Nothing hits for dinner quite like a bowl of pipin’ hot, creamy pasta. Bonus points if veggies are involved and it’s done in 25 minutes. This recipe stars roasted red peppers, cashew (!) cream, sautéed shallots, and a kiss of parmesan for THE most luscious sauce you’ll want to devour by the spoonful. My fam devours this with pan-seared shrimp and lots of fresh parsley!
You know those nights when you’re craving that one pan, simple comfort vibe? When everyone’s hangry and hanging from your limbs and you’d do anything for a cozy, soul-nourishing din to appear?
This wildly easy creamy roasted red pepper pasta is it, hallelujah! We’ve not sacrificing vibrant flavor, oh no. I mean we’ve even got a vegetable.
When it comes to sublimely creamy sauces sans heavy cream, cashews are IT. I use this trick in soups all the time and it totally makes my creamy cajun pasta. Ok, I’m so pumped for you to fall madly in love with this one pan wonder!!
Thoughts from recipe testing
- Cashews > heavy cream. Why? Because they’re loaded with heart-healthy fats, have a super creamy texture and mellow flavor for a lighter alternative that does not taste like. Plus, since we’re nixing cream, you can easily keep it dairy (just hold the parm!).
- When I developed this recipe, I had a hunch it would be supreme with sautéed shrimp and man, was I right! In this recipe, shrimp adds a protein punch and delish complementary flavor. You could also just use higher protein chickpea pasta to keep it veg!
- It was also clear during testing (and after I took these photos, LOL) that copious amounts of fresh parsley atop this pasta is a match made in heaven. I drafted this with parsley listed as optional but in my humble opinion, it’s required! P.S. Be sure to use flat leaf vs curly–it’s way more flavorful.
- 12oz pasta works the best. It took a bit of trial and error but TBH, 16oz makes it way harder to fit in the pan and 8oz doesn’t make enough to feed my hangry husband! (This is 3-4 cups dry pasta, assuming it’s a shape like penne, rotini, etc.)
Let’s make it!
Purty please let me know if you make this ultra creamy noodle beauty! I truly could not stop eating this recipe and cannot WAIT for you to lay mouth on it.
Quick Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta (Healthy!)
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Prep Time:
15 minutes -
Cook Time:
15 minutes -
Total Time:
30 minutes -
Yield:
4–5 servings 1x -
Category:
Pasta and Noodles -
Method:
Stovetop -
Cuisine:
Mediterranean -
Diet:
Vegetarian
Description
Nothing hits quite like a bowl of pipin’ hot, creamy pasta. Bonus points if veggies are involved and it’s done in 25 minutes! This recipe stars roasted red peppers, cashew (!) cream, sautéed shallots, and a kiss of parmesan for THE most luscious sauce you’ll want to devour by the spoonful. My fam devours this with pan-seared shrimp and lots of fresh parsley!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Instructions
- Place cashews in a bowl and cover with very hot water. Set aside to soak (this can be done hours ahead or overnight, just refrigerate if longer than two hours).
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Once water is boiling, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- While pasta cooks, warm olive oil in a large skillet over medium low heat. Once hot, add shallots and a pinch of salt and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for another 30 seconds, until golden and fragrant. Remove pan from heat. (If adding shrimp per the note below, get sautéing or air frying now.)
- Drain cashews. Place in a blender or Nutribullet with broth, roasted red peppers, salt, sumac, and cooked shallots and garlic. Blend until very smooth and creamy.
- Warm skillet over low heat. Pour drained pasta into skillet. Add sauce and stir to coat. Add parmesan and stir until pasta is heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt if needed to make the flavors pop (I like to add a squeeze of lemon if I have it).
- Top with cooked shrimp if using and enjoy hot with lots of fresh parsley and a sprinkle of parmesan!
Notes
*I love this with wild shrimp! Place peeled and deveined shrimp (I used thawed from frozen) in a large bowl. Pat dry with paper towels. Add 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, ½ tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp garlic powder, a sprinkle of paprika, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Toss to combine. Cook in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat for 2-3 min per side. OR place evenly in air fryer basket and cook 400F for about 5 minutes (or less, depending on air-fryer. Keep an eye, because it can go from perfectly tender to rubbery very fast!).
Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days. I add a splash of water and lemon juice to loosen up the sauce and bring it back to life when eating leftovers.
