This roasted red pepper pasta bursts with bright, smoky flavor and creamy richness in just 15 minutes!
You won’t believe this comforting, flavorful pasta sauce is ready to go by the time the pasta is done boiling! To make it, I simply blend roasted red peppers, spices, and aromatics with whole milk to make a super silky, creamy sauce.
The easy sauce tastes like date night at an Italian restaurant! It’s so rich and velvety, it reminds me of a classic Italian-American Penne alla Vodka but with the distinctly Mediterranean flavors of a Spanish Romesco. You can roast the peppers yourself for a freshly charred flavor, but the jarred kind work great too.
Table of Contents
Ingredients and Substitutions
This roasted red pepper pasta recipe uses Mediterranean pantry staples, many of which are likely already living in your kitchen. If not, they’re all easy to source. You’ll need:
- Pasta: I love ridged rigatoni for this recipe, which captures the delicious sauce in all its nooks and crannies. That said, you can swap with in any pasta you have on hand.
- Olive oil: Our peppery Spanish Hojiblanca pairs well with the smoky peppers, but any high-quality extra virgin variety you have on hand works.
- Garlic: Adds bold flavor to the pasta sauce. Substitute with onion or shallot.
- Red peppers: Roast the peppers yourself or use jarred to save time.
- Milk: Gives a nice body and creaminess to the sauce. For a vegan option, use unsweetened, unflavored plant-based milk and leave off the cheese.
- Seasoning: Dried oregano, sweet or smoked Spanish paprika, kosher salt, and black pepper are the flavor-makers of this easy pasta sauce.
- Parmesan: Ads a deeply savory umami flavor. Swap with Pecorino.
- Basil: Adds a pop of color and freshness to the pasta. Parsley is the best substitute here.
How to Make Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
This roasted red pepper pasta recipe is quick and easy—it’s done in the amount of time it takes to boil the pasta. To make it:
- Get your roasted red peppers ready. Roast 3 large bell peppers (follow our guide: Roasted Peppers (Two Ways!). Or, thoroughly drain and pat dry one 15-ounce jar of roasted red bell peppers.
- Boil the pasta. Bring a large saucepan of water to a rolling boil and season generously with kosher salt (about 1/2 to 1 tablespoon). Add 12 ounces of rigatoni and bring back to boil. Stir occasionally until the pasta is cooked to al dente according to package instructions, about 9 to 10 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water before draining.
- Meanwhile, soften the garlic. Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat until just shimmering. Add 4 crushed garlic cloves and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer both the garlic and olive oil to a food processor with the blade attachment.
- Add the roasted peppers. If you roasted the peppers yourself, remove the skin and seeds and roughly chop. Add the peppers to the food processor, along with 1/2 cup of whole milk and 1/2 teaspoon each of oregano, paprika, salt and pepper.
- Combine the pasta and sauce. Return the drained pasta to the saucepan and pour the sauce over top. Turn the heat to low and add 1/4 cup of grated parmesan. Use a wooden spoon to mix well so that the pasta is fully coated in the sauce. Mix in the reserved pasta water, a splash at a time, as necessary until the pasta is nicely glossy (you likely won’t need all of the water).
- Serve. Divide the pasta among serving bowls and top with fresh basil and more parmesan cheese, if you like.
What to Serve with Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
Roasted red pepper pasta is a nutritious, filling meal all on its own. But if you’d like a side, go for something crunchy and fresh, like this lemon parmesan lettuce salad. For dessert, keep the Spanish vibes going with Churros con Chocolate!
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Ingredients
- 12 ounces ridged rigatoni
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 4 large garlic cloves, crushed and peeled
- 3 large roasted red peppers, homemade or 15-ounce jar roasted red peppers
- 1/2 cup whole milk or milk of your choice
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon Spanish paprika, sweet or smoked
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan, more to your liking
- Handful fresh basil leaves, torn, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Boil the pasta. Bring a large saucepan of water (about 4 quarts) to a rolling boil and season generously with kosher salt (about 1/2 to 1 tablespoon). Add the pasta and bring back to boil. Stir occasionally until the pasta is cooked to al dente according to package instructions, about 9 to 10 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water before draining.
- Soften the garlic. While the pasta is cooking, heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat until just shimmering. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer the garlic and olive oil to the bowl of a large food processor fitted with a blade.
- Add the roasted peppers. If you roasted the peppers yourself, remove the skin and seeds and roughly chop. If you’re using a jar, drain them well and pat them dry. Add the peppers to the food processor, along with the milk, oregano, paprika, and a big pinch of salt and pepper (about 1/2 teaspoon each). Blend until smooth.
- Combine the pasta and sauce. When the pasta is ready, remember to reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water and drain. Return the pasta to the saucepan and pour the sauce over top. Turn the heat to low and add the parmesan. Stir to mix well so the pasta is fully coated in the sauce. Mix in the reserved pasta water, a splash at a time, as necessary until the pasta is nicely glossy (you likely won’t need all of the water).
- Serve. Divide the pasta among serving bowls and top with fresh basil and more parmesan cheese, if you like.
Video
Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including the olive oil and spices used in this recipe.
- If you’re roasting the peppers yourself, make a big batch to use all week! Save the extras for Shopska Salad (Bulgarian Roast Pepper And Tomato Salad), Muhammara, Focaccia Sandwiches, and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus.
- Put some muscle into it when you stir pasta with sauce! The starchy pasta and pasta water will combine with the sauce and bind with the pasta to make it extra rich and delicious.
Nutrition
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So delicious, really simple to make and full of flavour/nutrients! I love that this sauce is creamy without the need for heavy cream, which can be a bit too rich sometimes. Thank you so much 🙂
Great dinner served with roasted asparagus! Made an “easy” homemade egg pasta which held this creamy sauce so well. I did add twice as much garlic (our family are heavy garlic lovers) and also used yellow peppers since that’s all I had on hand, but it turned out so well. Thanks for this amazing recipe to utilize extra peppers!
Amazing and delicious highly recommend.
Thanks, Greta!
Hey TMZ,
Thanks so much for the recipe. Just wanted to check is it 371kcal per portion of for all 4 servings?
Hi, Chloe. That’s per portion. Enjoy!
I loved this recipe I roasted the peppers myself and made a double batch. It was even better the day after. I also added some seasoned ground turkey. I needed to add more salt and a lot of fresh basil. The tastes really heightened the next day.
Thanks so much for the great review, Terri!
It’s a good recipe to add vegetables into your dinner. I found it a little bland, even after adding more salt. Nonetheless, great option for a vegetarian and different from your typical marinara sauce.
How many servings is this recipe?
Hi, Lonna! There are 4 servings in this recipe. Hope you give it a try!
This pasta recipe was really good but this time I want to make it with a protein do you have any recommendations about what meat/fish? Can you also recommend a seasoning for it?
Hi, Grant! This would be amazing with our Grilled Chicken Breast!
Amazing recipe! My “selective” palate in the fam LOVED this recipe. THANK YOUUUUU!!!! We used the smoked paprika. I baked the roasted red peppers, which were yummy, but lots of work. Will try jarred next time, lol!
Yay! We love to hear this, Louise! Thank you!
This is a delicious recipe- thank you! I make and freeze dinners for my mom- would this pasta dish freeze well?
Thank you!
Hi, Nicole. If you want to freeze this one, I recommend only making the sauce and freezing that alone, waiting to make the pasta until you’d like to enjoy the meal. The sauce freezes very well… I’m not sure the pasta would hold up.
Had a jar of roasted peppers that needed to be used up and this was perfect. Added aleppo for a bit of kick. Wish I had used smoked paprika but now I’ll have a good excuse to make this again soon!
Being allergic to tomatoes, this is a great alternative! Thanks so much!!!!
I’ve made this several times because it’s simple and so good.
Tonight, I tried it with my own broiler-charred bell peppers, and used goat cheese instead of the milk. To die for!
Yum! Thanks for sharing, Thomas!
We had this for dinner last night. Absolutely delish!! I made it as directed, but I made the sauce several hours before preparing the pasta. Thank you Suzy, another great recipe!!
I don’t have Spanish sweet paprika. I do have smoked paprika and regular. Would one of those be ok?
Hi Beth, Devin here from the Mediterranean Dish team. Your regular paprika will work perfectly. Happy cooking!
Pretty lack luster :/
Hi, Ali! I’m sorry this wasn’t your favorite. Perhaps it just needed an extra dash of salt to meet your tastes. If you like things a bit spicy you might want to try this version of red pepper pasta with chorizo and spinach. It has a few more ingredients and zip from the chorizo.