This vegan roasted red pepper pasta requires just 6 simple ingredients and is made within 20 minutes. Creamy, packed with nutrients and so easy even your kids could help make it!
Regardless of your skill level, this pasta will be a true cooking triumph. Whereas I love setting myself up for a complicated challenge, there are days when you just need something super simple.
This delicious recipe is a lifesaver for all those days I’m in a huge hurry, but still want to eat something healthy.
Why make this recipe
- It’s MUCH QUICKER that similar recipes (no roasting required)
- It’s not only PACKED WITH VEGGIES,
- But also RICH IN PROTEIN.
- It’s CONSIDERABLY EASIER than similar recipes
- It has a rich CREAMY TEXTURE without using any cream.
- It’s complete in LESS THAN 20 MINUTES.
- Last but not least, it has a CHEESY FLAVOUR without having to use any cheese.
Moreover, it’s also:
- filled to the brim with vitamins (vitamin A, B6, C, E, K1)
- rich in potassium and folate
- incredibly simple
- approved by my entire (non-vegan) family
- super creamy
- very low in saturated fat
- dangerously addictive
Read more nutritional info on bell peppers here.
Now that we’ve made it clear you absolutely need to try it, let’s get cooking!
The Ingredients
To make this creamy vegan pasta you will need the following ingredients.
Roased red peppers: Usually come packed in a glass jar and can be found next to pickled vegetables in a groceries store.
Plant milk: most unsweetened plant milks will work here. I've previously used oat, almond and soy milks for this recipe and all versions turned out delicious.
Peanut butter: choose smooth, because we want to make this sauce as creamy as possible.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Let me take you through making this pasta. It’s a very easy, straightforward process. However, some process photos always come in handy, right?
- Grab your favourite roasted red peppers in a jar.
- Rinse red peppers with tap water. Drain and add to a medium-sized pan.
- Then add salt, black pepper (optional), garlic powder, nutritional yeast, peanut butter and plant milk on top of your red peppers.
- Use a hand mixer to mix all the ingredients until smooth. If you don't have a handheld mixer, you can simply blend the sauce.
- In the meantime, bring water to a boil in a separate pan and cook your favourite pasta.
- Once your red peppers sauce is smooth, it’s time to heat it up. Let it come to a very gentle boil to reduce it slightly and then remove from heat. Your sauce is ready.
- Pour the sauce over your cooked pasta. Mix well.
- Serve with chopped fresh basil.
Expert Tips for Making This Pasta
Let's check out the 5 tips that will ensure you can nail this recipe in your first try!
Use natural peanut butter
By natural I mean peanut butter with no added sugar, salt or oil.
Additionally, make sure to go for smooth (not crunchy) peanut butter.
Peanut butter not only adds a gorgeous creamy texture, but also adds a real punch of flavour. It’s also packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, protein and healthy fats.
Make it gluten free or low carb
Make this recipe gluten free or low carb by swapping regular pasta for your favourite alternative.
I often make this sauce with soybean tagliatelle and, let me tell, you it’s nothing short of drool-worthy!
Drizzle with oil
If you’re someone that likes adding a tiny drizzle of oil over your pasta, this is your time! The leftover oil from your red pepper jar has an intense flavour so adding just a little drizzle right at the end will do the job!
Serve with herbs
Always serve this pasta with fresh herbs. I recommend basil, but chives works particularly well too. You could also try adding parsley or some chopped up spring (green) onion.
Make sure you’ve chopped up your basil or other herbs very small, which will help release all the delicious scent and flavour.
If you want even more veg, definitely serve with some fresh arugula (rocket). It adds a crunchy element and complements the flavours well.
Roasted Red Peppers Pasta: FAQ
You’ve added too much nutritional yeast. Make sure to stick to the sauce recipe and only add extra yeast flakes at the end as a topping.
You can fix this by adding a little bit more plant milk or peanut butter (one teaspoon at a time).
You’ve probably added too much plant milk (or even water).
The best thing you can do to fix that is to add another jar of roasted red peppers to your sauce. After that, blend the sauce again using a blender or hand mixer.
If you're a lover of peppers, don't forget to check out my red pepper orzo recipe. For more delicious vegan mains like this, make sure to check out my vegan pot pie, vegan stew with dumplings or my broccoli potato soup.
This just about wraps it all up! As always, if you have any trouble making my creamy pasta sauce simply comment down below or message me directly on Instagram. I’ll be sure to help you out in case you get stuck!
Vegan Red Pepper Pasta
Equipment
- Hand mixer
Ingredients
- 680 g grilled red peppers (this is the equivalent of 400g of roasted red peppers once drained)
- A pinch salt
- A pinch black pepper optional
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1½ tablespoon peanut butter use peanut butter containing only 100% peanut (no added salt, oil or sugar)
- ½ cup plant milk unsweetened
- 360 g wholewheat pasta
- 10 leaves basil or other herb like parsley or chives
Instructions
- Grab your favourite roasted red peppers in a jar. Rinse with tap water, drain the oil (or save the oil for later if desired) and add peppers to a medium-sized pan.
- Then add salt, black pepper (optional), garlic powder, nutritional yeast, peanut butter and plant milk.
- Use a hand mixer to mix all the ingredients until smooth.
- In the meantime, bring water to a boil and cook your favourite pasta according to instructions on the packet.
- Once your sauce is smooth, it’s time to heat it up.
- Let the sauce come to a gentle boil (this should take no more than 5 minutes) to reduce it slightly and then remove from heat.
- Pour the sauce over your cooked pasta. Mix well and serve with chopped fresh basil (or other herbs).
Rin
so delicious! one of my favourite recipes ever 🙂 thank you so much for sharing!
Tajda Ferko
Thank you so much for leaving such a lovely review Rin, that totally made my day! It's personally one of my go-to dinners - so easy and I always have ingredients on hand. So happy you enjoyed it too! x
Patti
When I initially embraced the vegan lifestyle, your recipe was one of the first I discovered; a year-and-a-half later, it remains one of my favourites. The simplicity belies the tastiness, and the nutritional value is off the charts! Thank you so much for creating and sharing this treasure- it is in my permanent recipe roster.
Tajda Ferko
Ahh, Patti, this is up there with my favourite reviews I've ever received, thank you so much! It brought a giant grin to my face & I couldn't agree more - this is still one of my favourite pasta sauces! Happy weekend! xxx