Easy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta made simple with garlic, heavy cream and parmesan cheese! A perfect weeknight dinner that’s addictive and irresistible!
If you’ve been wanting to expand your collection of quick pasta recipes (and what pasta lover doesn’t) you’ll definitely want to add this easy roasted red pepper pasta to the list.
Back in the day, I’d spend lot of time roasting sweet red peppers in the oven, charring them, then chopping and getting out the seeds. Now, I keep jars of these tasty veggies in the pantry…totally something you’ll want to do it you don’t already! They’re amazing to whip up fast pasta dinners, layer on sandwiches or throw into a stir-fry. And you’ll still have plenty of time left for binge watching on Prime. Now that’s hard to beat.
Speaking of quick and delicious pasta meals, don’t miss our popular Mushroom Farfalle or Chicken Codon Bleu Penne Pasta recipes.
HOW TO MAKE EASY ROASTED RED PEPPER PASTA
This quick pasta meal couldn’t be simpler to make. With basic pantry ingredients you can have dinner on the table in under 30 minutes.
INGREDIENTS TO MAKE EASY ROASTED RED PEPPER PASTA
- Pasta – I love to make this recipe with basic spaghetti noodles, but any noodle pasta will work.
- Butter – Unsalted butter is the only kind I buy because it gives me more options to add or omit salt from recipes.
- Onion – red onions have a sweet flavor and adds color to the sauce. If you have yellow or white onions, that’ll work!
- Garlic – keep a jar of fresh minced garlic in the fridge so you always have garlic ready to go. Also saves you from having that lingering garlic smell on your hands from mincing it yourself.
- Roasted Red Peppers – from a jar, and just as tasty as the ones I roast from fresh red peppers. And a LOT less work.
- Vegetable Broth – if you only have chicken broth, use that or just water. Throw in a bouillon cube or a teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon for more flavor.
- Heavy Cream – makes the sauce extra rich. If you don’t have any or don’t buy it, *see below for substitutions.
- Parmesan Cheese – grated parmesan cheese adds amazing flavor and helps thicken the sauce.
This might be the easiest pasta sauce you ever make. If you’re feeling lazy, you could skip cooking the garlic and onions in the skillet…and just throw them raw into the processor with the red peppers. I admit, I’ve done it…but I like the sauce better when they’re cooked first.
The red pepper puree should be smooth…with just tiny chunks of red pepper remaining. If you like your sauce totally smooth, keep pulsing until it’s the consistency you want.
SUBSTITUTES FOR HEAVY CREAM IN SAUCES
If you’re making a sauce recipe that calls for heavy cream but you don’t have any on hand, want lower fat or to cut calories or need a dairy-free option, try these substitutions.
EVAPORATED MILK
- Less fat and calories than heavy cream, add the same amount as the heavy cream called for in the recipe.
HALF AND HALF
- Made from milk and cream, this is a perfect stand in for heavy cream in sauce recipes.
BUTTER AND MILK
- Add 2 and 1/2 tablespoons cooled melted butter to 6 tablespoons whole milk. Stir vigorously until it start to thicken. Use in place of 1/2 cup heavy cream in sauce recipes.
GREEK YOGURT AND MILK
- Mix equal measures of Greek yogurt and milk for a low-fat replacement for heavy cream in sauce recipes.
COCONUT MILK OR COCONUT CREAM
- These canned, dairy-free milks are fantastic substitutes for heavy cream. Use the same amount as the heavy cream called for in the recipe, and the full-fat variety is highly recommended. Be sure that the can is at room temperature and shaken well before opening.
WHITE BEANS
- Puree canned (drained and rinsed) white beans in the food processor. Add the same measure of puree as the heavy cream into sauces.
PUREED TOFU
- Add a block of firm or extra-firm tofu to the blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Add soy milk by the tablespoon and puree until tofu reaches consistency of heavy cream. Add in place of the heavy cream in an equal amount.
Easy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 ounces pasta cooked and drained
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter divided or margarine
- 1 small red onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 16 ounces roasted red peppers from a jar, drained
- 1 cup vegetable broth or chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp fresh minced parsley or 1 tsp dried parsley flakes
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add onions and garlic and cook over medium-heat until onions are softened and garlic is fragrant 2 – 3 minutes.
- Scrape skillet ingredients into bowl of food processor. Add roasted red peppers. Cover and pulse until smooth.
- Heat remaining butter in same skillet. Transfer red pepper puree from food processor to skillet. Add broth, salt, pepper and parsley. Stir to combine and cook until heated thru. Stir in cream, parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes. Cook until sauce begins to thicken.
- Drain pasta and add to skillet. Toss to coat with sauce and add additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Transfer to serving plate and garnish with additional parsley and parmesan cheese.
Chef Tips
Equipment Used
Nutrition Facts
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Hi Katherine, thanks for coming by…we missed you!
This looks amazing, Pinned! I’m sorry, it’s been a while since I stopped by. There are so many wonderful recipes to make, yum. I’ll make this one soon. I invite you to share at the blog party tomorrow. Hugs!