This roasted red pepper pasta features a creamy chili roasted red pepper sauce coating every inch of tender pasta with nutty Parmesan and green onions on top.
Spice-lovers, listen up! Your new favorite pasta is staring ya straight in the face.
We’re pairing one of my top 5 favorite ingredients aka roasted red peppers with a punch of red chili flakes, lots of garlic, and throwing it all into a mess of pasta to create the ultimate bowl for when you’re craving a little heat in your life.
Speaking of which, get ready to crave this pasta 24/7.
Only 8 ingredients and about 20 minutes of your evening is all that’s required to pull off this flavor-packed pasta dish and it goes so well alongside a variety of dishes!
Don’t even get me started on the next-day lunch leftovers.
This Pasta features…
- A spicy chili garlic butter sauce
- Flavorful roasted red peppers and tender pasta
- Only 8 ingredients needed and ready in 20 minutes
Making the Red Pepper Pasta
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Pasta
- Unsalted butter
- Garlic
- Red chili pepper flakes
- Harissa
- Roasted red peppers
- Parmesan cheese
- Green onions
How to Adjust Heat Level
This recipe is very easy to adapt based on your personal heat preference. Follow the chart below to adjust the heat level!
- Mild – use 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes or skip them entirely.
- Spicy – use 1 teaspoon red chili flakes.
- Extra-spicy – use 2 teaspoons red chili flakes or add more to taste.
Tips for Perfect Red Pepper Pasta
- Cook pasta to al dente – the pasta will continue cooking a bit in the sauce so make sure not to overcook it during the boiling step.
- Reserve pasta water – set aside 1 cup pasta water before draining pasta as you will need this for the sauce.
- Sauté garlic and chili flakes in butter – this builds a flavor base for the sauce.
- Puree sauce – puree the garlic-chili butter, roasted red peppers, and reserved pasta water until smooth. You can use a blender or food processor for this step.
- Finish cooking pasta in sauce – toss the pasta and sauce over medium-high heat until sauce is clinging to pasta.
Recipe Variations
Try these ideas for a different twist on this pasta.
- Add veggies – try folding in sautéed zucchini, baby spinach, mushrooms, or peas.
- Make it meaty – add cooked chicken, bacon, or sausage for a meaty kick.
- Top with a different cheese – asiago, sharp cheddar, or mozzarella would be great in place of the Parmesan.
Every bite of this pasta is just bursting with incredible flavor! The chili butter red pepper sauce is the perfect creamy texture that clings to the pasta and has just the right amount of zippy heat.
Pasta night just got a whole lot more spicy!
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 pasta made step-by-step on Google web stories.
Try these other spicy dishes next!
Spicy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
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Ingredients
- 12 oz pasta
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 medium cloves garlic, minced
- 1-2 teaspoons red chili pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon harissa paste
- 1 jar (16 oz) roasted red peppers, drained and diced into 1/4-inch cubes
- Grated Parmesan cheese, sliced green onions, and additional red pepper flakes for garnish
Instructions
- Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water and drain pasta. Set aside for a moment.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and let cook 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add harissa paste and roasted red pepper and bring to a simmer.
- Transfer roasted red pepper mixture to a blender along with 3/4 cup pasta cooking water and blend until completely smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour sauce back into skillet and add pasta. Toss over medium-high heat 2-3 minutes, adding additional pasta water as needed until sauce is creamy and clinging to pasta.
- Season pasta with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with Parmesan, green onions, and additional red pepper flakes. Serve warm and enjoy!
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