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!

Creamy roasted red pepper pasta embodies everything a weeknight dinner should be. Simple to prep, quick to cook and packed with flavour. Follow me…

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Sauce

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:

1. Convenience – I’ve really tried to make this as week-night friendly as possible and roasted red peppers from the jar are key.
2. 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

1. Place your peppers next to the live flame on the hob or under the grill.
2. Rotate it every minute or so until all sides are completely charred.
3. Place in a bowl with cling film over until completely cooled.
4. 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)

1. Melt butter into a saucepan.
2. Add onion and garlic, then fry until soft.
3. Add in a food processor with roasted red peppers.
4. 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)

1. Pour your roasted red pepper base sauce into a pan and bring to a simmer.
2. Pour in cream and stir until completely blended.
3. Add in parmesan, smoked paprika, parsley and seasoning.
4. 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)

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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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