Creamy Red Pepper Sauce Pasta

Creamy Red Pepper Sauce Pasta

Creamy Red Pepper Sauce Pasta

Creamy Red Pepper Sauce Pasta is a classic recipe of pasta in a delicious homemade roasted red peppers sauce. This recipe with no cream is perfect for a savoury, hearty and comforting meal!

If you are tired of the usual marinara sauce for pasta, try spicing up your pasta nights with this homemade roasted red pepper sauce. It’s a creamy, rich, and comforting dish that goes well with any pasta. I add a handful of cashews for creaminess without cream, making it vegan-friendly! The sauce is packed with rustic flavours from roasted red bell peppers, onions, and garlic. It’s a vegan and gluten-free sauce that you can prepare in advance.

I am thrilled to share this sauce recipe with you. This simple, homemade recipe will elevate your pasta experiences. In fact I’ve been making it with just red peppers, garlic, and onion, but adding cashews and a hint of lime juice has taken the flavour to new heights.

In truth, the sauce is so delicious that I couldn’t help but eat a few spoonful straight from the processor, and I even set some aside as a dip for later! This creamy Red Pepper Sauce Pasta is an ideal dish for a hectic weeknight. It’s simple to prepare, customizable, and can be made in advance, staying fresh in the fridge for up to a week.

Other recipes you might like are

Pasta Salad,

Baked Macaroni with Pineapple,

Vegetable Au gratin,

Lemon Garlic Mushroom Asparagus Pasta,

White Sauce Pasta with Vegetables,

Creamy Vegetable Fusilli Pasta and

Pesto Spaghetti.

Ingredients

For the Pasta
1 cup spaghetti
3-4 cups water
½ teaspoon olive oil

For Roasting Vegetables
2 big size red pepper (deseeded and cut in big chunks)
1 big white onion (roughly chopped)
7-8 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

Other Ingredients
8-10 cashew nuts
½ cup water
Juice of ½ lemon
1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
½ teaspoon white pepper
7-8 basil leaves
1 tablespoon parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon parmesan cheese for garnishing

Directions

Step-1

Boil water in a large high sided pan. When it begins to boil, add the spaghetti and oil and let it boil for 7-8 minutes or until it is al-dente. (Check the boiling time on the packaging as different brands have different boiling times).

Drain the spaghetti and keep the drained water in a bowl.

Step-2

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4.

In a baking tray, place the red pepper, onions and garlic cloves. Sprinkle olive oil and bake them for about 10-12 minutes or until the peppers begin to form black blisters on top. Keep them aside and let it cool.

Once it is cooled, blend the roasted peppers, onions and garlic with cashew ¼ cup water, lemon juice and chilli flakes to make a smooth puree.

Step-3

Heat the oil in a pan and add the red pepper sauce along with ½ cup of pasta water, salt, white pepper, basil leaves and parmesan cheese. Cook the sauce for 2-3 minutes. (If the sauce is too thick, add couple of tablespoons of pasta water to form a smooth thick consistency.)

Step-4

Add the pasta and mix. You want to coat all the pasta with sauce.

Garnish with parmesan cheese and basil.

Enjoy on its own or a slice of garlic bread and/or focaccia.

Tips & Variations

  1. Cooking pasta is simple, but like a lot of simple cooking, timing is crucial. Most dried pasta cooks in about 10 mins – a few minutes less and it will be chalky and tough, a few minutes more and you will end up with a slimy mush. The trick is to test it and stop cooking when it is perfectly ‘al dente’ – which translates from Italian as ‘to the tooth’ but simply means you should need to use your teeth to chew it.
  2. You can add ½ teaspoon of salt while boiling the pasta.
  3. Another variation of this sauce would be a pesto style rendition. Add 1/3 cup of blanched almonds, walnuts or pine nuts to the blender with the roasted peppers if desired instead of cashews.
  4. This sauce is very forgiving. Sauce too thick? Add some drained pasta water until you get your desired consistency; if it is too thin, continue to simmer it down, allowing evaporation to thicken the sauce up.
  5. I have used parmesan cheese. If you want, you can add either cheddar cheese or parmesan cheese or both cheeses.
  6. You can add other seasoning like Italian seasoning, dried parsley or thyme, dried basil leaves.
  7. You can also use other pastas like fuselli, penne or any other pasta of your choice.