Roasted Red Pepper Pasta (Vegan and Vegetarian Options)
A creamy flavorful roasted red pepper pasta made with a homemade red pepper vegan pasta sauce and your choice of pasta. This makes for a healthy, wholesome, mid-week meal that can be made in just ten minutes (once the sauce is prepared), or under 40 minutes entirely from scratch. Make a large batch of the sauce and freeze for a quick meal, whenever needed!
Before you cook the pasta, prepare the roasted red pepper sauce. If you're preparing it from scratch, then follow the instructions as written on this post. If you have some in the fridge/freezer, then you can simply re-heat it as the pasta cooks.
Bring salted water to boil over medium-high heat and cook the pasta as per the package instructions. I usually cook mine for 9-10 minutes for a slightly al dente texture.
Remove the pasta from the water and drain.You can actually save a small amount of the pasta water to add to the roasted red pepper sauce. Due to the starchy, saltiness of the water, it help to add flavor, thicken the sauce, and helps to bind the pasta and sauce together for silky results.*
Either add the pasta to the saucepan that you heated the sauce in and toss well before serving. Or serve separately for people to choose the amount of sauce they want with their pasta.
Optionally, sprinkle some fresh parsley or basil, crushed red pepper flakes, and/or Parmesan/nutritional yeast. Enjoy!
How To Store
This pasta is best eaten immediately, while warm. However, leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.To reheat you can simply place it in the microwave or reheat on the stovetop.This dish should also be freezer-friendly for up to three months, though it isn't something I've tried.
Notes
*Top Tip: Other ways to preserve the pasta water include:
To water plants with
In bread and pizza doughs
To soak legumes overnight
For steaming vegetables
Within soups
Feel free to add extra veggies to this pasta dish. Depending on how long they take to boil, I'll often add them directly into the same water that I use to cook the pasta.
You can, optionally, garnish with crushed nuts, toasted pine nuts, or seeds.
You can easily turn this dish into a pasta bake by placing the pasta, sauce, and veggies in an oven-dish and topping with breadcrumbs and vegan cheese. If all the elements are newly cooked and hot then simply broil the top until the cheese has melted and browned. Otherwise, place the dish in the oven to heat through for 15-20 minutes at around 180C/356F.
To Add Spice: Add a red chili or jalapeno to the sauce. Remove the seeds for less heat and increase/decrease the amount used depending on how spicy you'd like the sauce. Depending on what dish you're using this for - you could also drizzle over some Chili Oil or red pepper flakes.
For a creamier sauce: You can add a dash of plant-based cream such as coconut cream or Oat Milk Creamer (or dairy, if you consume it). A spoonful of unsalted cashew butter or almond butter can also add a delicious, rich, and creamy element to the sauce.
If your sauce is too thin then you can add a little cornstarch to thicken it. The pasta water will also help thicken the sauce due to the starchiness. If the sauce becomes too thick then add a little extra plant-based milk/cream.