If you are in the mood for a heavenly pasta dish, this Creamy Red Pepper Pasta is all you need! It is super easy to make, cooked al dente and drenched in creamy roasted red pepper sauce, added basil and spices. This dish creates an explosion of flavors in your mouth in the most satisfying way!
A huge YUMMY for this dish, I am telling you. This Creamy Red Pepper Pasta is rich, with deep flavors and super comforting. It’s a quick and easy pasta loaded with goodies, making it a perfect dinner recipe for your family.
If you’re looking for other delicious pasta recipes, why not also try my Greek Pasta Salad Recipe or my Simple Pesto Tomato Pasta.
Why you’ll love this Creamy Red Pepper Pasta
- Creamy. Made with cream cheese, this pasta so oh creamy!
- Roasted peppers. Roasted red peppers add sweetness and a bold flavor to this dish. You can either buy store bought roasted red pepper which I used, or broil or roast yours at home. To save time, I just buy mine from the store.
- Kid friendly. A great way to sneak in a load of veggies into their diets!
- An easy pasta recipe. This goes from pantry to table in 25 mins.
Ingredients you’ll need
- Dry Pasta
- Pasta Water
- Cream Cheese
- Roasted Red Peppers
- Veggies: Onion, mushrooms.
- Tomato Sauce
- Salt & Pepper
- Chopped Basil
- Garlic Cloves
- Olive Oil
How to make this Creamy Red Pepper Pasta
- Cook the pasta – According to package instructions
- Make the red pepper sauce – Puree the red pepper sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor.
- Sauté the mushrooms – Bring a skillet to medium heat and add in the olive oil. Toss in the onions and garlic to sauté for a couple minutes then add in the mushrooms.
- Make the red pepper sauce – To the skillet, add the sauce ingredients and simmer for 3-5 mins.
- Make the sauce creamy – Add in the cream cheese and pasta water. Cook the sauce with cream cheese for a couple of minutes and then
- Add in the cooked pasta – Toss to coat well.
- Garnish serve and enjoy!
Recipe notes and tips
- Cook pasta al dente for best results.
- Stir your pasta immediately after you drop it in the boiling water, to avoid sticking.
- Make sure to salt your pasta water.
- Remember to reserve some pasta water, this really helps thicken the sauce.
- I suggest you slice the cream cheese thinly so they melt quicker. Do not worry if you feel like they clumped up.
- Mix to coat the pasta well and cover to let it all cook together for a couple more minutes. This will allow the pasta to absorb the flavors of the creamy sauce.
- To save time used jarred, roasted peppers that are drained of oil.
- Ideally use fresh basil, it really adds a punch of flavor.
- Before serving you can add some more shaved or grated Parmesan cheese to it and garnish with some basil leaves.
FAQ’s
Variations and mix ins
You can really make this base pasta recipe your own (it’s also great all by itself!), here’s some ideas:
Proteins: You add can different proteins like chicken, shrimp and tofu. You can also use sausage if you like, just make sure you full cook them before adding them into the dish towards the end.
Pastas: You can use any pasta you like. But I would recommend picking a type of pasta that has ridges. This allows the sauce to cling onto the pasta more.
Add On’s: You can add fresh spinach right before adding the pasta towards the end.
Veggies: Only use fresh veggies. Do no use canned mushrooms for this recipe.
Cheeses: Parmesan, mozzarella, ricotta, gruyere work well.
Make it spicy: Add some pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to make it spicier.
Are roasted red pepper good for you?
Red bell peppers have almost 11 times more beta-carotene than green bell peppers. Roasted red peppers also contain vitamins A and C, folic acid, fiber, and potassium. These red beauties are often packed in olive oil, which is a heart-healthy fat. So, roasted red peppers not only taste delicious but they are good for you!
What to serve with this Creamy Red Pepper Pasta
This hearty creamy pasta recipe is great on its own but you can of course amp things up with a side dish! As its so filling, something light and fresh would work best. A simple arugula salad would be lovely or you could go with my Strawberry Spinach Salad with Feta. Steamed veggies would also be great, as would some crusty bread to mop up all that lovely sauce!
Other recipes you might like
I hope you enjoy all the recipes I share with you, including this delicious Creamy Red Pepper Pasta recipe. I hope you try it, enjoy it, rate it and share it with your friends and family!
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Creamy Red Pepper Rigatoni
Ingredients
- 1 lb. rigatoni pasta dry
- 1 cup pasta water reserved from cooking pasta
- 4 oz. cream cheese
- 12 oz. roasted red pepper drained from jar
- 3/4 cup tomato sauce
- 1 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1 tbsp. black pepper
- 6 garlic cloves sliced
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
- 1.5 tsp. salt
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 cups mushroom sliced
- 3 tbsps. olive oil
Instructions
- Cook pasta al dente.
- Next, diced up a medium onion and slice the mushrooms. Puree the red pepper sauce in a blender or food processor.
- Bring a skillet to medium heat and add in the olive oil. Toss in the onions and garlic to sauté for a couple minutes then add in the mushrooms.
- Sauté the mushrooms until tender for another couple of minutes and then add in the red pepper puree, the tomato sauce, basil, parmesan cheese, black pepper and salt. Mix and allow the sauce to cook for 3-5 minutes covered on medium heat.
- Remove the lid and add in the cream cheese and pasta water. Cook the sauce with cream cheese for a couple of minutes and then add in the cooked pasta.
- Mix to coat the pasta well and cover to let them cook together for a couple more minutes. This will allow the pasta to absorb the flavors of the creamy sauce.
- Before serving you can add some more shaved or grated parmesan cheese to it and garnish with some basil leaves.
Notes
- Cook pasta al dente for best results.
- Stir your pasta immediately after you drop it in the boiling water, to avoid sticking.
- Make sure to salt your pasta water.
- Remember to reserve some pasta water, this really helps thicken the sauce.
- I suggest you slice the cream cheese thinly so they melt quicker. Do not worry if you feel like they clumped up.
- Mix to coat the pasta well and cover to let it all cook together for a couple more minutes. This will allow the pasta to absorb the flavors of the creamy sauce.
- To save time used jarred, roasted peppers that are drained of oil.
- Ideally use fresh basil, it really adds a punch of flavor.
- Before serving you can add some more shaved or grated Parmesan cheese to it and garnish with some basil leaves.
Why no to canned mushrooms? Does it alter the flavour??
I am not a huge fan of canned mushrooms. They are chewy and don’t give the same flavor as fresh mushrooms. But if it’s all you have and don’t mind the texture, feel free to use it.
Hi! I luv ur blog and follow u on insta too but I’m a little confused here…how do u make the red pepper sauce?…or do u just puree the canned red peppers?
Hi Femi
The red pepper sauce is just roasted red peppers blended to become liquid in a blender or food processor.