This Roasted Tomato and Bell Pepper Pasta is an easy weeknight pasta! You can whip up the sauce in 30 minutes and have a delicious dinner in less than an hour!
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One of my biggest goals for 2019 is to offer you all more dinner recipes. I figured why wait until 2019, just start NOW Tawnie! Plus, if I get the in rhythm of making dinner recipes for you starting today, hopefully it will feel more natural to do some come the new year.
Today was one of those days where I wanted ALL carbs. I had a bagel at breakfast, pasta at lunch, and pizza for dinner. No regrets! It was a yummy carb-filled day. And who knows, tomorrow might be the same or maybe all I will want is veggie soup!
Maybe you’re having a carb craving type of day today too and I’m happy you stumbled across this roasted red pepper pasta recipe!
I have been cleaning out the fridge this week — trying to eat what’s in the freezer and use up produce that is going to go bad soon if I don’t eat it soon. Do you have those kind of weeks too, where grocery shopping isn’t an option until you can get creative enough to use what you already have?!
It reminds me of a cooking project I had in college. The chef told us we had access to all of the ingredients in the fridge and any pantry/spice items we needed and we had to come up with a full menu: Appetizer, Salad, Main Entree and Dessert. It was HARD but also very fun to see how creative each group was. Apparently that professor was getting us ready for REAL LIFE situations!
The other reason I wanted to clean my fridge out this week is because this weekend is busy and we won’t be home much to eat everything. We have venue tours for the wedding at three different locations and I am hoping by Monday I will have a venue chosen! Why is this the hardest decision ever for me?! Fingers crossed we fall in love with one of these venues!
Roasted tomato and pepper pasta ingredients
For this roasted tomato pasta, you’ll need:
Linguini: You can use any pasta shape you prefer
Cherry tomatoes: We love the flavor of cherry tomatoes but feel free to use whatever tomatoes you have on hand.
Red bell pepper: roasted red bell peppers are are great way to add flavor to the sauce. Roasting intensifies their sweetness and umami factor.
Heavy cream: can sub with half and half
Shallot: use minced onion if you don’t have a shallot handy.
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Red chili flakes
Step by Step Directions
You’ll first roast the tomatoes and bell peppers with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper in the oven a 400 degrees F for about 25 minutes. If you don’t have cherry tomatoes, that’s OK, you can use really any tomato varietal!
While the veggies roast, you can boil and drain the pasta. Or if you want to make this recipe even more speedy, you can prep by boiling the noodles in advance!
Then, sauté the diced shallot in a skillet. Once the tomatoes and red pepper have finished roasting, pulse them in a food processor to create a sauce and pour it into the skillet with the shallot. Add in the heavy cream, then cook until warmed through. Stir in the cooked pasta and enjoy!
FAQ
Can I add a protein to this pasta?
Of course! This roasted bell pepper pasta is a great base for almost any protein. A few of my favorite add-ins include meatballs, shrimp, grilled chicken, and diced tofu.
Can I use another type of pasta?
Yes, any type of pasta will work for this roasted tomato pasta recipe. Personally, I like pairing long noodles with the creamy red pepper sauce, but any pasta shape will work.
How to reheat pasta
If not reheated the right way, leftover pasta can become incredibly rubbery. If you have leftover roasted red pepper pasta, I recommend reheating it in a skillet with a little water or cream over low heat. The extra liquid will prevent the pasta from drying out and becoming chewy.
Tips for making bell pepper pasta
I love the subtle onion / garlic flavor of the shallot in this dish, but if you don’t have any shallots on hand you can use a small yellow onion instead.
If you like your roasted tomato and pepper pasta on the spicier side, add in extra chili flakes. Just be careful, a little goes a long way!
And when cooking the pasta, be sure to salt the water. You want the pasta itself to have a little flavor, otherwise it gets lost in the sauce.
Preheat oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Toss cherry tomatoes onto sheet pan (no need to cut them). Add bell peppers to the pan and toss veggies with 2 Tbsp. olive oil. Bake for 20-25 minute, or until veggies become tender.
Meanwhile, boil water for linguini in a large stockpot and add a dash of salt to the water. Cook pasta according to package directions.
In a deep pan or skillet, add shallot and remaining olive oil and cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. By this time, the tomatoes and veggies should be finished. Pulse them in a food processor until it becomes a “sauce.” Pour this sauce into the shallots and add in heavy cream. Let it come to a simmer.
Add in cooked noodles and season with salt, pepper and red pepper chili flakes. Garnish with parsley and Parmesan if desired.
Video
Notes
*If you don’t have any shallots on hand, you can use a small yellow onion instead.
Add in chicken, ground turkey or ground beef, if desired.
Welcome to my tiny “korner” on the Internet! I am a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist who loves cookies as much as kale. (OK, maybe I like cookies a little bit more but shh, don’t tell anyone). I am so glad you’re here! Follow along for hassle free, realistic and approachable recipes.
What a simple, yet delicious dinner!
Thank you Natalie!!
Yum, this sauce looks so creamy and luxurious!
It really is, thank you so much Lindsey!
This recipe is as good as it looks! My family loves it, thank you!
Aw thank you Andrea!
Okay Im normally a pesto person but this bell pepper sauce has won me over!
Oooo I love pesto too but this one gives it a run for it’s money! I’m happy you love it!
I am always looking for more dinner recipes! This is a great one, my kids love pasta.
I hope they love this one:) Thank you!!
This looks AMAZING! Love how creamy the sauce is!
Thank you so much Taylor!!
I love easy comforting dinners like this one. Such a great idea to roast veggies and make a sauce out of them. Can’t wait to give this a try!
Thank you so much Stephanie, hope you love it!!
Oh my goodness! This pasta is so simple but so delish!
This looks incredible. I love nothing more than a big bowlful of pasta at this time of year!
So comforting and yummy right? Thank you so much!
I love pasta sauce made from roasted veggies. It has so much flavour! Very nice recipe!
I agree, thank you so much!!!