Dairy Free Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
Creamy roasted red pepper pasta is the perfect blend of smoky, sweet, and savory flavors in a creamy roasted red pepper sauce. This comforting meal is packed with veggies and is a great quick weeknight dinner.
Looking for more easy dinner recipes? Try my firecracker meatballs, one pot creamy lemon chicken orzo, or spicy garlic noodles.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make roasted red pepper pasta:
- Penne pasta – or another similar size pasta of choice.
- Olive oil
- Yellow onion
- Fresh garlic
- Red pepper flakes
- Tomato paste
- Roasted red peppers
- Creamy oat milk
- Nutritional yeast
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper – to taste.
- Dairy free butter
- Fresh basil – for garnish.
How to Make Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta: Step By Step
Here are some quick visual instructions. The full instructions and ingredient list will be in the printable recipe card below!
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add your pasta and cook al dente according to package instructions. Reserve about 1/2 cup of pasta water before draining.
- Saute the aromatics. Heat a large skillet over medium heat with olive oil. Once hot, cook the onion and garlic until the garlic is translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes and cook for an additional minute, then add tomato paste. Cook until the sauce has darkened, 2-3 minutes.
- Blend the sauce. In a blender, combine the roasted red peppers, sauteed onion and garlic mixture, oat milk, and nutritional yeast. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Blend until smooth.
- Reduce & toss. Pour the sauce back into the skillet and warm over low heat. Stir in the butter until melted. Add the cooked pasta and toss to coat, adding a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta water as needed for a silky texture.
- Serve. Top with torn fresh basil leaves. Enjoy!
Helpful Tips
- Adjust the spice level by adding more or less red pepper flakes.
- The sauce makes a large batch, which is great to freeze for later use on a night when you’re really short on time.
Quick Tip: Don’t forget to reserve pasta water. This contains starch from the pasta that’s released into the water. A little bit helps create a more cohesive sauce that clings to the noodles.
Storage
Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Freeze: Freeze the sauce (without the pasta) in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Let thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Reheat: Warm over medium-low heat on the stove with a splash of water or dairy free milk to loosen the sauce.
Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations
Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.
How can you make this red pepper pasta recipe using what you already have? Here are some ideas…
- No jarred roasted red peppers? – you can use oil-packed sun dried tomatoes for a slightly different flavor. Use the oil in the jar to cook the onion and garlic.
- No oat milk? – use another creamy non dairy milk such as canned coconut milk or cashew milk.
- Gluten-free? – use your favorite gluten-free pasta. I like Jovial’s brown rice pasta.
- Not dairy free? – sub whole milk or heavy cream and unsalted butter.
- Add-ins – roasted vegetables, cherry tomatoes, grated dairy free parmesan cheese, or cooked protein such as Italian sausage, white beans, or chicken breast.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you’ll need 3-4 medium red bell peppers, but keep in mind this takes some time.
You can either roast the bell pepper skin very carefully on a gas stove over low heat, holding onto the peppers using metal tongs, OR roast the bell peppers in the oven under the broiler on an unlined baking sheet, turning the peppers every few minutes until the skin is blistered.
Let cool for a few minutes until you can handle the peppers to remove the skin and discard the seeds.
More Dinner Recipes
- Dairy Free Buffalo Chicken Taquitos
- 15 Minute Creamy Harissa Butter Beans
- Dairy Free Corn and Shrimp Bisque
- Creamy Spinach and Sun Dried Tomato Pasta
I hope you love this Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta! If you make this recipe, please leave a comment & a star rating below. Thank you!
Dairy Free Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 ounces penne pasta or similar size pasta of choice, use GF if needed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ medium yellow or white onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ½-1 teaspoon red pepper flakes depending on spice preference
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 16 ounce jar roasted red peppers drained
- ½ cup creamy oat milk
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- kosher salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon dairy free butter or unsalted butter
- fresh basil leaves for garnish
- cooked protein of choice (optional) such as Italian sausage, chicken, etc.
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add your pasta and cook al dente according to package instructions. Reserve about ½ cup of pasta water before draining.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat with olive oil. Once hot, cook the onion and garlic until the garlic is translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes and cook for an additional minute, then add tomato paste. Cook until the sauce has darkened, 2-3 minutes.
- In a blender, combine the roasted red peppers, sauteed onion and garlic mixture, oat milk, and nutritional yeast. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Blend until smooth.
- Pour half the sauce (1.5 cups) back into the skillet and warm over low heat. Let the remainder of sauce cool to room temperature, then store it in the fridge or freeze for later use.
- Stir in the butter until melted. Add the cooked pasta and toss to coat, adding a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta water as needed for a silky texture.
- Top with torn fresh basil leaves. Enjoy!