This one goes out to all of you “one pot pasta” lovers out there. …And I know there are a lot of you! Allow me to introduce to you this amazing One Pot Roasted Red Pepper Pasta!
This pasta dish combines roasted red peppers, fire roasted tomatoes, a hefty dose of garlic, sweet Vidalia onion, and dried basil for a smoky sweet pasta that practically cooks itself. Using vegetable broth in place of water gives the pasta extra depth and takes care of most of the need for the usual added salt and seasonings. The ingredients all simmer together in one pot (yes, even the pasta!) and creates its own thick, silky sauce. There’s so much flavor here you’ll wonder why you ever boiled pasta in plain water.
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Make it Creamy or Not.
The other great thing about this One Pot Roasted Red Pepper Pasta is that you can choose to make it creamy (like I did) or not. Once my pasta was finished cooking, I stirred in a few dollops of cream cheese until it melted into the sauce and made the whole pot luxuriously creamy. It’s a little indulgent with the cream cheese, but I also tasted it before adding the cheese and it was still amazing. So, you have the option of no cream cheese, full cream cheese, or even half cream cheese. It’s up to you!
Can I Add Meat?
Yes, chicken or Italian sausage would both go great with this recipe! To add chicken, simply dice up a chicken breast or two and sauté it in the pot before adding the remaining ingredients. Or you can add shredded rotisserie chicken after cooking the pasta. To add Italian sausage, simply brown some sausage in the pot before adding the rest of the ingredients.
Tips for One Pot Pasta Success:
One pot pasta recipes can be a bit tricky at first, but once you get the hang of it, they’re a breeze! Here are some tips to get you started:
- Use heavy, thick cookware to make sure the ingredients heat evenly.
- Make sure the pasta is simmering the whole time and adjust the heat as needed. If the heat is too low, the pasta will just get mushy.
- Stir to prevent the pasta from sticking, but not too often or you risk breaking down the pasta.
- Use your intuition. If the mixture dries up before the pasta is tender, add a splash more liquid. If the pasta is almost finished cooking and there is too much liquid, allow it to simmer without the lid for the last few minutes.
How to Store the Leftovers
This recipe makes a very large batch. I froze one serving last night to test the freeze/thaw cycle and it held up pretty well. The sauce was a bit more dry after reheating in the microwave, but the flavor was still great! Refrigerated portions will stay good in the refrigerator for about five days.
One Pot Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
Servings 6 (1 1/3 cup each)Ingredients
- 5 cups vegetable broth ($0.60)
- 1 lb. Fettuccine ($1.00)
- 1 small Vidalia onion ($0.61)
- 4 cloves garlic ($0.32)
- 1 12oz. jar roasted red peppers ($2.49)
- 1 15oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes ($1.29)
- 1/2 Tbsp dried basil ($0.07)
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (optional) ($0.03)
- Freshly cracked black pepper ($0.05)
- 4 oz. cream cheese (optional) ($1.08)
Instructions
- Thinly slice the onion and mince the garlic. Remove the red peppers from the liquid in the jar and then slice them into thin strips.
- In a large pot, combine the broth, onion, garlic, red pepper slices, diced tomatoes (with juice), basil, crushed red pepper, and some freshly cracked black pepper (10-15 cranks of a pepper mill). Stir these ingredients to combine. Break the fettuccine in half, then add it to the pot, attempting to submerge the pieces as much as possible.
- Place a lid on the pot and turn the heat up to high. As soon as the pot reaches a full boil, give it a quick stir to loosen any pieces that may have stuck to the bottom, return the lid, and turn the heat down to medium-low.
- Let the pot simmer on medium low for 10-12 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom. Return the lid as quickly as possible after each stir. After ten minutes, test the pasta to see if it is al dente. Once the pasta is tender, remove it from the heat. (If the pasta becomes too dry before it is tender, simply add a small amount of water and continue to simmer.)
- Divide the cream cheese into tablespoon sized pieces, then add them to the pot. Stir the pasta until the cheese melts in and creates a smooth sauce (it will look lumpy at first, just keep stirring). Serve hot.
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Notes
Nutrition
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Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make One Pot Red Pepper Pasta – Step by Step Photos
Begin by slicing one Vidalia onion and mincing four cloves of garlic. Remove the peppers from a 12oz. jar of roasted red peppers, and slice them into thin strips.
Using both fire roasted red peppers AND fire roasted diced tomatoes gives the pasta a slightly smoky/sweet flavor.
Now it’s time to add everything to the pot. For the pictures, I added everything at one time, but it will help if you add everything in two steps. First add 5 cups of broth, the sliced onion, minced garlic, sliced red peppers, diced tomatoes (with the juices from the can), 1/2 Tbsp dried basil, 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (optional), and some freshly cracked black pepper. Stir all those ingredients together, then break the pasta in half and submerge it under the liquid. Breaking the past in half helps it incorporate into the other ingredients better and makes it fit better in the pot (and under the liquid).
Place a lid on the pot and put it over high heat. Once it reaches a boil, stir the pot to loosen anything that has stuck to the bottom. Return the lid quickly, turn the heat down to medium-low, and let the pot simmer for 10-12 minutes. Stir the pot every couple of minutes or so to make sure nothing sticks, but always replace the lid quickly so that it keeps simmering and you don’t loose too much of the moisture. After 10-12 minutes, the pasta should be tender, but still slightly firm (al dente). Remove it from the heat.
If you want creamy pasta, add 4 oz. of cream cheese in dollops to the pot. I added half of the 8oz. package, but I bet it would still be pretty creamy if you cut that amount in half. It’s pretty flexible.
Stir the pot until the cream cheese is fully melted in. It may look a little chunky at first, but keep stirring and it will eventually become smooth and creamy.
Then eat this delicious and creamy bowl of One Pot Roasted Red Pepper Pasta. :)
I’m really struggling to find these roasted piquillo peppers. Walmart “carries” them, but has not restocked in months, and other brands seem to have been discontinued. I’m not really interested in paying $40 to get these peppers. Do you know of any other brands or ways of obtaining them that I might be overlooking?
If you can find any roasted red peppers, they don’t have to be piquillo, they will work just fine. :)
Thank you very much. I’ll probably try this sometime in the next week. ^^ Can’t wait.
Made this with chicken stock but other than that it was exactly as written and it was an instant hit with everyone in the family! In my top 10 recipes for sure…thanks!
Hi, Beth, This looks great!
Can I double it? What size pot? How can I add chicken thighs? Can I reheat it in a crock pot?
I want to serve this at a homeless shelter where the people need protein and appreciate spice/flavor
All things must change, but I’m not fond of your new website; I liked the organization of the other better. Just saying.
Thanks for your help. You, your insights and your recipes are the best! !! I love getting your posts every day!
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Yes, you should be able to double it, although I don’t think reheating it in a crock pot would work well because the pasta will get very mushy. This one is definitely best right after it’s cooked. You could probably sauté the chicken thighs in the bottom of the pot before you add any other ingredients and just make sure they’re cooked through before you add everything else. :)
This was just alright for us. Kids added a bunch of Parmesan cheese and the hubby and I added more red pepper flakes.
This is my first Budget Bytes recipe, and I have to say I’m impressed! As a college student cooking for myself, I think this dish hits nearly every point on my checklist: it’s cheap, extremely easy to make, good tasting, and freezes well.
Like other commenters, I had to make some modifications though. Four cups of broth ended up being plenty for this dish. I also felt the recipe didn’t really make a complete meal, so I added sliced grilled chicken at the beginning and steamed some broccoli florets separately to mix in at the end (or when I reheat it). Overall though, great recipe. I’ll definitely be making this again soon!
Made it tonight with gemelli, one word : AMAZING.
I made this tonight and may I say it was awesome. I’m such a fan of yours Beth and this recipe was delicious. I’m not a pasta person but this was silky smooth and delicious. I made a half recipe and added some chicken. My husband really enjoyed as well. I just want to thank you for expanding my inner chef soul! Thanks to you!
Hello,
I was just wondering if this could be cooked up in a slow cooker and if so would four hours on high work? I’m not much of a cook, but I love this site and use it almost exclusively for our meals.
Either way, thanks for the great site and excellent recipes.
This is definitely one of those recipes that you don’t want to use the slow cooker for. That slow cooking method usually turns pasta to mush, so you want to cook it quickly on the stove top. :)
Hi Beth! First, I just wanted to say that my fiance and I really love your dishes, they’re perfect for two students on a budget. Second, I thought others would like to know that when my fiance omitted the pasta all together, let everything cook at a medium boil for an hour and a half, and then threw it all in a food processor, this recipe made a great sauce that would go perfectly with any pasta dish! Now this dish can be even more versatile!
Amazing! That was so smart of him. :D Now I want to try it!
I wanted to love this recipe. Unfortunately, I am gluten free and this did not work with corn pasta. Perhaps with a different blend of noodle it wouldn’t have gotten so gummy and bland. More spices were definitely required (Italian herbs, smoked paprika, extra red pepper).
Corn pasta is always mushy. Try a brown rice or brown rice/quinoa blend. I’ve done one pot pastas successfully with those, but generally prefer to use penne or other small stuff rather than spaghetti or linguine so it’s easier to incorporate.
I wonder why you didn’t call this a “wonderpot?” I enjoyed the Italian and Spinach & Artichoke wonderpots and it seems like this is the same kind of recipe. It’s a great concept and I can’t wait to try this one!
I guess I just forgot to call it that. :)
This looks good !! When would you add cooked chicken ?
I would add it in the beginning with everything else.
I made this with whole wheat fettuccine and used the full 5 cups of broth (used chicken broth because that’s what I had) and half the red pepper. It was pretty tasty and definitely hit the creamy pasta craving.
Made this last night and it was super yummy. I only used four cups of vegetable broth and it turned out fabulous. I will definitely be making again and possibly adding chicken as others have suggested,
I made this with 4 cups of broth and ricotta, topped with a little parmesan and it was perfect. This is my new favorite after your bacon spinach pasta!