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Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

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This creamy roasted red pepper pasta recipe is made with roasted red peppers, penne, parmesan, onion, and garlic.

It's a wonderful, creamy pasta recipe with a nice kick from the red peppers.

A bowl of roasted red pepper pasta with a fork.

This creamy roasted pepper pasta is the perfect dish for a cozy, comforting, and tasty meal.

The roasted red bell peppers add loads of flavor. When bell peppers are roasted their flavors are deepened. Additionally, their bitter skin can be removed, which leads to a lovely mellower flavor.

Combined with milk and parmesan for a creamy sauce, the peppers really shine and are able to add brightness and acidity for a well-balanced dish.

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Ingredients

Here's all you'll need to make this delicious pasta recipe!

  • 1 lb penne pasta
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 16 ounces roasted red bell peppers, roughly chopped
  • 5 ounces shredded parmesan, divided 
  • 2 tablespoons roughly chopped basil
Ingredients for a red pepper pasta recipe on a marble background.

How to Make this Recipe

Here's how to make this creamy pasta recipe.

  1. Heat a large pot of salted water over high heat. When it’s boiling, cook the pasta according to package directions. 
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or dutch oven. Add the onion and cook it for 5 minutes or until translucent. Then add the garlic and cook it for 30 seconds. 
  3. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir continuously for 30 seconds. Add the milk and stir occasionally for 2 to 3 minutes or until it thickens. Then add ½ cup of the pasta water to the sauce and cook for another 2 minutes until the sauce thickens again. 
  4. Stir the bell pepper into the cheese sauce. Remove the pot from the heat. 
  5. Use an immersion blender or a blender to blitz the sauce so the bell pepper breaks down and the sauce is creamy. Add the sauce back to the pot. 
  6. Add the parmesan cheese to the sauce and stir till it has melted. 
  7. Divide the pasta between bowls and top with the optional additional parmesan and chopped basil. 
Four photos showing how to make red pepper pasta.
Pasta being put into red pepper sauce.

Other Pasta Recipes You’ll Love

We love a quick and delicious pasta recipe. Here are some of our favorite veggie-heavy pasta recipes we think you'll enjoy.

An overhead shot of a dutch oven full of roasted red pepper penne pasta.

Tips for Making Red Pepper Pasta

  • Remember to save ½ cup of the pasta water before you drain your pasta! Adding this to the sauce will both give it a smoother consistency and help it stick to the pasta.
  • Buying canned roasted red bell peppers is the easiest way to make this recipe quickly, but if you can't find them, you can roast them yourself. Turn on your oven broiler and roast 2 red bell peppers for 15 minutes, then peel the skin off and roughly chop them.
  • Leftover pasta can be saved in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

An overhead shot of a dutch oven full of roasted red pepper penne pasta.

This wonderful, creamy pasta recipe has a nice kick from the roasted red peppers.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Additional Time 5 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 lb penne pasta
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 16 ounces roasted red bell peppers, roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 5 ounces shredded parmesan, divided
  • 2 tablespoons roughly chopped basil

Instructions

  1. Heat a large pot of salted water over high heat. When it’s boiling, cook the pasta according to package directions. 
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or dutch oven. Add the onion and cook it for 5 minutes or until translucent. Then add the garlic and cook it for 30 seconds. Then add the red pepper and stir it in.
  3. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir continuously for 30 seconds. Add the milk and stir occasionally for 2 to 3 minutes or until it thickens. Then add ½ cup of the pasta water to the sauce and cook for another 2 minutes until the sauce thickens again. 
  4. Remove the pot from the heat. 
  5. Use an immersion blender or a blender to blitz the sauce so the bell pepper breaks down and the sauce is creamy. Add the sauce back to the pot. 
  6. Add the parmesan cheese to the sauce and stir till it has melted. 
  7. Divide the pasta between bowls and top with the optional additional parmesan and chopped basil. 

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 508Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 638mgCarbohydrates: 53gFiber: 4gSugar: 7gProtein: 24g

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