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. :)
Oh yes. Quite simple, but elegant. Tres bon! And I just happen to have on hand all the essentials.
very delicious recipe my whole family loved it. we have recently stopped eating meat and this is a great dish even meat eaters will love. I added my own special twist to add some extra flavor and some kick but not too much. I add a tablespoon or two of Cajun seasoning and about three to five tablespoon of crystal hot sauce depending on how spicy you like it and also about a handful of chopped green onions for extra flavor and color and all of it really brought this whole recipe together now its my favorite to make! very easy and a great dish to share. thank you!
Fantastic. 4 cups of broth was plenty!! I added oregano. Loved it
Great one-pot recipe!! I only had 1/2 jar of roasted red peppers, and I prefer fresh veges anyway, so I used 2 large fresh red peppers thinly sliced in place of the jar. I sauteed them in olive oil with the onion and garlic before adding the rest of the ingredients. Then proceeded with recipe as is (except I was doing 1/2 recipe). Delicious!! Kids loved it too. In fact, I think I will go heat up some of the leftover for today’s lunch!! Thanks.
I wish I discovered one-pot pasta dishes years ago. I can’t wait to make this tomorrow – instead of the cream cheese, I’ll use some heavy cream in the fridge that has to get used. I’m curious why some people seem so concerned about adding protein – there is protein in the pasta and veggies, and if you add cream or cheese, that’s protein, too. Anyway, just curious.
I love that you experimented on whether it freezes well or not. I’m usually cooking for one person (myself or cooking for my boyfriend to eat during the week) so it’s always nice to know if I can freeze it and stretch it.
I just made this for the first time, and WOW! This is definitely a keeper! I altered it a bit to fit what I had in my kitchen, but the core concept was there. I roasted my own peppers since they were on mega sale for .48/each. I also used a plain sweet onion. I thought I had basil, but no dice, so I used some Oregano. Plus I doubled the red pepper since I like a little bit more kick. Finally in addition to the cream cheese (I didn’t quite have 4oz), I added about a tablespoon of heavy cream. I really loved the end result and it wasn’t too heavy like an Alfredo, but still creamy. Thank you for the recipe!
YUM! One of your best recipes :)
I’ve made this a couple of times now, and it’s a family favorite. After the first time, I’ve made a few changes. First, if you get the “deli sliced” roasted red bell peppers, you can use only half a jar. Still a ton of peppers, half the cost. Second, I saute the onion before adding in the rest of the ingredients. Only takes a couple of minutes and adds a lot of flavor.
I am planning on making this. I’ve never even heard of Vidalia onion and they are definitely not in my grocery store. Would a generic “sweet onion” work? Have people tried this with yellow onions? It sounds like a forgiving recipe, but I’d like to give it a chance to wow me the first time, so I’d appreciate people’s thoughts.
I’d definitely go for the sweet onion, rather than a regular yellow onion. A yellow onion will work, but the sweet onions go best with the flavors in this dish. :)
Thanks! Just made this with a sweet onion. I started with 4 cups broth (the size of my package, turned out to be perfect for my brand of pasta), replaced the black pepper with white pepper (don’t really like black pepper), and left out the red pepper flakes. I did add in the cream cheese. Since a friend got me some bourbon smoked paprika for the holidays I added in a pinch of that.
My girlfriend and I both tried it. For me it was just about perfect. Smokey, sweet, creamy, and just a little sour. For her, she really liked it, but found it to be just a little bland (I am much more sensitive than she is, so she tends to like stronger flavors). She really enjoyed adding siracha to it (she would definitely cook it with lots of pepper flakes if it was just her.
Next time we are going to enhance the flavor for her by going up to a medium onion, a 16oz jar of bell peppers, and taking the garlic up to 6 cloves.
Thank you for this recipe!
I am also seriously considering trying this with sausage some time!
The husband and I are trying to find ways to increase our non-meat protein. Do you think that some beans would make a nice addition to this dish? And if so what kind would you recommend?
If it wouldn’t be a good idea to add them then no bug deal. I’ve made this 3 or 4 times already and its delicious!
Thanks
Thanks!
Maybe white beans or garbanzo beans, but anything else might be kind of strange, I think. :)
I happened to add two cans of kidney beans to this recipe for protein and my husband and I both really enjoyed it.
I really liked this, and I actually found that it reheated quite well – I’ve been eating leftover for lunch all week! If you want the sauce to reheat smoother, you can add a tablespoon or two of milk before reheating, but I haven’t found it really necessary.
I added chopped cooked chicken, thought it was a good combination.
Just made this for dinner and it was excellent! I only used 4 cups of chicken broth (made from boullion cubes) and it was the perfect amount of liquid, even after the cream cheese was added. I also threw in some leftover sliced Italian sausage I had in the fridge, as well as extra red pepper flakes. This pasta was spicy and delicious and I will definitely be making it regularly! Thanks for a great recipe!
I made this tonight, and it is fantastic! The addition of cream cheese really makes it.
I’ve made three of your recipes and liked them all (which is something I can’t say about all the food blogs I follow!) great job!
Made this last night – added some extras that I wanted to use up in my mission to clear out my fridge/pantry in January and reduce food waste, as well as add extra protein
Added: mushrooms, italian sausage (pre-cooked and frozen), can of kidney beans
Subs: chicken broth (instead of veggie broth), italian seasoning mix (instead of basil)
This made about 4 servings of leftovers for my husband and I after we ate, and I am thrilled because this is probably the best thing I have made in the past three months.