Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
This easy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta dish combines roasted red pepper sauce with whole grain penne, toasted pine nuts, and some fresh basil. As the finishing touch, drizzle on a little extra virgin olive oil, and top with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. This dish tastes wonderful with our Fresh Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, or our Easy Roasted Red Pepper Sauce. Simply delicious!
Sauces always taste better when the flavors are allowed to develop over a day or two. For a wonderful and quick weeknight meal, make the sauce ahead of time, or use a good quality jarred red pepper sauce for a super quick and easy meal. Want to know how to make this vegan, dairy-free, or gluten-free? Learn how by reading our Blog Comments & Tips.
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RECIPE
(Check out our Step by Step Instructions below the recipe card.)
Recipe updated as of 3/23/22
ROASTED RED PEPPER PASTA
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Finely grate Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (optional), and set aside.
- Fill an 8 quart stock pot with water, and bring to a rolling boil on high heat. Toss in salt, and stir. Add penne pasta to the boiling salted water, stir, and cook according to package directions for al dente pasta (it will continue to cook in the sauce for the last 2 minutes). Be sure to stir a few times during the cooking process to prevent clumping.
- Line a baking sheet pan with foil, and spread out pine nuts into one layer. Roast pine nuts in the oven for 3-10 minutes (see Note #1) until golden and toasted, but not dark brown, as they will become bitter. Set aside.
- To a 3 quart sauté pan, add Fresh Roasted Red Pepper Sauce (or Easy Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, or your favorite jarred sauce), and heat on medium, stirring occasionally (see Note #2). When the penne is done, drain, and reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid. To the sauce, add ½ cup of the cooking liquid (see Note #2) and the drained pasta. Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon or so of grated cheese (optional) onto the penne, and stir to combine. Heat through, tossing the pasta occasionally.
- As soon as it’s heated through, remove from the heat, and tear 10 fresh basil leaves onto the pasta, and stir to combine. Serve immediately, then garnish with a drizzle of olive oil (optional), toasted pine nuts, 5 torn fresh basil leaves, and the remainder of the grated cheese (optional). Enjoy!
Notes
- We realize this is a wide time range, but depending on whether you use a toaster oven, or conventional oven, your time will vary greatly. Stay by the oven, as pine nuts can burn in seconds. Shake the baking sheet midway through the roasting process, to get even color.
- 2 cups of sauce provides just enough to flavor the pasta, without it swimming in sauce. If you like a saucier pasta, use 3 cups of sauce. Start with only ½ cup pasta water, as this will loosen the sauce, season it, and thicken it up a bit. As the pasta heats through, it will absorb some of the sauce and might dry out. If it does, add a little pasta water at a time to moisten up the pasta.
- This recipe is delicious with homemade sauce, but it’s also a quick and easy weeknight meal if you use your favorite jarred sauce instead. The other ingredients complement almost any red pasta sauce.
- Make sure to just heat the pasta through, and serve immediately. Otherwise, pasta absorbs liquid and can dry out quickly. Just be sure your sauce is hot when you add the drained pasta.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
324.43Fat (grams)
19.61Sat. Fat (grams)
3.44Carbs (grams)
29.38Fiber (grams)
2.92Net carbs
26.46Sugar (grams)
3.51Protein (grams)
8.19Sodium (milligrams)
783.88Cholesterol (grams)
7.17Nutritional information provided is strictly an estimate and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods.
Step by Step Instructions
PREPARATION
Organize all your tools and ingredients before you begin. Getting all your ingredients in one place at the beginning will shorten your prep time.
STEP 1
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Finely grate ½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (optional), and set aside.
Note: For vegan option, omit the the cheese in this recipe.
STEP 2
Fill an 8-quart stock pot with water, and bring to a rolling boil on high heat. Toss in 1 tablespoon kosher salt, and stir. Add 16 ounces dried whole grain penne pasta to the boiling salted water, stir, and cook according to package directions for al dente pasta (see Note below). Be sure to stir a few times during the cooking process to prevent clumping.
Note: The pasta needs to be al dente, as it will continue to cook when you add it to the sauce during the last 2 minutes.
STEP 3
Line a baking sheet pan with foil, and spread out ¼ cup raw pine nuts into one layer. Roast pine nuts in the oven for 3-10 minutes (see Note below) until golden and toasted, but not dark brown, as they will become bitter. Set aside.
Note: We realize this is a wide time range, but depending on whether you use a toaster oven, or conventional oven, your time will vary greatly. Stay by the oven, as pine nuts can burn in seconds. Shake the baking sheet midway through the roasting process, to get even color.
STEP 4
To a 3 quart sauté pan, add 2 cups of Fresh Roasted Red Pepper Sauce (or our Easy Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, or your favorite jarred sauce), and heat on medium, stirring occasionally (see Note “a” below). When the penne is done, drain, and reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Add ½ cup of the cooking liquid to the sauce (see Note “b” below), the drained pasta. Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon or so of grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (optional) onto the penne, and stir to combine. Heat through, tossing the pasta occasionally.
Note: a) 2 cups of sauce provides just enough to flavor the pasta, without it swimming in sauce. If you like a saucier pasta, use 3 cups of sauce. b) Start with only ½ cup pasta water, as this will loosen the sauce, season it, and thicken it up a bit. As the pasta heats through, it will absorb some of the sauce and might dry out. If it does, add pasta water a little at a time to moisten up the pasta.
STEP 5
As soon as it’s heated through, remove from the heat, and tear 10 fresh basil leaves onto the pasta, and stir to combine. Pasta absorbs liquid and can dry out quickly, so make sure your sauce is hot when you add the drained pasta. Then just heat the pasta through, and serve immediately.
Note: Pasta absorbs liquid and can dry out quickly, so make sure your sauce is hot when you add the drained pasta.
SERVING
Garnish with a drizzle of Colonna Classic Extra Virgin Olive Oil (optional), toasted pine nuts, 5 torn fresh basil leaves, and the remainder of the grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (optional). Enjoy!
Notes:
This recipe is delicious with homemade sauce, but it’s also a quick and easy weeknight meal if you use your favorite jarred sauce instead. The other ingredients complement almost any red pasta sauce.
VIDEO
ROASTED RED PEPPER PASTA - How to make this simply delicious pasta!
Blog Comments & Tips
This pasta is simply delicious!
Pasta dishes are definitely my comfort food. When I feel like cooking an easy and satisfying vegetarian meal, my two go-tos are usually a pasta dish, or our Quick White Bean Ragu. Knowing that I’m going to want pasta after I make either our Fresh Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, or our Easy Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, I always make enough extra sauce to make this pasta dish.
This Roasted Red Pepper Pasta is my absolute favorite pasta, as it has very few ingredients. The flavors from the roasted red pepper sauce and toasted pine nuts are really delicious, and seem a bit more special than traditional tomato sauces. It’s really the little touches in this recipe that give it its unique flavor. The pine nuts add a wonderful crunchy element and toasted flavor to this dish. And, that little drizzle of olive oil at the end really finishes it well. It adds a lovely glossy sheen to the pasta, too!
My friends, Mishka and Ken, recently gave me this amazing Colonna Classic Extra Virgin Olive Oil as a hostess gift. I used to think olive oil was just olive oil, until I went olive oil tasting some years ago. The differences in quality and flavor are really noticeable when you taste test them side by side. You may have noticed this particular olive oil featured in the preparation photos for some of our other recipes. That’s because I’ve become obsessed with it. It’s so special that I use it when I want to pump up the rich olive flavor in my dishes.
Our homemade sauces are so yummy when you make them fresh. However, the flavors mature beautifully, so it’s best to make the sauce one or two days ahead of time. That makes it perfect for putting together quick weeknight meals like this Roasted Red Pepper Pasta.
If you just need a quick pasta dish and haven’t made one of our sauces, you can always substitute the homemade sauce with your favorite jarred sauce. Any red sauce should work well in this recipe. The other great thing about this recipe is it can easily satisfy those with specific dietary preferences. Details are in the Pimp Our Recipe section below.
Want to ensure the best results from our recipe?
Our 5 tips to making a good pasta:
Make sure your pasta is al dente. Don’t overcook your pasta, as it will continue to cook during the last few minutes when you combine it with the sauce.
Don’t over brown your pine nuts, as they will turn bitter.
Don’t be afraid to use some of that pasta water to loosen up your sauce. If the pasta starts to look dry, just add a little pasta water. It will also season the pasta and thicken up the sauce.
Wait until the last moment to tear your fresh basil leaves. This prevents the edges from turning brown, and adds a lovely fragrant element to this dish.
For drizzling, use the best quality olive oil you can find. We love Colonna Classic Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Williams Sonoma (available on Amazon).
Have any dietary preferences that won’t quite work with our recipe? It’s time to customize and Pimp Our Recipe.
Pimp Our Recipe:
Make it Spicy: Add ¼ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes to the sauce as you are heating it up.
Make it Gluten Free: Substitute the whole grain pasta with your favorite gluten free pasta. We found that Veggiecraft Farms Gluten-Free Penne has a good texture, and the flavor is fairly neutral!
Make it Vegan and Dairy Free: Just omit the parmesan cheese. Otherwise, the entire recipe (sauce included) is vegan!
Make it Lux: Garnish with fresh goat cheese to add a creamy element to this dish. The tanginess of the goat cheese pairs well with the roasted red pepper sauce.
Enjoy and let us know what you think by commenting below, rating our recipes, subscribing, following, and liking us on Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube! Don’t forget to subscribe to get updates on new recipes and tips & tricks.
Happy Cooking!
Mich
Footnote: Remember to not overcook your pasta!
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