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More Perfect Pasta Recipes
Creamy Red Pepper Pasta
Creamy red pepper pasta is one of those dishes that feels indulgent but still light and vibrant. I blend roasted red peppers with garlic, creme fraiche, and parmesan for a silky sauce that coats every strand of pasta. It’s rich, a little smoky, and comes together quickly – perfect for weeknights or lazy weekend dinners. Sometimes I add spinach or grilled chicken, but it’s just as lovely on its own. Simple ingredients, big flavour, and always a clean plate.
Ingredients
- 400g pasta
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 350g roasted (or marinated) red peppers, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, diced
- 1/2 tsp paprika, ground
- 1/2 tsp marjoram, dried
- 1/2 tsp chicken stock paste
- 1 1/2 cup passata
- 1/2 cup creme fraiche
- 50g Reggiano Parmigiano, grated
Instructions
- Cook pasta in salted water according to packet instructions, or until al dente. Retain 1/2 cup pasta water.
- As the pasta cooks, heat olive oil over medium heat, and cook onions for 4-5 minutes, or until soft.
- Add garlic and red peppers, and cook an additional 1 minute.
- Add the paprika, and marjoram and cook for 1 minute, ensuring the mix is thoroughly incorporated.
- Stir through the stock paste, passata, creme fraiche and cheese, and reduce heat to low.
- Heat through for 4-5 minutes, or until the cheese is thoroughly melted.
- Using a stick blender, blitz the sauce until smooth and creamy.
- Stir through the 1/2 cup of pasta water, and then toss through the prepared pasta.
- Serve with extra cheese and a sprinkling of chopped parsley.
What I Cook With
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 410Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 341mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 3gSugar: 7gProtein: 13g
Please note, this nutrition information is to be used as a guide only. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
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Creamy Red Pepper Pasta Recipe
A Bowl of Comfort
Creamy Red Pepper Pasta has well and truly earned its spot on my regular dinner rotation. As much as I love creamy sauces, they can be a bit much sometimes – you know the ones, where a few mouthfuls in you feel like you need to lie down. This one? Totally different. The sauce is silky smooth and full of flavour, but it’s also light enough that I can go back for seconds without feeling like I’ve overdone it. And I do. Frequently. It’s sweet, it’s cheesy, and it feels indulgent without being heavy. A bit like having your cake and eating it too, only it’s pasta.
I actually stumbled into making this regularly out of necessity. I always have marinated red peppers lurking in the fridge. I’m a bit of a jar hoarder – pickles, marinated artichokes, relishes, you name it. My top shelf is practically a deli counter! But that means I can whip up something like this pasta without much planning. It’s the sort of meal you can make after a long day when you can’t be bothered doing anything fancy but still want something that feels like a hug in a bowl.
The magic is in the balance. Creme fraiche gives that tangy richness, and Parmigiano Reggiano brings the salty depth. Honestly, once you try it, you’ll understand why this dish doesn’t last long in my house.
Why Creme Fraiche Wins Every Time
I’ve tried a lot of creamy pasta sauces over the years, but I keep coming back to creme fraiche. It’s lighter than double cream and has this subtle tang that lifts everything. In this Creamy Red Pepper Pasta, it helps balance out the sweetness of the red peppers so the whole thing doesn’t end up feeling flat. I know some people are loyal to cream, and fair enough, it’s a classic. But if you’re after something that doesn’t feel too heavy, creme fraiche is your new bestie.
It also doesn’t hurt that it helps cut down the calories a bit. I’m not one to calorie count religiously – food is meant to be enjoyed – but it’s nice to know I can enjoy a big bowl of pasta without feeling like I need to skip breakfast the next day. That said, if you only have cream in the fridge, use it. It’ll still be delicious. This recipe is forgiving like that.
And don’t even get me started on how well it melts into the sauce. It turns everything into this velvety dream that just coats the pasta beautifully. I genuinely believe it’s one of the reasons I can eat a full portion of this without feeling weighed down – it’s got all the comfort of a rich sauce, without any of the regrets.
My Favourite Kitchen Hack
The real game-changer with this sauce is blitzing it at the end. I use a stick blender straight in the pan, and it turns everything into this smooth, creamy, cohesive sauce that feels almost restaurant-level. You absolutely don’t have to do this – it works just fine as a chunky sauce – but smoothing it out just elevates the whole thing. It also makes it look a bit fancier, like you put in more effort than you actually did.
You can use a regular blender too, just be careful with the heat. Let it cool slightly if you’re worried about splashing molten sauce across your kitchen (I speak from experience). But honestly, if you’ve got a stick blender, that’s your best bet – it means one less thing to wash up, and it gets the job done beautifully.
Ingredients Breakdown
The base of this Creamy Red Pepper Pasta starts with pasta and a jar of roasted or marinated red peppers. You’ll also need olive oil, onion, and garlic to build that deep, savoury base. A little bit of paprika and marjoram adds warmth and a subtle herby depth that keeps everything balanced. I also like to stir in just a touch of chicken stock paste for that extra hit of umami.
Passata gives the sauce its body, binding everything together with rich, tomatoey sweetness. Creme fraiche steps in to create that luxurious texture without being too heavy, and Reggiano Parmigiano brings all the salty, nutty goodness that makes this pasta shine. Honestly, I don’t need much else when I’ve got that combo going.
It’s a short and sweet list, but every ingredient plays its part. Once it’s all blended together, it becomes something far greater than the sum of its parts. The texture is smooth, the flavour is rich and comforting, and it’s exactly the sort of thing I want to eat after a long day. Simple, satisfying, and always a hit in my kitchen.
