I’ll be honest with ya’ll, I’m pretty picky about pasta dishes because I’m not a major pasta girl. But I have to admit, this one is pretty tasty. I love how the charred red peppers add such bold flavor. This meal is a great vegetarian option and if you choose to do my dairy free version, it could work as a vegan dish as well (depending on what type of noodles you use). The original recipe from “Sprinkles and Sprouts“ was good but I felt it needed a little more flavor. So, I added some more yumminess with cooking wine, lemon juice and one of my most favorite spices, cayenne pepper.
Roasting the Red Bell Peppers
It is so easy to roast peppers and it provides such a rich and bold flavor. After Roasting, put the peppers in a bowl and cover it with plastic and wait until cooled (10 minutes or so). Magically, the skin comes off like… I was trying to think of a simile of some sort to describe this whole ordeal but I think an example of anything that peals off easily might be weird or gross… so I shall refrain.
Does this Red Pepper Pasta Stand alone or Require Side Dishes?
Can this dinner stand on its own and fill you up? The answer depends on who you ask. If you ask me, yes, if you make enough of this pasta it can be a meal all by itself. However, I will say a side salad would be nice. Now let’s ask my husband or my older boys this question and it’s an emphatic “No”! They really like the pasta but they still walk away a bit hungry.
Consequently, I had to ask myself, “What could beef up this dinner?” to ensure full bellies. You could pair it with some french bread, shrimp, homemade turkey zucchini meat balls (my recipe is “amaze-balls”, haha, coming soon), or I guess beef it up with some beef. What I’m trying to say is, you can add some bread, salad, or your choice of protein to make this Roasted Red Pepper Pasta a bit more substantial. When we pay off our student loans I’m totally buying Salmon all the time and making this red bell pepper pasta with some rockin’ salmon.
Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
Ingredients
- 3 red bell peppers
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ red onion
- 1 Tbsp sherry Cooking Wine
- Lemon Juice to taste ( I like ½ a lemon's worth)
- Dash Cayenne
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup heavy cream or whipping cream or 1 can coconut milk
- 2 Tbsp fresh oregano or basil
- 12 oz long pasta
Instructions
- To Roast the Bell Peppers. See notes to find different methods. Once the peppers are charred, transfer the bell peppers to a bowl and cover them with cling wrap (or a damp tea towel). Let the peppers cool. Once cooled gently rub away the charred skin. (See note 3)If any juice has collected in the bowl, keep it for the sauce.
- To make the pasta, bring a large pan of water to the boil. Salt your pasta water with at least 1 tbsp and add the pasta. It seems like a lot of salt but it does wonders for your pasta. Cook until the pasta is al-dente. (you can reserve some pasta water to add later, if sauce is too thick! You can add 1-2 tablespoons if needed)
- Peel and slice the red onion into thin half moons. Then peel and chop the garlic.
- Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet and cook the onion over a medium-low heat for 3 minutes or until softened and fragrant. Add in the garlic and cook for an extra minute.Slice the roasted bell pepper into thin strips and add them to the onion and garlic. Add the the cooking wine and lemon juice.
- Pour in the cream (or coconut milk if dairy free) and cook over a low heat for 3 minutes. Add the salt and dash of cayenne.*See notes if dairy free. Then, add the drained pasta. Stir together over a low heat until the pasta is well coated and the sauce has thickened over the strands. Serve garnished with fresh oregano or Basil.
Notes
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