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. :)
Hello! I am hoping to make this tonight, and am wondering what veggies, if any, would go well in this. Broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, snap peas, etc. I am looking forward to making it!
I vote for spinach or broccoli. :)
So I’m a little paranoid about cooking with any tomatoes or tomato containing foods because cooked tomato products teto give me terrible heartburn. So, I made this with chicken stock (low sodium) and added no tomatoes. Also, I used 4 cups stock instead of 5 (based on several other reviews). It wasn’t quite enough liquid, but I also added 2 chopped and sauteed chicken breasts, so maybe that’s why. I added a little liquid and cooked the pasta a little longer, like the directions said, and it cooked fine. I also roasted my own red peppers. I used a lower fat cream cheese. Overall it was a little bland. I’m not adding a rating because it’s not fair to rate it when I didn’t follow directions exactly. Oh, and some pasta stuck to the bottom of my pot because apparently I did not stir good enough, so follow the directions and stir very well!!!
This looks like a great pantry recipe I’m going to try to make it vegan
There was too much liquid left over when I made this recipe, and I had to drain some off. But otherwise, it was delicious and a huge hit. I wouldn’t recommend making this without cream cheese, as I find that’s what makes this recipe “creamy” and tasty.
Have you ever tried this with farro? I make a similar one pot meal with tomatoes, onion, garlic, etc – Smitten Kitchen, I believe – and the farro cooks perfectly every time. Makes it a bit more healthy, too. I am trying this (halved) tomorrow night as written (except using herbed goat cheese instead of the cream cheese, because I already have it!) Depending on how much I like it, I will probably try it with farro the next time!
Very interesting! I’m going to have to try that! Thanks for sharing! :)
How would I go about using fresh basil instead of dried in this?
You can slice it into thin strips and add it in the beginning with the rest of the ingredients, and then perhaps sprinkle a little more on top after cooking, since basil tastes very different when fresh vs. cooked. You’d get the best of both worlds that way. :)
Hi what size pot is this? Any recommendations on a good pot? Thanks!
That is a 5 qt. pot. :) You can find my favorite pots and pans in my Amazon Shop (I have the set’s listed, but you can buy individual pieces as well).
I had almost everything for this in my pantry and quickly whipped it up for dinner. this is the best and easiest pasta recipe i’ve ever done!! barely any work and tastes like nothing else. amazing! ***** 5 stars, 10/10
Made this with 4 oz of goat cheese instead of cream cheese – delish!
I have made this several times and even my five year old granddaughter made it (supervised, of course). We love it. Our family is decadent. We used the whole 8 oz brick of cream cheese. I shook about a pound of sliced mushrooms in a bag with some flour and then pan fried them in butter (or olive oil, can’t remember which) until they were pretty crunchy. They made a nice topping both flavor wise and texture-wise. Looked nice too.
I loved it! I forgot to put in the fire roasted diced tomatoes and it was still delicious! So glad I found your site, I’ve made two things already and both were fantastic!
If I wanted to do this in a crockpot, would I need to change any steps?
I don’t recommend using a crock pot for this recipe because the pasta will likely turn to mush.
what if I waited to the end to put the pasta in? Would the flavors still combine well?
I’m not sure that would be any different than just adding it in the beginning. You’ll still need to simmer it until the pasta is cooked, so you’d just be adding an extra simmer in the beginning which wouldn’t really do anything. 🤔
I’ve made this twice and both times it’s retained so much moisture by the time the noodles are cooked it’s more of a soup :( what do I do here?
I would try either reducing the liquid a little or try simmering without the lid for the past few minutes. Sometimes you have to tweak recipes a little to accommodate differences in ingredient brands, differences in cookware, or even your range top.
If I wanted to roast the red peppers myself how many should I use?
Probably about 3, depending on the size of your peppers. It’s very forgiving, though. :)
What kind of meat would go best in this pasta? Spicy sausage? Or would that be too much spice?
I think Italian sausage would go nicely.
This was such a treat! One pot a delicious! Thank you. I am officially addicted to your recipes!