Name: Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 2 cups pasta of your choice (measured before boiling); 2 tbsp. olive oil; 2 large sized red bell peppers (red capsicum); 1 medium sized red onion (finely chopped); 2-3 cloves of garlic (finely chopped); 1/ 2 cup half & half (1/4 cup cream + 1/4 cup whole milk) or coconut milk (vegan option); 1 tsp dried oregano; 1 tsp chilli flakes

Description

Rich and creamy roasted red pepper pasta made using at-home whole-roasted sweet red peppers, charred and brown, mixed with onions, garlic and cream, tossed over al-dente pasta giving you wholesome and delicious pasta in 30 minutes!

Ingredients

Scale

2 cups pasta of your choice (measured before boiling)
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 large sized red bell peppers (red capsicum)
1 medium sized red onion (finely chopped)
2-3 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
1/ 2 cup half & half (1/4 cup cream + 1/4 cup whole milk) or coconut milk (vegan option)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp chilli flakes

Instructions

Preheat oven to 230 degree Celsius. Line a baking sheet with aluminum (foil). Rub ½ tbsp olive oil on all sides of red bell peppers and place them on baking sheet and transfer to oven. Let roast for 25 minutes.
While the red peppers are roasting, cook pasta as per package instructions. Reserve pasta water before draining (see notes)
While the pasta is boiling, add remaining 1 ½ tbsp. olive oil to a pan and heat on medium flame. Add chopped onions and garlic to the hot oil and cook for a few minutes until soft, translucent and light brown. Keep aside for 5 minutes and let cool.
Once the peppers are nicely roasted (they should look black, charred from the outside) transfer the baking sheet from the oven to kitchen counter to let cool for 4-5 minutes. You will notice the peppers to shrink a little and soften up.
Peel off the charred skin and cut the peppers one by four. Discard the charred skin.
To a blender, add peppers, cooked (and cooled) onions and garlic, half & half or coconut milk, salt. Mix until a smooth pasta/ creamy texture is formed.
Add the sauce back to the pan and add oregano and chilli flakes. Add cooked pasta and mix well. Cook for about 1-2 minutes. Add some pasta water if needed (to loosen up the sauce)
Serve hot and enjoy!

Notes

Pasta water (starchy water) – Since I enjoyed my pasta right away, I did not feel the need to add any pasta water as the sauce had wonderful consistency. If you like the sauce to be a little runny, add 1-4 cup of reserved pasta water to your creamy roasted red pepper pasta.

Keywords: pasta, vegetarian, recipe, main