Roasted Red Pepper Pesto Pasta

Flavorful roasted red peppers and lots of fresh basil take this roasted red pepper pesto pasta to the next level! Try it with your favorite pasta with lots of Parmesan cheese on top.

We’ve got another mindlessly easy weeknight pasta dinner coming in RED hot! Quite literally…

Roasted red peppers are one of our most heavily-used ingredients around here so it was only a matter of time before it ended up hanging out in some pretty magical pesto.

This is one of those pasta dishes that couldn’t be easier to pull off but tastes like it belongs in some fancy Italian restaurant.

And y’all, we’re pulling off this pesto-y magic in mere minutes with a handful of basic ingredients. Your pasta game is forever changed.

And you’re forever eating this goodness.

This Pesto Pasta features…

• A flavorful homemade roasted red pepper pesto
• Tender bucatini pasta
• Lots of fresh basil and Parmesan on top
• Ready in 30 minutes with only 7 ingredients

Making the Pesto Pasta

(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)

Ingredients You Will Need

• Roasted red peppers
• Basil
• Pine nuts
• Garlic
• Parmesan cheese
• Olive oil
• Pasta

Choosing Your Pasta

The best part about this dish is that it works well with a variety of pastas! We typically go for a good bucatini or spaghetti, but the sky’s the limit for what you can use.* We’ve also had success with the following pastas.

• Penne
• Rigatoni
• Farfalle
• Angel hair
• Cavatappi
• Rotini

*be aware that different shapes of pasta will have different cook times.

Tips for Perfect Pesto Pasta

1. Use jarred or homemade roasted red peppers – we like to use jarred for the ease, but this recipe also works great with homemade as well! You will need 1 medium sweet red pepper for this recipe if you choose to go the homemade route.
2. Freshly-grate Parmesan – this will give you a much more rich and nutty Parmesan flavor.
3. Use food processor for pesto – we prefer using a food processor for pesto, but if you don’t own one, a blender will also work.
4. Cook pasta to al dente – be careful not to overcook your pasta here and cook just to al dente for the best texture.
5. Reserve pasta cooking water – set aside 1/2 cup pasta cooking water before draining your pasta – this will help loosen up the pesto sauce a bit when tossing into the pasta.

Recipe Variations

Try these ideas for a different spin on this pasta!

• Try a different cheese – try asiago or sharp cheddar in place of the Parmesan.
• Add veggies – add sauteed zucchini, baby spinach, summer squash, green beans, or mushrooms for a veggie kick.
• Make it meaty – fold in cooked chicken, steak strips, or cooked salmon cubes.

What to Serve with Pasta

This pesto pasta goes well with a variety of dishes! For a vegetarian-friendly meal, we love pairing it alongside some toasted French bread slices with a green salad. For meat-lovers, try serving this pasta alongside grilled chicken, salmon, or steak.

And don’t forget the glass of wine! This pasta pairs super well with a sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio, or pinot noir.

This is seriously the most simple pasta dish there ever was, but man are we ever in flavor town today! The roasted red peppers add a mellow sweetness to the pesto, plus gives it a rich and creamy texture that’s just heavenly coating the tender bucatini.

New favorite pasta dish coming in hot! You’re going to be making this all the time.

Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.

Watch this pesto made step-by-step on Google web stories.

More pesto pasta dishes you’ll love!

• Basil Pesto Ravioli with Grilled Vegetables
• Cheesy Baked Pesto Gnocchi
• Pesto Zucchini Orzo