out pretty good. I think next time I’ll add some nutritional yeast, but I think it’s good even without it. I think a pound of pasta would be OK too (since in the US the boxes come in 1 lb sizes). My boyfriend (who makes gagging motions at the mention of tofu) liked it so maybe other tofu-averse people could get behind it.